My night as a Street Child... ish
“This is my bed for
the night!” - @fozzi12 7.30pm
Arrived in Spitalfields market along with 30-40 fundraisers for The Action for
Brazil's Children Trust and Street Child World Cup 2014 - with added cardboard.
Hundreds of flattened boxes lined the market floor to provide a ‘more
comfortable’ night’s sleep. Under cover and surrounded by restaurants and bars
there was a certain warmth that was left to be desired.
“Arrived and set up
camp for the night. Going to go to sleep without the sleeping bag but my mum
made me come with it! #bless” @fozzi12 7.40pm
If I
wake up with a cold tomorrow I might regret this decision, but I felt it was
the right thing to do to imitate a night as a street child. If I was going to
do this I was going to do it proper!
“All of a sudden
just got a hell of a lot colder! Aim of the night: Sleep through! 1 tweet an
hour” @fozzi12 8pm
I decided to not sleep to get a real feel of insecurity and homelessness.
Having to stay awake unsure of what may be around the corner, what may come in
the dark, what may happen during the night. Feelings that street children
across the world will feel every night when they lay helpless hoping for
sunrise.
“Oh and I won’t be
eating or drinking until 7am!” @fozzi12 8.10pm
Once again to show how a real street child would cope at night without access
to food or water.
We had a very upbeat and lively performance from a Samba band that raised
spirits in the camp, also attracting attention from locals passing by. A great
Brazilian touch to the night which also generated a good bit of awareness for
the two causes.
The ABC Trust is dedicated to helping the street children and most
vulnerable young people of Brazil. Over the past 10 years they have reached out
to 15,000 children and their families and supported numerous projects across
Brazil which provide:
- Shelter & Care: an estimated 7 million children live or work on the
streets of Brazil.
- Education: 60% of Brazil’s children do not complete primary education
- Self-belief: many young people of Brazil see little hope for their future.
To find out more about the ABC trust visit www.abctrust.org.uk
and follow them on twitter @abctrustuk
“Getting cold now!
Everyone is on the free food provided and I am starving! Got a headache as well!
Going to be a long night but it’s worth it!” @fozzi12 8.45pm
All of a sudden the temperature changed and the warmth had disappeared. I was
offered some paracetamol but where do you find that on the streets! I had got
my Gold Blue Peter Badge head on now and was creating some cardboard favellas.
Empty boxes painted with colours of red, green, blue and yellow with crafted
windows and doors. These provided a great visual aid to the outsider and showed
the situation many people in Brazil live in. A great activity which was very
innovative and effective.
“Everyone Else's
camp...” @fozzi12 9.30pm
Many people had now got themselves tucked into their sleeping bags ready for
the cold night ahead. After a Capoeira session and dinner the sleepers where
ready to nod off.
“and my camp...” @fozzi12 9.30pm
Consisting of cardboard, cardboard oh and some cardboard. Not so keen on the
smell of the brown mattress now after last night! (no pun intended)
“Everyone nodding
off now! Very cold, head ache and need some food!” @fozzi12 10pm
Gosh I was doing some complaining last night! 10pm was the official bed time
for everyone but this was only just the start of a long gruelling journey for
myself. I think that just shows how hard
it must be for street children living out there for real. Less clothes, less
shelter and less light. It was tough enough with joggers, trainers, t shirt and
a fleece jacket. Not to mention being
surrounded by 30 – 40 other people. Could not imagine being out there alone.
The Street Child World Cup provides a platform for street children to be
heard. They change the public perception of street children. They realise the
rights of street children. In 2014 they will be organising their 2nd
Street Child World Cup in Rio DE Janeiro. Building on the success of the
inaugural event in Durban 2010 the 2014 event will bring teams of street
children from 20 countries to compete for the Street Child World Cup and get
their voices heard. For more information and how to get involved visit www.streetchildworldcup.org
and follow them on Twitter @SCWC14
“Ridiculously
cold! Just created this on my bed! What would you like to add to believe?” @fozzi12 10.30pm
Belief is a powerful word that I feel can change people’s lives. If you believe
in yourself then you can achieve your dreams. A person with no belief will
struggle to succeed but a person with belief will struggle to fail. (Might
copyright that!)
