Street children in poor condition

PADANG, West Sumatra: All 160 street children undergoing a recent medical checkup sponsored by private foundation Yayasan Pembangunan Simawang suffered from various diseases, an activist said here on Thursday.

Syahbuddin BSW, leader of Rumah Singgah Sakinah shelter for street children here, said that the medical checkup was made by the foundation that manages the shelter, before the street children were taken care of in the shelter.

"Seventy-five of the 160 had anemia, 82 had tooth problems, one was suffering from typhus, while the rest had skin diseases," Syahbuddin said.

The data indicated that street children in Padang were neglected.

"The West Sumatra capital of Padang now has a total of 2,834 street children, while there are now 11 shelters, including Sakinah, to deal with them. Each shelter received Rp 313 million from the local administration this year," he said. (28/sur)