Ronald J. Sider and Michael A. King in Preaching About Life in a Threatening World, focus on the Biblical Story and how it relates to liberation theology. In their discussion they speak of the poor being the one that God is likely to use to his glory, rather than the rich and powerful. Sider and King cite Justo L. Gonzalez and Catherine J. Gonzalez who state that:
“God has the proclivity for speaking the word through the
powerless…The powerful have a difficult time hearing God
accurately. Their choice seems to be hearing God’s words to
them through some apparently powerless person” (59-60).
They speak of reversal in which “the mighty are made ‘low’ and those of ‘low degree’ and hungry are exalted and filled” (59). This reversal plays a role in economic justice, human rights and war and violence, for example. Sider and King also make reference to others like Richard Batey and Rubem Alves, who speak about the need for the rich and comfortable to associate more with the poor in order to “weaken the walls separating the two”(65). Accordingly, the Church therefore needs to structure its approach in a way that enables it to really help the poor and the powerless through building and maintaining a nurturing relationship. Sider and King say that liberation theology:
“Argues basically that one cannot fully understand the Bible from
a purely theoretical and objective stance one must instead enter
into the world the Bible delineates if one is to understand it” (113).
In order to change and develop a community the Church needs to understand its importance to the people. The church must provide both material and spiritual sustenance for those in need. As the economic conditions in Jamaica get harsher and as family life disintegrates, the nations children are put at risk. The parents and grandparents who were once good custodians of children are no longer discharging these responsibilities in a way that is pleasing to God. It is therefore the churches duty to step in and help to rescue the perishing street children.
Davis speaks of Caribbean people having this sense of community which “regulates a good deal of their social behaviour and is far more powerful than the source of legislative action.” (74) This suggests that if the Church is to make any progress in developing the community it wishes to serve it must realize the important place it holds in people’s lives. Davis also puts forward suggestions for addressing four basic problems of the manifestations of bondage and oppression (poverty, dependence, alienation and imitation): they must empower Caribbean people to put their faith to work in solidarity with one another and in strategic connections with other oppressed peoples. Further, they must point out clearly that Caribbean people are responsible for their own liberation and development. He sums up by stating that through moral consistency and Christian courage the gospel of Jesus Christ can truly provide empowerment. The church must not only seek to convert adults it must first start with the children because “the child is the father of the man”. Whatever this nation becomes will depend on what is done with and for children, especially those who have to fend for themselves on the nations streets.
Methodology
Data Collection:
The data for this survey was collected by using a interview schedule, phone interviews and non-participant observation. These forms of data collection were used because they were most appropriate and convenient at the time. The present Manager of the Care Centre and the Chairman of The Little Brothers Organization were the persons interviewed. They provided most of the information upon which this study is based.
Aims of this Study
- To find out what is the St. Andrew Parish Church Care Centre.
- To ascertain what is its contribution to the development to the street boys (i) in terms of behavioural change and self-identity (ii) improvement in educational standards and (iii) economic empowerment by way of the acquisition of skills.
- To discover to what extent the church is contributing to the alleviation of poverty and indiscipline in Jamaica through the work of the Care Centre.
- What is the extent of funding and other assistance provided by the donors, for example, The St. Andrew Parish Church.
- To ascertain what are some of the major problems the project faces and how these problems are resolved.
Problems and Limitations
When this project was conceived the researcher was not aware that she would have encountered so many problems and limitations. Firstly, it was difficult to identify a suitable project because all the institutions she approached turned her down because they were already assisting other persons. Moreover, the operators of the institutions seemed guarded in that they were reluctant to give out confidential information to so many people who were unknown to them.
Secondly, the researcher was pressed for time since she had to undertake several other assignments simultaneously. Given more time, a more extensive study could have been done. Furthermore, it was difficult travelling up and down trying to make appointments and to collect information on various aspects of the Study. The third and most difficult part of this survey was selecting a sample of street boys. The researcher intended to collect data directly from the boys themselves but her efforts were thwarted because certain internal problems at the Centre and in the community where the office is located. This was regrettable because no study can be complete without the views of the subjects who are studied. Much valuable information may not be obtained because of this problem. It seems as though the street boys have several disciplinary problems that are jeopardizing the programme. It is therefore likely that the objectives of the Care Centre will not be realized unless the problem of indiscipline among the boys is addressed effectively. This is of the greatest concern to those who are involved in the administration of the Care Centre.
