What are we doing to reduce and support the number of street families in Kenya?
Of late, the number of street families and children has been rising rapidly in our streets, this is brought about by various reasons that some can be avoided. From the 2019 census on people living in the streets, Kenya registered a total of 46,639 persons living in the streets with 72.4% being male and 27.6% being Female. Of that number, only 7,206 persons were under rehabilitation in the institutions.
Of this total number, only 38,853 have some education, those with Pre-Primary education are 31,976 while those with post primary and above are 6,877 while those with no education are 7,786.
Organizations such as RESCUE DADA CENTRE have come through to help the girls in the streets getting them out of the streets, educating and rehabilitating then later on they are integrated to various homes to care for givers.
PHOTO: Rescue Dada Centre children.
Speaking to IVY TAMARA NAKUVA, one of their staffs, she says that the organization rescues 70 street connected girls, aged 5 to 16 years, each year and offers them 10 months residential rehabilitation before reintegrating them with care givers (kinship guardians or foster carers). The programme works with the 4R Approach, i.e. Rescue, Rehabilitation, Reintegration and Resocialization is one of the best practices for working with street connected children. It addresses the girls immediate (protection from abuse, access to shelter, food, health care, psychosocial support) as well as long term needs (family environment, education, life skills, vocational training) and offers psychosocial support to identified needy caregivers.
Nairobi county assembly on July 31st, 2019, adopted a motion that was moved by Hon.Margaret Mbote, the then nominated Member of County Assembly of Nairobi, on street families and children. She stated that:
⦁ The number of these families had increased and are continuing to increase thereby affecting business in the city Centre.
⦁ These persons threaten pedestrians and motorists through intimidation and used of human waste.
⦁ Street children are being used as mules to transport drugs within the city.
PHOTO: street family in Nairobi
She suggested that these families should be flushed out of the city, suggesting that the city should develop a policy with programmes for rehabilitation of street children/families, to regulate homes catering for street families with institutional systems and to integrate children in existing homes.
But the question is, has this been done?
From the data released by MINISTRY OF LABOUR AND SOCIAL PROTECTION STATE DEPARTMENT FOR SOCIAL PROTECTION marriage between those living in the streets has also contributed to the rise of street families.
Well wishes have stood out to help these families so as to make their lives easier and better. CHARITABLE FOUNDATION, founded by the gospel artist, Christine Otieno is one of the organizations that help feed families/children on the streets. She says that this has been a personal activity to her and her organization and that the well-being of other vulnerable persons in the society is a duty for all.
PHOTO: Christine Otieno and Apostle John Ssekalala during the launch of charitable foundation
