Executive Summary

The study sought to look at the complex lives of the children living and or working in the streets of 12 selected locations of Nairobi, namely: Kibera, Korogocho, Kasarani, Nairobi West/Wilson Airport/Madaraka, Pumwani/Ziwani/Kariakor/Majengo, City Centre, Buru Buru/Kariobangi South/KCC, Dandora/Maili Saba, Huruma/Kariobangi, Embakasi, Mukuru and Mathare/Eastleigh/Pangani by adopting a broad-based, two pronged approach. It sought to do a headcount of these children profiling their lives in detail. Unlike previous studies that include children from the sprawling slums this study only dealt with those children either living or working on the streets. The study also attempted to go beyond the numbers to reconstuct their lives as they live it on a daily basis.

The broad objectives of the study were: to generate information useful for project planning, to map out the situation of street children in different areas of Nairobi, to distinguish the proportions of the different categories of street children in Nairobi, to give the children an opportunity to express their views regarding their lives on the street and to provide partner organisations with a situational analysis of the children that they work with.

Providing Accurate Numbers: One of the most disputed aspects of knowledge on children living and working on the streets of Nairobi is that related to their numbers. What is the magnitude of the problem, quantitatively speaking? Official estimates talk of about 250,000 countrywide and about 50,000 to 60,000 in Nairobi alone; none these estimates has been substantiated through physical enumeration of the children concerned.

The figure of 10,424 children counted and revealed by the present study is based on the headcount of children who live and work in the streets of the above-mentioned 12 selected locales within Nairobi District. To some, the number counted may appear to be rather conservative. While it is true that there could be some element of under-counting, the findings may be validated on the basis of the following:

§ One of the greatest strength of the study is derived from the fact that the figures proposed are neither “guesstimates” nor even estimates of street children. They are based on the physical count of children including those under 5 years of age depended on their caretakers giving consent to be counted and interviewed.

§ Though the research locales selected represent a large part of Nairobi District, other key areas such as Westlands, Dagoretti, Kawangware and Karen/Langata, believed to have large concentrations of the targeted children, were not covered. Thus the numbers presented refer to the population of the children in the study locales only and not to the whole of Nairobi.

§ The major focus of the study was on children as defined by the CRC, that is, people eighteen years and below. Only about 18.2 percent of the numbers counted were youth aged between 18-25 years. According to key informants as well as the researchers, it is believed that full inclusion of this older age category would have pushed the total count upwards, since more and more street families and gangs of young men can be found in the city.

Making Girls Visible: Girls generally tend to be invisible in most studies on street children. The recent study of street families in Nairobi’s central business district commissioned by the NCBDA in 2001 states that boys outnumber girls nine to one. However, according to the findings of this study that covered 12 locales in Nairobi District girls constitute on average about 25 percent of the population of children counted in Nairobi District. In Mukuru, Dandora/Maili Saba and Mathare/Eastleigh/Pangani, the proportions are even higher (40%, 31% and 28% respectively).

Disaggregation of the findings by age reveals a narrower gender gap in the under-five age bracket. As many as 45 percent of the under-five children were found to be females.

The Age Profile: The research reveals the dominance of eleven to fifteen year olds on the streets of Nairobi, constituting over 50 percent of the valid 10,424 cases recorded. The children below the age of five constitute 7 percent of the total study sample.

The Ethnic Factor: The study exposed that the majority of the children, regardless of gender, identify themselves as Agikuyu. However, it also suggests that the population of Gikuyus among the street children may have been grossly exaggerated in other studies. While the Gikuyus constitute a significant proportion (46%) of all ethnic groups represented among the street children, the non-Gikuyus in the street children population, put together, are more in number. This notwithstanding, most of the children on the streets can speak the Kikuyu language. Other than Kikuyu, knowledge of Kiswahili was found to be almost universal next the ‘Sheng’ – their own street language.

Schooling: Overall, only 39.5 percent of the children counted and interviewed were attending school while an overwhelming number of children were not participating in any form of formal or non-formal education. Nevertheless a total of 48.5 percent of the girls and 36.5 percent of the boys claimed to be involved in some form of educational programme. Interestingly in Korogocho 56.2 percent of the boys claimed to be going to school. The highest number of children who claimed to be going to school fell within the age bracket of 11-15 years translating to 56.71 percent of the total number of respondents.

