Street boys in Aweil Credit|Daniel Danis/SRS

The government of Northern Bahr el Ghazal state said it is overwhelmed by the growing number of street children in Aweil town.

The state Minister of Information said children from the neighboring states are refusing to stay in orphanages in the town.

Jackline Nyibol Ajongo said the lack of parental care and poverty is contributing to the increasing number of streets children in the state.

“The ministry of social development is really trying its best to see what can be done in regard to these children without parental care who are moving on the street,” Mrs Ajong’o told Eye Radio.

She said most of the children in Aweil town ‘come from Wau, Kuajok’.

Rising number of street children is phenomenal in South Sudan’s towns.

Last year, humanitarian organizations reported that the number of street children in Juba alone has increased from around 1,200 to 3,000 in 4 years.

A survey by the NGOs shows that most of the children are orphans, but some live in the streets with their families by doing odd jobs.