Another limitation is the difficulty in obtaining sufficient information from the primary and secondary sources because the Care Centre is relatively new and a lot of the information is not documented. The researcher therefore had to rely on anecdotal information.
The location of the Care Centre presented a challenge to the researcher because of the politics of the area. It has been reported that many boys are afraid to enter the community to visit the centre because some of the residents resent them. Also the boys are scattered all over the corporate area hustling to get money.
The significance of the Study
This study is significant because of the increasing number of street corner children. It seems to suggest that the social conditions and family life of Jamaica are deteriorating. Moreover, the street corner children can grow up and become the next generation of vicious criminals. It is therefore imperative that this problem be studied in the hope that solutions can be found to this unsatisfactory state of affairs. The researcher further hopes that the findings of this study may be used to stimulate others to do further work in this area and so add to the knowledge of how to eliminate this undesirable phenomenon of the street corner boys.
Data Analysis
The interview schedule was administered to the manager of the Centre. This was followed up with a telephone interview in order to obtain clarification on certain issues discussed in the face to face interview.
Consequently it was discovered that the project is called the St Andrew Parish Church Care Centre. Its main office is located at 2 Ambrook Lane near Hagley Park Road Kingston 10. This area is considered to be an inner-city community consisting of dwelling houses and commercial enterprises. From the observations made, the people are of the working class and appear to be quiet. However, further investigations revealed that there has been some conflict in the community at the time, and so the work with the boys seemed adversely affected.
According to information obtained from one of the founding members, the Rev. Shawn Major-Campbell who was the curate of the parish church started the project. He is now stationed in the Cayman Islands. It was conceived because Rev. Shawn Major-Campbell saw the need to help boys who spent most of their time unsupervised on the streets and in the community.
Rev. Shawn Major-Campbell saw the need to establish a church-based organisation to provide these boys with opportunities to become useful citizens rather than criminals. He got a group of church members and started the project in the old courthouse that is adjacent to the St. Andrew Parish Church. This work started in 1997 with the assistance of the Lions Club. At the initial stage, the boys were provided with meals and were taught manners and other social skills by Inspector Thomas from the Community Relations Division of the Jamaica Constabulary Force.
Aims and Objectives of the Care Centre
The aims and objectives of the St. Andrew Parish Church Care Centre are:
- To resocialise the boys
- Provide opportunities so that they can be reintegrated into mainstream society.
The centre tried gallantly to transform the street boys by soliciting assistance from government and the private sector. The Centre’s task was very difficult because of
(a) the waywardness of the boys (b) the boys’ low self esteem (c) the boys’ low educational achievement and (d) the need for financial resources.
As time progressed, some of the boys were sponsored and sent to the Y.M.C.A and other schools, where hey were provided with basic academic training. Many of the street boys could not and still cannot read and write well. Hence the academic programmes had to be geared towards remedial reading, writing and arithmetic. Additionally, the boys had to be taught to control their aggression and bad behaviour. They needed a total “make over” in order to get them to an acceptable standard of good citizenship.
It is important to note that the project was operating for approximately five years before it was officially opened on December 3, 2001. No explanation was given for this arrangement. It was at this time that the office was moved to Ambrook Lane. The Centre operates in collaboration with The Possibility Programme that also provides skills training and courses in behaviour modification under the direction of the Jamaica Defence Force and The Kingston Restoration Company.
Structure
The interviewers revealed that the organizational structure is made up of a Board of Management, an Administrator who has an assistant, a Social worker, and auxiliary staff called orderlies. The Chairman of the Board is Mr Alvaro Casserly and the Manager is Miss Natalie Gentles. It must be noted that there are two other components (1) The Skills Training Centre located at 4 Hope Road Kingston 10 and (2) The Re-socialisation Centre located at Newcastle. The office at Ambrook Lane is mainly responsible for recruiting the boys and then sending to them to various other centres. It should also be noted that there is a monitoring unit in the Office of the Prime Minister.
Board meetings are held regularly in order to ensure that there is adequate funding for the various activities of the Care Centre. According to the information provided by authorised personnel, the present budget is six million dollars. The government assists with the salaries of the staff and other organizations assist with donations of both cash and kind. For example, the Japanese and American Embassies make regular donations to assist the centre with its work. The government assists through its Poverty Alleviation Programme; but the land on which the Centre is located belongs to the Anglican Church.