Parental Occupation and Streetism: Unemployment among parents of the respondents was quite high. Almost a quarter of the respondents claimed that their mothers did not work whereas less than a tenth said their fathers did not. Analyses of the parental occupations mentioned suggest that these are menial, poorly paying and often highly labour intensive jobs. The implications of this may be many including inability to meet basic family obligations leading to broken homes, high incidences of child neglect and abandonment, absentee parenthood and a tendency to encourage children to obtain employment by any means in order to supplement the family income. This view is supported by the findings that indicate that children are sent out to the streets to earn a living for themselves and even to support other members of the family.

Most employed mothers were said to be engaged in petty trading while the fathers were reportedly doing more skilled but also unskilled manual work. Some parents also engaged in household and domestic work, farming, illicit brewing, and begging for a living. Others did professional / managerial/technical or clerical work, proprietorship, guarding homes/premises, thievery/robbery or engaged in commercial sex work for a living. The percentage of girls with non-working parents was higher than that of boys (6.8% of the female responses and 17.1% of the male responses for the mother’s occupation; 2.8% of the female and 6.9% of the male responses). A number of children did not know anything about their parents’ occupations.

Children ‘Of’ and ‘On’ the Streets: Many of the children claimed that their parents were either deceased or had abandoned them. Abandonment by or death of fathers was found to be more common than abandonment by or death of mothers. The implication is that there were more single mothers than there were fathers. The death of either or both parent and abandonment in turn increases the likelihood of children turning or being turned out to the streets because of limited or no resources for their sustenance within the extended family setting. Children either orphaned or abandoned were found to be among those who had found permanent residence on the streets (approximately 14% of the total sample). Among the children ‘of’ the streets, over 65 percent were male. Most of the children who identified themselves fully with the streets were to be found in Mukuru and City Centre.

Time spent on the Streets: About 63 percent of the children had been on the streets either on a part time or full time basis for up to 5 years. Over 12 percent had been on the streets for between 6-10 years while another 13 percent could not remember when they had started to frequent the streets.

Caretakers of the Very Young: Two issues with regard to the characteristics of the caretakers of infants on the streets stand out. Firstly, the bulk of the caretakers are females, particularly mothers (56%) and sisters (12%); secondly, the age of the caretakers - who are either children (37%) themselves or are youth below the age of thirty (36%). An additional point of interest is the presence of young boys (7%) on the streets who take care of their younger siblings. Though fewer in numbers than their female counterparts, their role in the looking after the even younger children should not be ignored.

Reasons for Streetism: The study found that children were on the streets for a variety of reasons the major ones being, in order of frequency: to earn money, search for food and/or look for recreation---all described in the literature on street children as “pull” factors. These “pull” factors are symptomatic for children from economically poor families who suffer from lack of adequate attention and care at home as their parents spend most of their time and energy in securing the mere survival. It is also not surprising that “domestic conflicts” and “domestic violence” featured as one key “push” factor for streetism.

Significantly none of the children cited ‘sex’ as a reason for being on the streets. It is probable that of necessity rather than on their own volition, once on the streets children are introduced into sexual activity either for recreation or money or they are being forced into it and/or raped.

The Street Sub-Culture: Once on the streets others initiate the children into streetism in order for them to survive. Children’s rights are violated constantly as they are often harassed and exploited and they exploit others in turn. In absence of adult care and guidance they are forced to assume adult responsibilities and take care of themselves and sometimes their siblings and fellow children at a tender age. Out of necessity they have to look for work and they are easy to exploit through meagre or sometimes no pay. They are thrust into a bleak, harsh and depraved environment often fraught with constant and sustained danger in various forms such as:

· Harassment

· Violence amongst themselves and towards others

· Drug taking and trafficking

· Sexual exploitation accompanied by a high risk of contracting STIs and HIV/AIDS

· Loneliness and fear

· Physical and emotional abuse and neglect

· Starvation

· Exposure to the elements

· Early, unplanned and uncontrolled pregnancy and parenthood

· Poor hygienic and sanitation conditions

The Vicious Cycle of Negativity and Violence: During interviews with the members of the security forces and the public and the children themselves during the three children’s workshops held it emerged that children felt that they were unfairly blamed by members of the public for theft, robbery and other infractions of the law. Often they were beaten and harassed for real of imagined misdemeanours. The younger children, especially boys identified the police as among the persons feared most because they continually harassed them. Girls feared the older street boys the most because they organised gang rapes sometimes ‘to teach them a lesson” if they declined to have sex with someone, break up with someone or as mere punishment. The girls reported that they could be taken advantage of and being gang raped if they merely visited another base and they were known to be unmarried [without a boyfriend protecting them].

