Important note: Information in this article was accurate in 1999. The state of the art may have changed since the publication date.
International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies - January 20, 1999
As one of Kenya's 600,000 street children, the teenager has known little care elsewhere. He has struggled to survive, hungry, always at the mercy of the elements, prone to disease, harassed, sometimes beaten, by those who find him a nuisance. Children like him grow daily in number as poverty, lack of parental care, family break-ups, unwanted prenancies, child abuse, AIDS, natural disasters, ethnic violence, and rural-urban migration all take their toll on the vulnerable.
The problem is not confined to Kenya. In neighbouring lands figures are equally disturbing, and Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies throughout Eastern Africa, the Horn and the Greater Lakes are witnessing a rising tide of child homelessness.
"We have always wanted to set up a rehabilitation and vocational centre," says Mary Mwikamba, the branch coordinator, "but there are no funds for it. Still, we cannot sit around and watch the children suffer." The branch also runs a counselling programme, helping children kick the sniffing of glue and break drug habits. It runs an AIDS awareness programme, and a tailoring school generates income and provides youngsters with self-employment prospects.
Warns Mwikamba, "It isn't enough to feed the children and send them back to the streets. They must be enabled to fend for themselves." The growing number of street children, the dangers they face, the insecurity they engender, call for a comprehensive programme.
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