Reintegration Strategies for Street Children in Kenya
By Dr. Janelle B. Larson, Associate Professor of Agricultural Economics and Division Head for Engineering, Business, and Computing
When my former classmate Paul Maina came to me seeking the University’s expertise to help address a variety of issues with the innovative school he established for former street-dwelling children, I was eager to be a part of what turned into a University-wide project.
The Children and Youth Empowerment Centre (CYEC) in Nyeri, Kenya provides residential care and education for former street children, who must then transition to independent living. This has been a significant challenge for these young people, who face an unemployment rate approaching 40 percent. Without homes to return to, they are at very high risk of returning to the streets.
This collaborative initiative between Penn State and the CYEC involves both identifying strategies for income generation for these youth and establishing a system of eco-villages where the youth can live and work. The goal is to assist youth graduating from the CYEC to become independent and self-reliant, even when immediate employment is not available.
The CYEC was established as a model center to address gaps in programs for street children, including developing an effective exit strategy for these youth. Maina inquired if Penn State could play a role in researching and developing viable, sustainable alternatives for the center. Since then, faculty, staff, and students from Penn State Berks, as well as Penn State Colleges of Engineering, Agriculture, and Health and Human Development based at University Park, have been involved in a variety of initiatives with the CYEC.
My research with the CYEC addresses two potential exit strategies for the youth. One line of research focuses on the role of social networks in facilitating (or possibly hindering) access to income-generating opportunities, either through employment or entrepreneurship, while the other focuses on developing the initial Zawadi eco-village, which will be located in a semi-arid zone in the Rift Valley. “Zawadi” is Swahili for “gift.” This name was chosen in recognition of the fact that each street child has gifts to offer Kenya and the world.
I find this work particularly compelling because the issue of street children is not an isolated one. Street children present the most visible sign of problems in the broader society including poverty, family breakdown, and disease. Solutions identified or developed for this group could be adapted for the larger population.
In the late 1990s, there were an estimated 135,000 street-dwelling children in Kenya and more than 600,000 living in extremely difficult situations. Even after completing education/training and rehabilitation programs, these young people face economic insecurity and poverty.
Similarly, the majority of the rural poor in sub-Saharan Africa live in regions dependent on rain-fed agriculture. Practices and technologies developed or adapted for the initial eco-village could have a much broader impact on poverty reduction in the region.
Social networks may serve to either facilitate or impede economic progress for these youth. Other researchers have found that such networks may provide disadvantaged youth access to resources or information they lack such as market information, finance (formal or informal), technology, or employment opportunities. Conversely, in highly inegalitarian societies, the very poor may be unable to benefit from these social networks because of isolation or exclusion.
With colleagues in Kenya and at Penn State University Park, I am undertaking a study of former street children to determine factors, including social networks, which affect their ability to become economically self-sufficient. This research could affect policy and practice for former street children and other vulnerable young people in Kenya and other parts of east Africa.
Another exit strategy supported by Penn State researchers is the development of the initial Zawadi eco-village in Lamuria, a small community in the Rift Valley. As in many regions of sub-Saharan Africa, access to water is limited, so technologies and practices appropriate for a semi-arid region will be developed and/or adopted. Local knowledge will be incorporated in the development of these technologies and selection of cultivars.
A community assessment carried out in June 2009 found that the vast majority of residents are subsistence farmers, raising staple crops and vegetables on small plots. Community members indicated that access to water has been a serious problem in recent years, as they have had five years of drought. The resulting lack of water affects all aspects of community life and well-being as there are increasing levels of malnourishment, undernourishment, and water-related illnesses. Furthermore, the secondary school principal indicated absenteeism is often due to low agricultural production, and others noted the lack of water drives out-migration of young males.
The goal of the Zawadi eco-village initiative is to identify, develop, and demonstrate technologies and practices relating to agricultural production, land use, water harvesting and management, power generation, and entrepreneurship that will enable a community to thrive in these circumstances.
For more information on Penn State’s involvement with the CYEC, or to find out how you can get involved, please contact me at 610-396-6183 or via e-mail at JBL6@psu.edu.