Younger children expressed fears of being stolen/abducted and often felt insecure when strangers approached them. The older girls cited incidents of colleagues who had been sexually molested and subjected to bestiality. These experiences heightened their sense of insecurity and vulnerability.

Recreation and Socialisation Activities: Life on the streets is not all about violence and abuse. The children develop strong friendships and spirit of mutual support and assistance. They play, sing, watch videos, tell each other stories and go to church together among other activities. Many of the recreational activities that girls and boys engage in are similar, but there are gender-based differences too. More boys than girls admitted to aggressive behaviour and the usage of a wider variety of drugs.

Defending Street Life: Some of the children even went to the extent of defending street life. They rationalised that the streets provide them with food, drinks and money. They enjoy the freedom to move around, not to be commanded around, to smoke, sniff glue, and for the boys, to have girl friends.

Attitudes to Sex and Sexuality: Though boys tend to see sex as recreation, for girls it often turns into a commercial activity or a way to secure a sense of belonging and/even protection through their ‘boy friends’. Both genders are aware that unprotected sex may lead to death and disease but few stated to be using protection/condoms. Their awareness of the causes of STIs and HIV/AIDS is tempered by a mix of facts and fiction.

Children’s perceptions of existing interventions: About half of children interviewed had some knowledge about various organisations that offer services to street children. However, this awareness did not necessarily translate into utilisation of and/or participation in the same. Education tops the list of benefits that the children said they derived from their involvement with these organisations, followed by food and clothes. Few had benefited from medical assistance or recreational activities such as football. Among the main reason for non-participation was the dislike of the mode and degree of discipline enforced in schools and centres including rigid rules and regulations, and the curtailment of their freedom of movement and association. Both boys and girls also noted that while some organisations should be appropriately rewarded for the good work they were doing, others should be scrutinised, as their activities did not benefit the street children.

The following policy recommendations were suggested; policy planners must adopt multi-faceted, multi-targeted and multi-tiered approaches if they have to make an impact on the lives of children on the streets. It is necessary to have clear policy guidelines regarding working with children on the streets to ensure that they are not exploited, their problems are not aggravated and their rights protected.

As for recommendations for action the following suggestions were given: child-friendliness of institutions working with street children whether formal or non-formal should be increased and so should the provision of psychosocial life skills and the application of transformative pedagogy that is learner-centred, interactive and participatory.

Other suggestions given are, provision of day care for the very young so as to enable their caretakers (often teenage mothers) to attend classes and engage in income generation activities; advocacy and lobbying at different levels for the implementation of the rights of children pushed and pulled to the streets by various factors; and capacity building targeting a variety of service providers including teachers, law enforcement agents and social workers on relevant knowledge and skills.

1.1 Aims and Objectives of the Study

Aims and objectives of the study, as formulated by the contracting agencies, were to:

a) Generate information-quantitative and qualitative-useful for project planning by service providers of street children in Nairobi

b) Map out the situation of street children in the different areas of Nairobi

c) Distinguish the proportions of the different categories of street children in Nairobi

d) Give the children an opportunity to express their views regarding their lives on the street

e) Provide partner organisations with a situational analysis of the children that they work with

f) Give an indication of the exact numbers of street children to form the basis for well-informed planning at policy level

g) Build the research capacity of members of organisations providing services to street children and document this process.

1.2 Conceptualisation of the Research Population

For the purpose of the study, the research population was perceived to be children living and working on the streets. This definition was deliberately adopted to include all groups of children who, whether on a full-time or part-time basis, regard the streets of Nairobi, at a minimum, as the place where they get their subsistence. Some of these children, it was recognised from the outset, would be school-goers and have homes and families that they go back to on a daily basis. Others have no homes to go back to and therefore would be residing full time on the streets.

From the onset, key stakeholders involved in the research process agreed that children living and working on the streets are usually to be found in the following areas[2]:

· Garbage dumps

· Next to the Nairobi river

· Market areas

· Abandoned vehicles and houses

· Playgrounds and open fields

· Shopping centres, hotels and bars

· Mosques, especially on Fridays where they might converge to get alms from the Muslim devotees after prayers

· Scrap paper and metal collection and selling points

· Remand homes, cells and courts

· Slaughter houses

· Drop-in centres

· Fuel stations

· Car parks

· Bus stops

· Churches

· Cinema/video halls

· Public toilets

· Street junctions and traffic lights

· Chuoms[3] and bases[4]

In the current study, most of the above locations were visited within the various sites to count the children. However, there were some notable exceptions. For example, remand homes, cells and courts were considered to be restricted areas and as such out of reach to the researchers.

