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Ryan “Brown” Dalton is now on his 11th day of living on the streets of Cape Town as part of the 16 Days of Activism against abuse of women and children. His focus has been on raising awareness of the plight of Cape Town’s many street children. In his blog, 365 Days of Activism the other day, he mentioned about the images of street children within one of the world’s most popular tourist sites becoming a “norm”. It is so true. I have lived in Cape Town and know what it is to be one of those people that accepts that street children are the reality and norm for life there. I am challenged by what Ryan has been sharing on his blog and encourage you all to take a look and follow his story. Here is a little snippet:

“…Very few people are “struck” by the image of a child living on the streets of Cape Town. If you took the same child and placed him or her in a different context, say Zurich, people would be shocked! They would approach the kid, try and help, be uncomfortable about the child being there, and be moved to do something. But in Cape Town, we have accepted it as the norm.

Many people have asked me what i hope to achieve with my 16 days on the streets. At the very least i hope to stir conversation and dialogue about the situation of these children. Thinking bigger, i would love to create an awareness that reaches the masses. An awareness where the vast majority says, “wait a minute! it is WRONG to allow a child to live on the streets!!”. Where the majority of the people do not accept it and no longer see it as “normal”, but view it as child abuse to allow a child to live on the streets. Not to pass by the child feeling bad, angry, sad, guilty, but dis-empowered to see a solution and merely move on with life. But that the image of a child living on the streets would be so strikingly WRONG to a vast majority of people that change would be inevitable. That mere awareness and acknowledgment of the masses is the foundation we need to begin to tackle this huge social ill. And with that foundation laid we can begin to put in the work and structures to see real change come in the lives of these children.

I urge you to no longer view these children from experience, whether past, present or future. But see them for what they are: children who have been robbed of so much, but need us to be adults and guide them and direct them towards better choices. I sit here with tears in my eyes and beg you not not be calloused by the images of children…CHILDREN living on the streets. Allow the images of them to burn in your mind and haunt you, as they do me, to the point where we all push for change together!” 

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1. 365 Days of Activism – Role Reversal
2. >Standing Up – 365 Days of Activism
3. >365 Days of Activism – Enough is Enough
4. The 12 Days of Christmas – Revised Version!
5. Discover God