“In Kitale, Kenya, among countless other towns in the developing world, many street children have found an escape from their emotional and physical pains by becoming accidental consumers. Orphaned, barefoot, and malnourished, they habitually spend the scarce money they earn from odd jobs and charity not on food or water, but on a more immediate fix – glue – incidentally the same solvent-based kind that the wider world uses to cement shoes together. With plastic bottles perched at their mouths, the children breathe in the glue’s neurotoxic fumes until they pass out or fall asleep forever.”
I heard about this current issue from a few people and we work with a missionary in Kitale who has taken pictures of some of these kids:
Check out the documentary “Glue Boys” and learn more: http://www.glueboys.com/
Chelsea, I saw your link to your blog on facebook and came over to visit. Glue-sniffing is rampant in the street kids of Papua too. AND Isaac talked constantly about Horrell’s Trinitarian class too. I wish it was taught more in Church!