“Oh no it’s 12pm
and all the lights have been turned off! #7hourstogo #believe” @fozzi12 12pm
This was really when the struggle started! I was coping well with the sleep
deprivation it was the coldness and lack of anything to do that was challenging
me! With battery going on my phone and an oath to not play on Angry Birds or
Doodle Jump I was struggling for things to occupy myself with... 148 windows in
the roof of Spitalfields market!
“This is tough! 6
hours to go and I am feeling the cold, tiredness and hunger hitting me hard! Thanks for the support” @fozzi12 1am
Without a soft surface to lie on my chest was impounded onto the floor and I
could feel my ribs crushing into the solid surface below at every breath. Lying
on my back made me lose heat, so I adopted the foetal position as suggested by
Sally Harper and got as comfortable as possible. This didn’t last long as my
eyelids were getting heavier by the minute the more comfortable I got. I would like to take this opportunity to thank everyone who has donated to this fundraiser and great cause your support is greatly appreciated! You can still sponsor me here to help me reach my £150 target: http://uk.virginmoneygiving.com/cameron-sleeps
"5 hours to go! Batteries only on 14% absolutely freezing! This is hard! Hope battery lasts the night!" @fozzi12 2am
With the lack of light and activity I was struggling to keep awake. But luckily I found an abandoned newspaper nearby someones sleeping bag. I pounced on this entertainment opportunity and got my reading glasses on! Unfortunately the paper was a week old! Not sure why someone else had it, except from the half finished crossword. After scanning the paper and finding a lack of good articles (it was the sun) I turned to the quiz page! 2 sudoku's later it was 3pm!
From 3pm to 5pm nothing much happened! I sat there alone in the dark battling with my need for sleep and warmth! I struggled to get through these last few hours but I knew the finishing line was ahead and there was a light at the end of the tunnel! So I pushed through into the last hour of silence and blackout, motivated to complete this task for this amazing cause. Thinking about all the unfortunate children who have to suffer a life on
the streets every day of their life, really motivated me to pull through just one night.
"So cold! 1.5 hours to go and I'm having breakfast and a warm drink and an hour in dads hotel!" @fozzi12 5.30am
Getting close to my 7am target! Can't wait for food and drink! Lights starting to come back on around the market! Finish line in site!
"6 o clock and everyone is awake and having breakfast. Tough night, no sleep, freezing cold, worth it for a great cause!" @fozzi12 6am
When I said everyone I meant nearly everyone, a few faces still cemented to their pillows. Lots of lights on around the market and the familiar noises of motorcycles and cars rushing past to get to work woken many of the sleepers. I had just 1 hour until I could eat and drink again. Whilst everyone was on the provided croissant and pancakes I sat alone waiting for time to pass. Warm drinks also handed out to all the fundraisers. Boy I have never fancied a coffee as much in my life!
"Everyone awake... i have done it! Stayed up through the night, no sleeping bag, no pillow!" @fozzi12 7amFinally my iPhone clock had turned to 7am with 3% battery left and I had completed the Big City Sleep 2012! I put my sleeping bag case and rucksack on my back picked up a coffee and some pancakes and croissants and went on another mini journey to find my Dad in the hotel 'around the corner'. I trudged through London still wanting to sleep in an aim to find this hotel. Ending up in a unloading back street I very creepily and coincidentally saw a lifeless whit duvet in a sheltered back doorway. Under the sheet lied a homeless person and my instincts took over as I gave him my 2 pancakes, croissant and hot drink! Least to say he was over the moon! I found the hotel and jumped in the one of four beds in my dad room (rubbing it in or what!) and slept for a good 90 mins until we headed to Euston to catch the train home to sunny Wigan!
An amazing experience for an amazing cause. Thanks to all who supported and donated your help is greatly appreciated.
