Social Welfare Services Desks
Protecting children in transit
Across bus terminals in Tanzania, thousands of people move through daily. Among them are children, some travelling alone, some fleeing violence, some being trafficked. Since 2022, Railway Children Africa has supported the establishment and strengthening of a child-friendly Social Welfare Services Desk (SWSD) at the terminal.
Programme overview
We work alongside Social Welfare Officers, community champions and people working within and outside bus terminals to:
- Identify children at risk on arrival or departure
- Provide immediate safeguarding assessments
- Offer private, child-friendly interview space
- Coordinate safe temporary placement
- Initiate tracing and referrals
- Engage transport operators and police
- Run awareness and safeguarding campaigns
why it matters
Transport hubs are high-risk environments for:
trafficking
exploitation
runaway children
family separation
By intervening early, we prevent long-term street involvement and abuse.
Making public spaces safer for young women and girls
For many girls growing up in extreme poverty, bus terminals become a critical and dangerous point of transition. When families are facing hunger, instability, or breakdown, girls are often sent away in search of work, safety, or a better future. Bus terminals are where these journeys begin. Arriving alone are highly visible and unprotected, girls become targets for people seeking to exploit them before any support can be offered.
This is why intervention at bus terminals is vital.
Speak to us
- Msasani, Plot 25, First Floor Alfa House, New Bagamoyo Road, Tanzania
- +255 736 113 114
- RCA@railwaychildren.or.tz
Social Networks
- RailwayChildrenAfrica
- railwaychildrenafrica
- Railway Children Africa
About us
Railway Children Africa
We believe in a world where no child ever has to live on the streets.