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. We plan to move into new areas where our experience and programmes can be used to transform the lives of children on the streets.

Our ethos is motivated by our Christian faith through which we embrace peoples of all tribes, creeds and cultures.

Retrak believes that every child is a unique and valuable gift and that childhood is not just about being prepared for adulthood. We believe that a safe, loving family is the preferred environment for a child to grow up and develop, and that the community has a vital role to play in the protection and development of the life of its children.

A Street Child is on a lonely, tough, irregular and often prolonged journey and the way we work must reflect that. Retrak will engage with society to see that street children are treated as human beings in need of the same love, care and support as the rest of humanity. To do this, we will:

• Make a long term commitment to support street children, not bounded or constrained by a given formula, but wherever they are, in the way they need and at their pace.
• Tailor our programmes so that each child is recognised as an individual, with unique needs. Their destination will be determined by their needs and starting point and not our desire to demonstrate results.
• Equip and empower street children with skills and emotional maturity so they know they have choices, and are able to make positive contributions to their own lives and community.
• Reach out to street children, especially those most at risk so that no one is forgotten or without hope.
• Change the landscape and attitudes in the public domain so that street children are no longer exploited, viewed as a commodity or treated as despised objects.
• Excel in the provision and delivery of services for street children, and follow an exemplary approach to safeguarding them.