By Mary Mwendwa
“I was living on the streets of Nairobi and one day I was begging for money and a lady decided to bring me to Makadara Children Centre for rehabilitation ” . Simon Kiring’o a former street child narrates .
Kiring’o vividly recalls that day as he scratches a freshly shaved head.He has a story to tell about his life on the streets on Nairobi.”I came from Laikipia where my parents had become hostile to me, I used to drink and smoke, a habit that my cousin introduced me to.I was even a petty thief and that made my life difficult at home”.
Kiring’o ran away from Laikipia and went to Nakuru and later Nairobi where he joined other children on the streets.Smartly dressed in green shorts and a green sweater, a clean Kiring’o who is in his teenage years smiles as he narrates his story of triumph and hope.
Just like other children who are residing at the Makadara Children Centre that rehabilitates street children , Kiring’o now has a place to call home.”Life on the streets of Nairobi was very difficult, Kila kitu ni kujitafutia kwa street, na wakati mwingine ukikosa kabisa inabidi kuiba na hapo unapatana na mob justice -you have to fend for everything for yourself on the streets, when you do not get anything you are forced to steal and that is when you meat the wrath of mob justice ” . A happy Kiring’o recounts.
Kiring’o now schools at Morrison primary School, a public school in east of Nairobi.
He is among the best performing pupils in the school.”I joined this school in 2017 and now Iram in class seven and Iam working very hard to achieve my dream of becoming a journalist one day .”
“My future looks bright now, I have focus about life and I know God willing I will make it .”
At the school he has found a home, a place to feel safe and above all a child friendly space.
“Iam happy with this school, the teachers are very friendly and the environment is very good, I feel good and now I can enjoy life, at the centre we get food and all the basic necessities which were not on the streets “.
Similary, Vincent Marrison, came from Kondele in Kisumu County to live on the streets of Nairobi in 2015. His life took a different turn when his poor mother back in the village sent him to go and look for his father in Kisumu.
“My mother was suffering with us back in the village and she decided to send me to look for my father.When I arrived at my father’s house I found him married to another woman and they had a child.They welcomed me and we started life and was taken to school .”
“After one year, something very bad happened, my father died . “A teary Marrison wipes tears.
Marrison started suffering in the hands of his step mother until he decided to run for his life on the streets of Kisumu. There, his friends convinced him to come to Nairobi.
“When I came to Nairobi life was not any better, challenges were many until one day county security officers collected many of us and drove us to the rehabilitation centre . ”
“I was addicted to glue and other sniffing substances that kept me high most of the time.”
At the centre he was counselled and given a place to stay and enrolled at Morrison primary where he will be sitting for his Kenya certificate of Primary Education (KCPE).
Borniface Mwangi, deputy Director, Makadara Children Centre says that the rehabilitation program of street children in Nairobi is a safe haven for more than 178 children.
“Everyday we keep getting children here, there is no single day that we stay without getting children here.Many are brought in bad state, dirty and addicted to substance.”
Mwangi confirms that they do counselling and rehabilitation of the children until they are stable then they enroll them for school.
“Working and serving these children is a calling, no amount of money can compensate the kind of work we do here, only God can reward . “Mwangi shares.
The centre which is located a few meters from Morrison Primary school in Bahati, East of Nairobi and caters for boys only.
Beatrice Osaka, Headteacher Morrison Primary School says that it is fulfilling to work with the lowly, especially the former street children.”Our school is the only school that is hosting street children for learning, Many parents removed their children from this school when we started the street children rehabilitation programme, the only children remaining here are from the nearby informal settlement areas of Kiambiu and Mugunda .”
“It is sad that people do not want to be associated with street children yet they are children like other children and deserve the best, here at Morrison we welcome them warmly and have embraced child friendly environment for them through partnerships with WERK and unicef by proving learning materials and upgrading of classrooms and sanitary facilities .”
Osaka confirms that the children from the centre are very hard working and have made the school’s performance improve drastically.
Sophia Yego, CEO, WERK says that her organization targets working with the needy hence the street children program of learning at Morrison is a good example of their partnership.
“Through funding from UNICEF we have been able to commission upgrading of the classrooms so that pupils in this school have a child friendly environment for learning”.
According to Ruth Muturi, Quality Check Assistant Director , Kamukunji Division, her office has been mandated by the government to help schools adhere to quality standards that are conducive for learning.
”We check whether schools have classrooms that are spacious enough, they have good painting and generally child friendly environment where the compound should be well maintained”.”Here at Kamukunji, though Iam new here the first thing I have noted is that the girl child is missing , we do not have as many girls as boys in school, something that is of worry to me”.
“We need to know where these girls are, help us find where they are, are they getting married early ? She questions. Muturi notes with a lot of concern challenges of drug peddling in schools which poses a huge challenge to smooth learning.
”Drug peddlers target children from schools to make their business thrive, this region is a target for them and as an office that is something we monitor closely and work with schools to eradicate that.” Muturi says.
She is also worried about the feeding program sponsored by Wold Food Program that has come to an end.”The feeding program helped many children to remain in school, we do not know what will happen now that it is ended and parents are supposed to sponsor the feeding program, many parents are poor and cannot afford this .”