The definition of “children” agreed upon in the Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC) is those people below the age of eighteen. This definition was used in the study. However, it was recognised that subjective definitions of children may exist in the streets, and who we perceive to be children may not be so considered by the research population itself. Subjective definitions of children would most likely be influenced by African traditions like circumcision for boys, and marriage and motherhood for girls.

It was also recognised that sometimes it would not be possible to adhere to the upper age limit of eighteen years very strictly. In the first place, the children may not themselves be sure about their age. In the second place, researchers may interview some who appear to be under eighteen years only to find out later that the respondent is actually older than estimated. In situations of malnutrition, the likelihood of people appearing younger than their biological age is quite real. At the end of the day, the age of the children was bound to be subjective based on what they believed their age was since we had no objective way of verifying it.

Eventually, it was agreed that theoretically, the primary focus of the study would be on children as defined by the CRC, that is, individuals between the ages of 0-18[5] as perceived by the research subjects themselves or in the case of the under-five age group, as estimated by their caretakers. Young people (19-25) would constitute a secondary target of the research.

Another term that posed a problem in defining was that of “street”. In the present context street was taken to refer to not only the main thoroughfares and side roads within the research locales, but also the alleyways whether tarmacked or otherwise.

These were negotiated definitions. As recounted in chapter two, the key terms were discussed and the definitional parameters agreed upon between the research co-ordinating team represented by the WERK members and members of organisations working with street children nominated to be part of the field team.

A term that provokes debate is “street children”. The present study recognises the derision with which many people regard children so classified. Given this negative connotation it is used with caution, shorn of any negative qualities that the concept tends to conjure in the minds of the most people.

1.3 The Research Methodology and geographical coverage

With Nairobi as the principal study locale, twelve sites were purposively selected for the quantitative component, namely: Kibera, Korogocho, Kasarani, Nairobi West/Wilson Airport/Madaraka, Pumwani/Ziwani/Kariakor/Majengo, City Centre, Buru Buru/Kariobangi South/KCC, Dandora/Maili Saba, Huruma/Kariobangi, Embakasi, Mukuru and Mathare/Eastleigh/Pangani and three of these for the qualitative part, namely: City Centre, Korogocho and Mukuru. The data collection exercise was conducted mainly by staff seconded to the research project by organisations involved with the protection and care of children living or working on the streets. The research design was developed by WERK with participation of the partner organisations and in-put from the initiating agencies (SNV and GTZ). Details of the research methodology and process are captured in Chapter Two.

1.4 Time Frame

The study was conducted in two phases. Phase I which consisted of the quantitative component and included the headcount of children living and working on the streets as well as the administration of the survey questionnaire, took place between September 2001 and February 2002. The second phase focusing on the qualitative research overlapped with the end of the first phase, the process beginning in the third week of January and continuing into the second week of February 2002. This was due to an extension of the quantitative fieldwork. (See section on Lessons Learnt in Chapter 6.3)

1.5 Organisation of the Report

The research is presented in two volumes: Volume one contains the analytical report while volume two presents the quantitative data in form of tables. This is the first of the two volumes.

Volume one is divided into six substantive chapters. Chapter One provides the background to the study; Chapter two describes the process of instrument development, training for the fieldwork, data collection and analysis; and Chapter Three reviews literature pertinent to the research. The research findings are presented in Chapters Four and Five with the former summarising the findings of the Head Count questionnaire, and the latter integrating the data derived from the Survey Questionnaire and obtained through qualitative methods. Finally, in the third part of the volume, comprising Chapter Six, the conclusions, including the lessons learnt (incorporating the experiences of the field researchers) are drawn and recommendations made.

In addition to the main body of the report is a comprehensive bibliography of the literature reviewed. The annexes present copies of the various research instruments that were used during the data collection process.

It may be argued that the present research used two quantitative instruments to obtain the bulk of the data. While this is true, it must be pointed out that the instruments were developed and administered within the qualitative paradigm. In addition, more overtly qualitative methods including workshopping, key informant interviewing, games and focus group discussions were also used for the collection of data. The qualitative framework also guided the selection of the sample and data analysis processes.

