Western Province Tears rolling down her face, Delphine Mahoro wonders how all this could have turned out. Pregnant at the age of 13 and no idea of who the father is. Sadly, it is not an uncommon story, but a shocking one nonetheless and every time.Delphine has taken the decision to keep the pregnancy a secret from her family, but still must find a way to ask them for money so as to provide for the baby. It is all very difficult.Difficult is a common thing these days around Kibuye where Delphine is just one of many girls flooding the Kibuye market streets. While most street children are traditionally boys, equality is working in twisted steps as roughly 14 street girls now work trying to get meals and other essentials.“My most tormenting moment is at the end of the month when I have to get sanitary towels for my monthly periods,” says Florance Mukamurinda. At 15 years, Mukamurinda is so used to street life that she is planning on bringing her little sister as well. These children seem not to mind about anything else apart from getting daily food. And in a bid to get it, you find them competing with boys for masculine jobs like carrying luggage. “It was meant to be three hundred francs,” Florance said. She was telling a customer who had made her carry a very heavy luggage for a long distance and he was paying her only one hundred. On many occasions, these girls are taken advantage of for they can do less in fighting back. Rubengera a far-away place being the home area for most of these girls, the public tends to see no accusation on doing any wrong thing to these girls. “I got raped in the night several times before I got pregnant,” says Delphine “I am used to it now because some guys offer me money at night so as to have sex with them.”Leaving their homes with hopes to get jobs and live decent lives in town, these children end up prostituting themselves for they can’t handle quitting town life.Many are trying to fix the problem and bring them back to school.“Girls are the mothers of tomorrow,” executive Safari Bagina says. “The future nation we are looking forward for better means to sort their problem out than mere arresting them.”Meanwhile, the girls sleep on in the Kibuye market just out there in the cold.Ends
