The Significance of a Community Institution on Education of Street Children in Semarang City

Abstract

: It is difficult to care for street children in the city of Semarang. It is a large problem in all Indonesian districts and cities. Children living on the street are a vulnerable and marginalized minority whose advantages are difficult to quantify over time. Even while there is a legal foundation for dealing with street children, doing so is not straightforward. There are too many street children for each to be revealed individually. Socially, street children interact with a variety of social components, including their parents, the Social Service, the Police, NGOs that provide help, the shelter environment, the coordinator's supervisor, and contemporaries who are not just children but also adults. The number of children living on the streets rose substantially. The number of street children in Semarang city was 55 in 2015, 192 in 2016, 383 in 2019, and 255 in 2021. In 2021, the number of street children is projected to decline to 255. The rising distribution area population in the city of Semarang becomes challenging to manage. Together with the non-profit NGO called as Anantaka, 15 children living on the streets and their families participated in a participatory urban assessment to determine the efficacy of this strategy. The findings of the mentorship indicate that street children's ability for learning is still inadequate, despite the fact that the NGO that assists them have been active for decades. Children who do not have a consistent schedule hinder the learning process, while parents are unable to assist their children's education since they must make a living. The local government has made every effort to empower street children, but their enormous number and widespread dispersion have restricted its reach. Children living on the streets are trapped in a cycle of poverty that has not been much altered.