This chapter examines literature categories that are directly on indirectly related to the study. It analyses and explores historical perspectives of street children and the emergence of street families in Kenya and other developing countries.
For the purpose of this study, a street child is any child who uses the street as a working place and carries out different activities to earn a living for themselves and their families, either on a full-time or part-time basis.
These street families mostly reside in urban centers such as Nairobi, Kisumu, Mombasa, Nakuru, Thika and Eldoret. They are found in the urban centers of most of the developing countries. Their presence reflects rapid industrialization and urbanization and the huge number of poor …show more content…
The family may have abandoned him or her or may have no family members left alive. Such a child has to struggle for survival and might move from friend to friend, or live in shelters such as abandoned buildings.
The family background of street children indicates that the majority of their parents are single. The parents have irregular incomes and for the most part are self-employed as street hawkers. Because of their low incomes the families tend to live in overcrowded slum areas of the urban centers. Families displaced due to poverty, natural disasters, or wars may be forced to live on the streets. They move their possessions from place to place when necessary.
According to researchers from various institutions, including the University of Nairobi, Nairobi City Council (NCC), the problem in Kenya was first noticed in the year 1969. According to Wainaina 1981, most of the street children are between the ages of 3-20. Most of these street children being male. The female number of street children has also increased over the years in the urban centers.
According to Amnesty International (1991) the street children are categorized into two main …show more content…
They categorize the street children in Kenya into four main categories;
• There are those street children who work and live in the streets full-time. They live in groups, often called families, and in temporary shelters or in dark places, alleys or corridors.
• The second category is those street children who work in the streets by day and go home to their families by evening. Many of them fall under this category.
• The other category is children who are on the streets occasionally such as by the evening, weekends or during school holidays.
• The last category is known as street families. These are the children whose parents are also on the streets. They were born into this kind of life and have no alternatives.
Majority of these street families survive on income the obtain from the petty businesses such as luggage carriers in bus stages, recycling waste in dumpsites and manual labor work. These families are mostly victims of eviction by the local authorities since they are regarded as squatters. The majority of street children move in groups and even save funds through a group 1eader who makes sure that portions of individuals’ earnings are put together for future use. At times the group leader is responsible for discipline in the
For the purpose of this study, a street child is any child who uses the street as a working place and carries out different activities to earn a living for themselves and their families, either on a full-time or part-time basis.
These street families mostly reside in urban centers such as Nairobi, Kisumu, Mombasa, Nakuru, Thika and Eldoret. They are found in the urban centers of most of the developing countries. Their presence reflects rapid industrialization and urbanization and the huge number of poor …show more content…
The family may have abandoned him or her or may have no family members left alive. Such a child has to struggle for survival and might move from friend to friend, or live in shelters such as abandoned buildings.
The family background of street children indicates that the majority of their parents are single. The parents have irregular incomes and for the most part are self-employed as street hawkers. Because of their low incomes the families tend to live in overcrowded slum areas of the urban centers. Families displaced due to poverty, natural disasters, or wars may be forced to live on the streets. They move their possessions from place to place when necessary.
According to researchers from various institutions, including the University of Nairobi, Nairobi City Council (NCC), the problem in Kenya was first noticed in the year 1969. According to Wainaina 1981, most of the street children are between the ages of 3-20. Most of these street children being male. The female number of street children has also increased over the years in the urban centers.
According to Amnesty International (1991) the street children are categorized into two main …show more content…
They categorize the street children in Kenya into four main categories;
• There are those street children who work and live in the streets full-time. They live in groups, often called families, and in temporary shelters or in dark places, alleys or corridors.
• The second category is those street children who work in the streets by day and go home to their families by evening. Many of them fall under this category.
• The other category is children who are on the streets occasionally such as by the evening, weekends or during school holidays.
• The last category is known as street families. These are the children whose parents are also on the streets. They were born into this kind of life and have no alternatives.
Majority of these street families survive on income the obtain from the petty businesses such as luggage carriers in bus stages, recycling waste in dumpsites and manual labor work. These families are mostly victims of eviction by the local authorities since they are regarded as squatters. The majority of street children move in groups and even save funds through a group 1eader who makes sure that portions of individuals’ earnings are put together for future use. At times the group leader is responsible for discipline in the