The Kings and Queens of Kibera
Getting kids off the street is our goal…
Our aim is to give these kids who were once on the streets a chance to not only survive but to thrive in society. Life as a street kid is not easy as one can imagine. Every kid has their own story as to why they ended up on the street; all these children are unique in that sense. Most reasons why children are on the street are fairly typical: hunger, lack of parental occupation, abandonment, or the children may be orphans. Most of the kids who end up on the streets are not able to get a good education because in Kenya you have to pay for most of your primary school studies.
In the worst case scenarios street children become addicted to glue and/or cheap alcohol to cope with hunger and emotional pain. This can lead to serious physical developmental issues and possibly death.
In 1999 it was reported that there were over 50,000 street children in Nairobi, and the government estimated that their numbers grew at 10 % per year
In 2001 it was stated that conservative estimates indicated that 300,000 children live and work on the streets in Kenya, with over 50% of them concentrated in and around the capital Nairobi
In 2001 another report estimated that there were about 40,000 street children in Kenya, with about half concentrated in Nairobi
It was estimated in 2007 that there were 250,000- 300,000 children living and working on the streets across Kenya with, with more than 60,000 of them in Nairobi
