Amos Trust’s ‘On Her Terms’ campaign is transforming the lives of girls and young women on the streets so that they can live free from abuse. We are journeying with them as they take control of their own lives, challenging the injustice they experience daily.
If a girl is on the street for more than a week, the likelihood is, she will never be able to leave”. Umthombo — Durban, South Africa.
Amos Trust has 30 years’ experience of working with children on the streets of South Africa. In 2010 we set up the Street Child World Cup with our local South African partner to transform the way society perceived and treated children on the streets.
Following the huge success of the 2010 and 2014 Rio Street Child World Cup, we decided that we had to step back and refocus our work and address the massive gap in effective responses for girls on the streets. To look at why projects found it so hard to work with these girls, and what we could do to address this.
Between 2014-2018, with some funding from Comic Relief, we worked with partners, in India, South Africa, and Tanzania, to develop highly localised responses for girls and young women. We felt it was time for the next step.
In October 2018 we brought together frontline workers from these programmes together with a few other select organisations that are on a similar journey. In a weeklong workshop, they shared their learning and their challenges. They worked together to identify how they can make their responses, which are often very fragile, stronger and more effective.
Our learning from 2018 has shaped the different strands of On Her Terms, which is a campaign, a methodology and a space. Please click here to read more.
On Her Terms: sharing knowledge about working with young women and young mothers on the streets.
Take a look through our range of resources, including blog posts, downloads and products, to find out more about our Street Justice work.
In our first blog post of the year, you will read about some of the occasions in 2024 when we heard about the ‘other world’ taking a breath. Sometimes, it was a long, deep gasp of air, others a rattly asthmatic cough. We are working with some great people on plans for 2025, which we are excited about and look forward to sharing with you soon but for now, below are some of our highlights from 2024.
Our second book of poetry, prose, creative writing and reflection is now available. ‘Seeds Of Hope: More Thoughts and Reflections from Amos Trust’ has contributions from Zena Kazeme, Arundhati Roy, Ben Okri, Cornel West, Angela Davis, Robert Cohen, Maya Angelou and our partner Abdelfattah Abusrour. “What a wonderful collection of writing — rich, deep, broad, funny, touching, angry, and, most importantly, encouraging.” Brian Eno — producer, musician, writer and artist.
Our Digital Gift Certificates are an ideal present for those hard-to-buy-for friends and relatives in your life. Gifts include shelter packs for families in Gaza, food vouchers for families in Bethlehem, life skills programmes for young women in South Africa and wetland clean-ups for communities in Mexico. Prices range from £10-£50.
Umthombo has seen a rise in young women living on the streets due to domestic violence and poverty. Many of these women, with limited options, are often forced into sex work or become dependent on drugs and exploitative relationships. Umthombo’s outreach workers visit the streets to build trust and offer a pathway to recovery, starting with detox and extending to a comprehensive programme aimed at helping them reclaim their independence.
New Generation works tirelessly to support children living on the streets and young women employed as domestic workers in Burundi. Their outreach programme focuses on building relationships with vulnerable children, offering essential services like meals, medical assistance and educational support. The organisation also runs a dedicated programme for young women in domestic work, providing a safe space for them to understand their rights and access the support they need to break free from exploitation.
Since 1995, Karunalaya has been advocating for the rights of children and families living on the streets of Chennai, India. Over the past year, they have provided essential support to over 3,000 families facing extreme poverty and displacement. Their work continues to tackle child marriage, child labour, and gender-based violence — issues that have been exacerbated by economic and social challenges in recent years.
Domestic violence and poverty often push women in Mwanza onto the streets, where survival forces them into sex work, leading to unwanted pregnancies or increased vulnerability to health risks. Cheka Sana offers a new path, supporting these women in starting a life away from the streets. The programme helps them develop skills through apprenticeships, guiding them towards self-sufficiency while offering sexual and reproductive health support to ensure their well-being.
Lindo and Mpendulo from Amos partner Umthombo Street Children visited the UK from Durban, South Africa, in May this year. As well as visiting supporters nationwide, they spent time in Tower Hamlets, London, with a former Umthombo volunteer. Karin Joseph writes.
Join us as we journey with girls on the streets as they take control of their own lives, and challenge the injustice they experience daily.
Watch and share our short campaign film, ‘Run Without Fear’.
Stay in touch — sign up to receive monthly On Her Terms email updates.
Please consider becoming a committed giver or making a one-off donation.
Download and share our free brochure that explains the On Her Terms campaign.
Amos Trust
7 Bell Yard, London
WC2A 2JR
UK
Telephone:
+44 (0) 203 725 3493
Email:
[email protected]
Registered Charity No.
1164234
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