There are presently 140 boys registered at the Centre. The boys not only get hot meals and academic training but they are also supervised in organised recreational activities such ad football and cricket. The youngsters need much help because they are growing up without adequate parental guidance. Yet most of them have homes; but these homes do not have a positive impact on these young people. Many of them want to change their lives but they have no one other than the staff at the Centre to help lift them out of poverty and despair.
The main problems facing the boys are psychological. They seem to experience much rejection from the general public. Many people do not trust them even though they may give them donations at the traffic lights. They sleep on the streets and often get into conflicts with each other and with passers-by. These boys have low self-esteem and a negative self-concept. From observations carried out, many of them seem depressed, unkempt and hostile. Some are, however, polite and helpful. When some would insult motorists who would not give them money, there are others who seem rather satisfied and would clean the motorists’ windscreens nonetheless.
At present, the Centre is experiencing a serious problem with the boys. It has been reported that the people in the community dislike the boys because of their behaviour and their dishonesty. This has led to hostilities between the residents and the boys. The situation has become so dangerous that the residents have forbidden the boys from coming into the community of Ambrook Lane. As a result, contact between the Centre and the boys has been broken and the relationship is now strained.
The researcher has tried to investigate this new development but she was unable to ascertain more information. Those who are in authority seemed very guarded and unwilling to discuss the details of this problem. It would appear that they want to protect the reputation and image of the programme. The researcher has also tried to get the Centre to arrange face to face meetings with the boys themselves but this was discouraged. Nonetheless, she made some contact with some of them on the streets but this also did not yield any information about the Centre. The boys’ main interest was hustling for money. A very senior official claimed that researchers have exploited the boys on previous occasions and so the Centre does not want to expose them to any further exploitation. Although this writer has sought to convince the authorities that in her case this project would not disclose confidential information to anyone, the authorities have remained unrelenting.
Evaluation and Conclusion
When the British settled Jamaica, the Anglican Church was introduced to help in the stability and development of the people. The church was mainly responsible for the spiritual and educational development as it was felt that these two areas were vital if the society was to maintain itself and grow. The early church did a fairly good job, as more and more people became Christians. Throughout the period of slavery there is no record of children being neglected and left without supervision because the plantation owners made the children work on the plantations with their parents.
After the abolition of slavery, the ex-slaves were able to keep their children under control. Additionally, there were vagrancy laws that deterred young people from roaming the streets begging and getting into mischief. However, as time progressed and Jamaica became independent, there has been a decline in family life and the phenomenon of street children started as parents became more and more irresponsible. The harsh economic conditions and migration have contributed to this undesirable trend. Today, many children leave their parents home in search of money on the streets of Kingston and other townships. Many of them run away from home because of the slum conditions they were experiencing. Others left home because of the violence in their respective communities. But being on the streets of Kingston often exposes them to all types of dangers. Also, it cannot be good for this young nation for some of its children to grow up on the streets without any parental guidance. It has been unsightly to see young people sleeping on the sidewalks, wiping windscreens and wandering from place to place often poorly attired. Although people would give them money, there was no organized body that undertook to provide the basics for these unfortunate youngsters.
The St. Andrew Parish Church decided to assume this responsibility by starting the Care Centre from observations made through visits to the office and by the street corners, there are no visible signs that the problem is diminishing. The numbers seem to be growing as the economic conditions in the country worsen. The work of the centre seems to be hampered by the rampant indiscipline of the boys and they low academic attainment.
The Centre, however, has not shown that its work is successful because at present the boys cannot even visit the office. The empowerment of the street boys appears to be a moving target. The more effort that is put into the programmes, the more boys seem to appear on the nation’s streets. If one should visit South Odeon early in the morning, one would see almost a dozen boys sleeping on pieces of card, dirty and hungry.
The Anglican Church was generous to permit its property to be used to site the office of the Care Centre. Unfortunately, this decision was not a good one because of the problems in that community. It would have been better to continue using the old courthouse. This building is right in the mainstream of Halfway Tree; it is adjacent to the traffic lights where the boys hang out to wash cars and clean windscreens for money. Moreover, it is situated about fifty yards from the police station, so that if there is a flare-up of violence at anytime, there can be a quick response from the police. Furthermore, the old courthouse is accessible to the boys and the general public. It is also beside the Parish church. This could help to make a good impression on the boys as well as the public who might want to contribute to the project.
