Data collection on street children in Nairobi
Nationwide, it is estimated that there are between 250,000-300,000 street children in Kenya. In Nairobi alone, there are between 60,000-70,000 children living on the streets. The majority of these children are between 11 and 15 years old.
In 100% for the Children, it is crucial that we shed light on and acquire knowledge about our target groups. Therefore, we supported two social workers, Sarah and Peter, to travel to Kenya and collect data on street children with physical disabilities in Nairobi.
What drove us? When moving around the streets of Nairobi, it is impossible to avoid seeing children sitting by the roadside begging for money. You also quickly notice that several children have various forms of physical disabilities. During our internship in Nairobi in 2021-2022, we couldn't help but wonder how these children end up in such a situation. What mechanisms cause children to live such a life? Therefore, we chose to return to Nairobi to investigate precisely what conditions might underlie this.
Peter Severin Byrsting & Sarah Juul Schmidt - Trained social workers and former interns through 100% for the Children
What did we find out?
The data collection shows that the majority of children and young people living on the streets with physical disabilities acquired these disabilities from life on the streets. This often results from not having access to proper hospital care when they are injured or when illness occurs. Consequently, minor injuries worsen, leading to significant physical and mental consequences for this group of children and young people.
The data collection also showed that many of these children and young people flee or actively break contact with their families. They do this for various reasons, but the most common ones are family neglect, domestic violence, child abuse, losing their parents, and parental alcohol or drug abuse. Additionally, poverty is a recurring factor that influences many of the above reasons. In fact, family-related problems and poverty are, according to Moses Mathenge, a social worker at APDK (Association for the Physically Disabled of Kenya), some of the main reasons children end up on the streets. “The reasons for street children ending up on the streets are number one, family. Number two, poverty. Number three, company“
“When the car hit me they bribed me with 3800 ksh for not telling. To me it was
a good deal (..) The man that hit me said I was okay and the damage was not that bad”- Ung dreng på 17 år
“I joined the street at age 10 (..) because there’s no schooling, nothing at home. (…) My father and mother used to have a lot of wrangles because of lack of resources. They were not in a better position to support me. ” – Ung pige på 14 år
What do we do from here?
Our focus: At 100% for the Children, we work for child protection and within the child protection network. This means that we are committed to minimizing the risk of children ending up on the streets in the future. Additionally, we work on prevention. Our vision is a future where all children and young people have equal opportunities and are not at risk of ending up on the streets. This is achieved through preventive measures and support for vulnerable families.
Our current projects: In line with these ambitions, we currently have two projects funded by CISU, which works for equal opportunities for children and young people. The first project aims to establish a child protection network in Kenya, inspired by the child protection network we have in Denmark. We are collaborating with Nepal, allowing both countries to exchange experiences and expertise. The project will also examine the new care reform implemented in Kenya. This initiative aims to strengthen local organizations and facilitate cooperation to improve conditions for children in Kenya.
The second project involves our partner APDK, who actively participated in the data collection. APDK works daily to prevent children from ending up on the streets and developing permanent disabilities. The project focuses on supporting the government's future implementation of the Care reform and ensuring it addresses the needs of children and young people with disabilities. Over the next 10 years, Kenya's Care reform aims to strengthen vulnerable families and local communities to provide better care for Kenyan children. APDK also actively engages with parents about their responsibilities within the family and advises families on the issues they face. Civil society must be involved and support the protection of vulnerable children, as Kenya looks towards a future where these children are not institutionalized but placed in foster care with families.