March 25, 2004 – Children First is located in the gritty former colonial capital of Spanish Town, recently the site of some of the worst gang violence to hit Jamaica in years. The NGO runs one of the most well-respected programmes to help at-risk inner-city children in Jamaica.
Formerly the Save the Children (UK) Spanish Town Marginalized Youth Programme, Children First was transformed into an independent NGO and officially launched on June 17, 1997. The programme works with over 700 street children and potential street children aged three to 18, and is the largest initiative of its kind in the country.
Executive Director Claudette Richardson-Pious was working as a teacher in a Kingston private school when she first became interested in out of school youth and the problems faced by many Jamaican children. She took the time to get to know a student frequently absent from her class and his friends, going to speak with them at their hang out. All of them, says Richardson-Pious, had family problems. Many of them had parents who had immigrated to the UK or the US and left them with relatives or to fend for themselves.
After volunteering at a Kingston centre for street children and getting to know street kids at the Spanish Town market, the dynamic and outspoken Richardson-Pious was hired by Save the Children UK to work with the Marginalized Youth Programme, before its transformation into Children First.
Authorities estimate that there are hundreds of street children living on or off the street in Spanish Town, and thousands island-wide.
Carefully non-partisan in a country long dominated by fierce political disputes, the organisation and Richardson-Pious’s work has earned her the respect from police and "dons" – the gang and neighbourhood bosses that control much of the city.
"You have to negotiate with the dons, so that they don’t use children. We have said ‘ease off the children’ and it is a similar relationship with the police. If a child is caught shoplifting or whatever, the police will call me."
This confidence in the NGO was made clear before the recent gang battles began. "Over time we have gained so much support. The day before the gun violence we were warned...told to close and send the children home."
At first, as a Save the Children project, the idea was to aid a reduced group of street children. Since then, Children First has developed into a more inclusive initiative that seeks to improve the lives of not only at-risk children but also their families. Parents have received help in how to supplement family income. Children benefit from skills training, life skills education including sexual and environmental education, and educational assistance including help with fees and other initiatives.
The staff consists of mostly young people who participated in Children First and have returned to help, such as Donovan Murphy, who graduated from Berkshire University with the President’s Award and others who have gone on to university in either Jamaica or overseas.
Problems faced
The NGO has had to conduct crisis management and provide counselling for children after gang violence broke out at the end of January and beginning of February. Twelve lives were lost in three days, causing local businesses, schools and non-governmental organisations to close down.
The motives behind the violence are not entirely clear, with politicians, academics and community activists saying that it was either political, "turf war" between rival gangs, or a combination of the two.
"We had to do a lot of trauma counselling. We lost four parents in recent violence. We had to do conflict and anger management. Children come and want to fight other children from across the border. There are two main gangs and we have young people from areas dominated by both," said Richardson-Pious.
In the face of the recent problems, Children First plans to focus on the connections betwee violence and boys and young men. "One of the things we are positioning ourselves to do this year is to do a major piece of work looking at violence and young men."
"In Spanish Town violence has taken on a new dimension. We should look at how we socialise our men in the community. They (boys and young men) tell me that what is important is to ‘be somebody.’ They ask what else can they do? They see their ‘out’ as being a dj or a criminal."
Future plans
After surmounting a financial crisis several years ago which nearly ground the NGO to a halt, Children First has been able to secure funding. The challenge now is to move out of the cramped headquarters near the city centre to more spacious grounds. "We should have moved to a new location..., but there are too many corners (gangs) and dons in that area."
Sources: The Gleaner, The Observer.
Read further (COAV special articles):
Jamaica’s old colonial capital beset by gang violence
Building the peace in August Town
