Reintegrate Street-Connected Children in Kitale

This month we want to tell you about one of the harder aspects of our work with street-connnected young people. In Kenya, and in other countries, authorities who want to show that they are dealing with the 'street child problem' to make the town look cleaner, will take an approach that is far from child-centred.  They use force to 'round-up' the children from the streets. In Kitale, these round-ups can be an annual event - or more often if an election is coming up. Advocacy efforts by CRK have occasionally resulted in these round-ups being deferred to allow us to time to intervene and secure places of safety for the children while the roundups happen.  And we are working hard to persuade authorities that round-ups are ineffective in dealing with the issue of children on the streets in the long-term. 

Given that many children are on the streets because adults let them down, it takes time to build trust and support them through their reintegration journey. Our social workers work with young people on the street building relationships of trust and working with them to make decisions to leave the street in their own time. However, it is difficult to change the system of roundups as officials change, moving to new areas or being promoted and the new incumbents are not always aware of the effects of round-ups. Occasionally, the orders for round-ups come from outside the district at a higher level.  

Sadly, in early May, over 80 children were rounded up from the streets with no warning, and taken into cells, the majority them were boys aged between 6 and 14. The children spent the night in jail and received no food during this time.  In the morning, they were taken to the Magistrate’s Court, which was overwhelmed with the numbers and had to postpone its previously scheduled cases for the day.  We worked hard to get these children released into our care to avoid them remaining in an adult prison. 

Some of the older children ran off as soon as they were released, however, over 60 children agreed to go into our centre.  Over the next few days, a few more left us for the streets. Our social workers continue to work with these as part of their outreach programmes. Most of the children remain with us and we are working hard to counsel them, investigate their homes and the reasons for their being on the streets.  Some cases are simple to rectify and several children have already been taken home.  Some cases require longer term intervention at home to relieve poverty issues, mediate disagreements and provide counseling.  Some children need to be treated for addiction issues, or to be taken to a relative for care if their former home is not considered safe and welcoming.  These children will remain with us for up to six months while the reintegration process takes place. 

Usually, we have a target number of children in a month that we can reach out to and work with in a controlled manner to increase our likelihood of successful reintegration.  Like all organisations, we have a budget and limited manpower.  Round-ups put considerable pressure on our staff and finances.  Taking in 60 children involves extra food, mattresses, blankets, transport, medical and staff costs.  That has to be maintained beyond the initial emergency period of getting the children out of jail for as long as it takes to reintegrate them. However, we will do all we can to get these children to safe homes and to ask our supporters to try and help out financially.

In the meantime, we are partnering with other organisations in Kenya to more effectively work with the authorities to tackle the issue of children on the streets in a way that is acceptable and beneficial to all – especially the children.  No child should spend a night in jail for being in need of care and protection.

Thank you again for your support of CRK's work.

In Kitale we have been getting the children ready for a new year at school. January is always a busy time of year, getting new uniform, stationary and other school resources for the children staying at CRK's long-term transition centre and for the children staying at home whose families need extra support. Our social workers also check in on the children we do not provide financial support for, but who we are still monitoring at home, to check that everything is in order for the new year at school. Despite the busy-ness it is always a lovely time of year, watching them continue with their journeys at home, especially those who have more recently been reintegrated. One of those children this year is Brian. 

Brian was not identified by our social workers on the streets of Kitale, but was picked up in Tanzania by another project working with street-connected children. CRK have been involved in an ongoing knowledge and skills exchange programme with RCA Mwanza and have been collaborating with them and other organisations to ensure that children who cross country borders during their migrations to the street are assisted to return. Brian had informed the social workers in Tanzania that his parents lived in Nairobi and CRK staff agreed to bring him back to Kenya in order to facilitate his reintegration.

Sadly, the reintegration process was not as straight forward as we had hoped. Brian gave us a telephone number for his stepmother, but she did not want him back home, asking that CRK look after him for good. Therefore, while CRK staff worked to find a solution to this problem, Brian was transferred to the long-term transition centre where he was able to attend Liyavo primary school.

Once he had settled in at Liyavo, and felt he could trust the staff, Brian eventually told us about a grandmother in Nyanza. He provided directions to his grandmother’s home, where social workers found her still mourning his disappearance. Brian orignally left home with a group of other boys, he says, when life at home became tough since he was used to life in Nairobi, he did not want to stay in the village without major social amenities. Although he lived with his siblings in the village, his parents had remained in Nairobi and he was not altogether happy with this arrangement.

When they visited, the social workers found a loving family, headed by both his grandparents. They have two cows that they milk and two acres of rocky land that is not suitable for growing crops, but is good for grazing. Brian’s father sends regular payments that sustain the needs of the family and their home was neat, well-maintained and organised.

Brian’s grandparents were keen to have him back and together with the social workers began to prepare for him to return to their care, and continue with his education, which is important if he is to complete school and become a doctor as he says he wants to. Being at their home also means that Brian can continue to establish lasting relationships with his siblings. He also agreed that being at his grandparents' home was a good option.

Brian was returned to his grandparents in September 2017 and completed the final term of the year in the local primary school. He has started back for the new year and we are looking forward to seeing what happens next in his education journey. We maintain regular communication with him and his grandmother by phone, and will conduct a home visit in the next few months. He is so far doing well and adapting to the life back in the village. 

We are able to support children like Brian because of your support. Thank you again for choosing CRK. 

Best Wishes,

Su