The research used multiple methods of data collection and various sources of data, both primary and secondary. Among the methods used were:

· Document analysis using a document review guide. The review included the review of published and unpublished literature (See Chapter Three)

· Head count using a brief researcher administered questionnaire for the over-five children. A total of 9,412 interviewer-assisted questionnaires were administered.

· Another questionnaire, even shorter than the one for the Headcount, to identify those less than five years of age in all the twelve research locales were administered to any street person found with a child below the age of five. A total of 727 questionnaires were completed in this category.

· Survey using a semi-structured questionnaire administered to children who volunteered to give detailed information about themselves in all the twelve research sites. A total of 606 survey questionnaires were completed, assisted by the interviewers.

· Children’s workshops conducted in three selected sites (i.e. City Centre, Korogocho and Mukuru) on the 13^th, 14^th and 16^th February respectively. Majority of the workshop participants were boys ranging in age between the ages of 10-24. (More details provided in Chapter Five).

· Interviews using interview guides to obtain additional information from children as well as adults working in relevant organisations.

· Essays written by some of the researchers reflecting on their fieldwork experiences.

2.3 The Composition of the Research Teams

The combination of a multi-site study with a participatory process resulted in a research team that was both broad-based and large. The initiating agencies, SNV and GTZ, WERK members and the staff of partner organisations and volunteers were all part of the team albeit in different capacities. Specifically, SNV-Kenyan Street Children Programme provided the overall co-ordination and technical insight. Technical insight was also provided by GTZ that also ensured logistical support. The roles and responsibilities of the various key actors comprising the team are summarised in Table 1.

Table 1: Roles and Responsibilities of Research Team Members

The Team Members	Roles and Responsibilities
GTZ, SNV	· Conceptualising the research · Commissioning and funding of research · Management of process especially in terms of providing logistical support · Negotiating broad technical guidelines for implementation of research · Participating in monitoring of process
Partner Organisations	· Providing staff and volunteers to conduct the field work · Participating in the capacity-building workshops · Collecting the data (quantitative and qualitative) · Participating in the feedback sessions · Submitting self-reflections on research experiences (optional)
WERK	· Developing research framework and design · Developing draft instruments and guiding process for finalisation of the same · Capacity-building field researchers in data collections methods and ethics · Monitoring the data-collection process · Providing personnel for data collection as and when necessary · Cleaning, coding, entering and analysing the data · Writing the study report

2.4 The Research Process

The Preparatory Phase: Ensuring Participation

The preparatory phase of the project was participatory and comprised several interrelated and sometimes overlapping components. Each of the components is described in some detail in the following pages.

Stakeholders’ Meetings

An initial meeting with various stakeholders initiated by SNV was held on 28^th August 2001. The meeting was attended by thirty-four individuals, most of whom were heads of various organisations drawn from the eight administrative divisions of Nairobi working with children living and working on the streets. At this meeting, SNV invited interested organisations to work together in establishing the magnitude of the problem confronting them. Following discussions that took place, it was agreed that:

· Since many of the partner organisations were already involved in street work in their localities, it would make sense for them to be involved in the process of data collection.

· This involvement would gain legitimacy and also ensure ownership of the research process.

· The participating organisations would essentially be the primary consumers of the data emanating from the study

· The staff involved in the study would receive training in research skills and be awarded certificates at the end of the exercise.

The meeting established the interest and the theoretical commitment at least of the partner organisations in participating in the research.

A second stakeholders’ meeting was held in September 2001. It was at this meeting that WERK was brought on board. About seventy social workers nominated by various Nairobi-based organisations working with street children to participate in the Head Count attended the meeting. It was chaired by SNV while two senior WERK researchers acted as facilitators.

The purpose of the meeting was:

(a) to introduce WERK, the research co-ordinators, to SNV/GTZ partner organisations involved with street work;

(b) to agree together on the broad participatory research framework and the roles and responsibilities of the various partners;

(c) to establish the knowledge level that partners had on research methods including exposure to the different data collection techniques;

(d) to provide space for brainstorming and agreeing on the criteria for the recruitment of researchers from partner organisations; and

(e) to map out the geographical areas that partner organisations present would prefer to operate in relation to the proposed study.

Box 1: Ice-Breaker

a) Sketch a map to your house

b) Pair up with the person seated next to you. If that person
happens to be your friend, or colleague and knows your house,
then pair up with somebody who does not know where you stay

c) Explain the directions (of your places of residence) to each
other

This exercise helped to highlight the importance of rapport building and utilising ones observational skills (including skills of listening and remembering) in the process of research.

