”No one wants to live on the cold streets” A qualitative study about street children and centers in Kisumu, Kenya

Abstract

Street children are a common feature and increasing issue in many parts of Kenya. The street life’s conditions are harsh for any human being, but especially for a child. This qualitative study has taken place in Kisumu, Kenya. The work of centers in Kisumu providing care for these children is very important. This study explores the street children and staff working with street children’s conceptions of which needs are met on the streets of Kisumu. Also the conceptions of what kind of support the centers provide for street children.. The research questions created to reach this aim focus on: the push and pull factors from and to the street for street children in Kisumu, and the push and pull factors from and to the centers for street children in Kisumu. In Kenya there are big gender differences, which also apply to the children of the street. Therefore, the study’s third question investigates why there are fewer street girls than street boys on the streets in Kisumu. The questions were answered by interview data and analyzing previous relevant research studies. The collected data consisted of 17 semi-structured interviews with both interviews in groups and individual interviews. The data was analyzed with Maslow’s hierarchy of needs, social support theory, postmodern feminist theory and the gender concept. The results of this study shows that there are specific factors that push and pull children from and to the streets and the centers, for example basic needs and relationships. It also shows that there are fewer girls than boys on the street, due to four factors; they live at home or with relatives, they get married, they get “picked up” by someone or the street life is too hard for the girls.