The Centre needs to have personnel who can meet with the boys on the streets and also visit the homes of their parents and close relatives. Every effort should be made to reintegrate each boy into his home and community. This would help to provide somewhere for them to sleep at night.
The Centre does not seem to have a rigid timetable for its clientele to follow. The visits by the boys are done on an ad hoc basis – only when there are looking for something. But this is wrong. They should be required to visit the Centre at specific times; go to classes at specific times; have meals and games according to a set plan as the Centre gradually wean them away from the streets. The boys are too disorganised and scattered all over the Corporate Area. There is little the authorities at the Centre can do to monitor their behaviour and activities. Hence, it is almost impossible for anyone to know whether or not the programme is a success or failure. The boys have too much free time and this is dangerous and unproductive. The Centre should try to encourage them to spend most of their time in formal schooling.
There does not seem to be any attempts to convert the boys to Christianity. The Centre should have planned religious activities for there boys, so that their spiritual appetite can be satisfied. Every boy should be enrolled in the Sunday school. There was no evidence of this sort of outreach. According to various writers success would depend on a holistic approach to the streetlights boys. There must be programmes to develop the boy’s body, mind, soul and hands. The 4-H movement approach to the training of people is the best way to try to rehabilitate, these young people. The church must aim at developing their heads, hearts, hands and health.
Recommendations and Conclusion
No problem can be solved before it is properly investigated and understood. The researcher thinks that money should be set aside to investigate the street children phenomenon properly. In fact, there is need for a proper assessment of the socio-economic situation as it impacts on the children of Jamaica. The country should find out why children run away from home and prefer to feud for themselves on the streets even though their lives are at risk. After the problem is thoroughly researched, the findings from such studies should be implemented through pilot projects in various selected urban centres throughout Jamaica.
With regards to the Care Centre, the office should be moved from Ambrook Lane and placed in a locality that is friendly to the boys. The project needs more funds so as to enable it to hire more professional staff in areas such as psychiatry and psychology. Efforts ought to be made to get every boy to attend church and Sunday school, as this is likely to help them to overcome their anti-social behaviour.
The researcher also recommends that more church members be involved in mentoring the boys. These members can be organised into cells and each cell should be responsible for at least two boys. They should take them hone and expose them to the fine things of life e.g. good classical music. The mentors should also try to have their charges re-admitted to school to enable them to become literate and academically qualified. Gradually, the boys should be discouraged from begging on the streets. Of course, all efforts would be made to prevent adults from exploiting the boys. The necessary checks and balances should be put in place to guarantee the boys safely and morality.
These youngsters are growing up without proper parental guidance, care and protection. Although the church is attempting to fill the void left by errant parents, its work cannot be seen as a great success. The problem of the street boys is not diminishing; it appears to be increasing. This can be verified by visiting all the major centres where there are traffic lights and informal car washing establishments. Many of the street boys also visit betting shops in an attempt to beg or place bets hopefully to make some money.
Professor Aubrey Phillips writing in Adolescents in Jamaica (1993) argued that the teenagers were in trouble because of the adverse socio economic conditions facing them and their parents. For too many have to grow-up in substandard living accommodation and they also lack sufficient nutrition. Being of poor parents, many of these youngsters have to go on the streets to sell newspapers, push carts, wash cars, wipe windscreens of vehicles, beg and steal to make a quick dollar. Some take the money home to their parents, but the majority of them live on the street. They eventually become juvenile delinquents. Many of these young people do end up before the courts of the land. Burrowes 1973 showed that between 1977 and 1981 there were 3,475 boys who were taken before the courts for various offences. It therefore follows that if something more is not done to arrest the problem of street children, the problem will get worse and the nation will soon have no place to put them when they get into trouble with the police.
The researcher further recommends that the Centre established a medial unit to cater to the medical needs of the street boys. In this unit, the boys would be given various psychological and psychiatric tests to probe their mental heath and stability. Where there are early signs of illness, they should be treated free of cost.
Finally, Jamaica needs to introduce the Borstal System to take care of teenagers who are difficult to be managed. The Americans have established Tranquillity Bay here to take care of their juvenile delinquents. Why can’t we do the same for our own street boys if their behaviour cannot be changed in more civilised ways.
The Anglican Church must be commended for its vision and dedication to the upliftment of the street boys.
