A world where no child is forced to live on the street.

Retrak works to transform highly vulnerable children's lives; preserve families; empower communities and give each of them a voice.

We put children at the very heart of everything we do and will be fearless and tenacious in defending and promoting their rights.

Retrak's values are underpinned by our Christian faith through which we embrace all people, valuing their diversity and difference so that none are excluded, forgotten or ignored. 

Retrak values express what Retrak believes in and how Retrak seeks to behave. There is no hierachy: they are each of equal importance. They drive both Retrak and Retrak staff. They are universally applicable within Retrak.

BOLDNESS - believing that every single child matters, we will question, speak out and act boldly on behalf of street children so that real and lasting change becomes their reality.

EXCELLENCE - we hold ourselves accountable for the delivery of high quality, equitable services, which adapt to the unique needs of each child, family and community.

INNOVATION - in a world where street children are often ignored or unseen, we invest in innovative opportunities and use research and technological expertise creatively to increase their visibility and voice.

RESPECT - we are committed to transparent, fair, unbiased and mutually respectful relations with all of our stakeholders. 

Retrak is a UK based charity that works with street children in Africa to give them a real alternative to life on the street. There are numerous reasons why children live and sleep on the streets such as poverty; family strife; abuse; being orphaned, often as a result of HIV/AIDS; war and famine. Often abused or violated on the street, regarded as barely human and on the very fringe of society, they eke out an existence, begging or scavenging through rubbish for food. Our aim is that these children can realise their full potential and discover their inherent worth.

Retrak began in Kampala, Uganda in 1994 as a football club providing street children with the opportunity for play and, for a short while at least, escape their day to day problems and dangers. Recognising both the need and the potential, Retrak expanded the scope of its work beyond football and, by 1997, had become a UK charity and was registered in Uganda as a non-governmental organisation (NGO) called the Tigers Club Project; later renamed Retrak.

Programmes were developed by working with the children individually, to find what worked best for them; and grew to include education, vocational training, health care, counselling and more, while keeping the much loved football sessions. The common aim of all of Retrak’s programmes is to work with the children as individuals, with their own individual hopes and circumstances, to enable them to take their place back in the community and, where possible, within their own families.

Retrak has enabled hundreds of children to move off the streets and back into their communities. As well as Uganda, we now also have a centre in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia which has been hugely successful and we work with partners in Kenya and Tanzania. We plan to move into new areas where our experience and programmes can be used to transform the lives of children on the streets.