Source: Second Stakeholder Meeting

Participatory facilitation was used to achieve the above objectives. After general introductions, participants were assigned an activity (see Box 1). The purpose of the activity was manifold. First, it was designed to break the ice between the various participants, many of who were meeting for the first time. Second, it was meant to highlight the importance of rapport building, having good observation skills and following instructions, all ingredients of good researching. The activity thus served as an introduction to conducting field research, and provided the focal point for further discussions on the research techniques and issues.

This meeting was thus crucial from the perspective of the study on children living and working on the streets. It allowed the research co-ordinators to assess the level of exposure of those present to various research methods. In this respect, it was found that the vast majority of the participants had little or no knowledge of what research entails. A very few had been involved as assistants in quantitative surveys and/or taking notes in focus group discussions (FGDs). The information gained from the meeting consequently helped to design the training for the fieldwork based on an assessment of their needs.

During this meeting, consensus was negotiated on the qualities expected in those aspiring to join the research teams. These qualities included:

· Ability to speak one or more languages used by the research subjects

· Good interpersonal skills

· Willingness to learn and to work long hours

· Ability to capture views/opinions without imposing one’s own perspectives

· Ability to be team players

It was agreed that the every effort would be made to achieve gender and age balances in the composition of the research teams.

The criteria for selecting the sites for research were also identified during this meeting. Already, during the first stakeholders meeting, fourteen potential sites had been identified. Partner organisations interested in participating in the field-work phase of the study were required to choose from among these the site that

· They felt most comfortable working in

· Was closest to one’s place of residence and/or operations

· They were already working in.

This process helped to re-cluster and reduce the number of proposed research sites from fourteen to twelve. There were two main reasons that emerged for the exclusion of some of the sites identified during the first stakeholders meeting from the study, viz.

1. Karen, Langata, Mwiki and Ruai were excluded because partner organisations operating in those areas could not be identified.

2. Dagoretti, Riruta and Kawangware were not included to avoid duplication because AMREF had just concluded a study on vulnerable children, including street children.

It also helped the organisers to allocate volunteers from Ungana (Young friends of AMREF) to the sites that had very few researchers.

Drafting the Instruments

The next step in the process was drafting the instruments. For this WERK nominated an internal technical committee (See Annex for list of members) to construct the initial drafts of the Headcount and Survey questionnaires. These drafts, constructed in English, were presented for critical discussion at the Orientation Workshops (see section below), together with a Kiswahili version. WERK members had initially done the translation.

The Research Team went through the two questionnaires, item by item reviewing them for relevance, language and length. This was done in three stages: (a) in break-out groups; (b) in the two parallel workshop groups; and (c) finally in a joint plenary where they debated the aspects they considered to be contentious. It was agreed that the Kiswahili version, revised according to the recommendations of the participants, would be administered to the research subjects, keeping in mind that the interviewers would possibly have to “translate” the instruments into the specific dialect used by the children in particular research sites.

It was also recommended that the Research Consultants should develop a third instrument to be administered to the care-takers of children under five. This instrument, together with the other two, was piloted the week of 8-12 October 2001. Based on the experiences of the researchers in using them, the instruments were further modified. The English versions of the final questionnaires are attached in Annex 7.

Building Research Capacity

Two orientation workshops for the researchers were held: first, before the commence-ment of the quantitative data collection and the second, prior to the qualitative component. Three and two days were spent on the quantitative and qualitative workshops respectively. Facilitated by the consultants, these workshops served to build the capacity of the research team.

An additional one-day training was provided to researchers who were recruited into the team at a later date to augment the numerical strength of the researchers. The new team members were trained only on the administration of the Head Count and Under-Five questionnaires.

Participants at the first workshop, numbering some fifty participants were divided into two groups based on the sites they had said they would work in. (See Table 2) In Group A, there were twenty-six participants while in Group B there were twenty-four. Group A and B had parallel sessions based on a common agenda developed by WERK prior to the workshop. Each group was facilitated by two senior researchers from WERK assisted by others in capacity-building positions (see names of Project Team Members).

Table 2: Distribution of research sites per group

GROUP A		GROUP B
Research Sites	No of Researchers	Research Sites	No of Researchers
Kibera	5	Mathare-Eastleigh-Pangani	6
Nairobi West-Wilson-Madaraka	2	Korogocho	5
City Centre	5	Pumwani-Kariokor-Ziwani-Majengo	3
Mukuru	7	Dandora-Maili Saba	3
Embakasi	4	Kasarani	3
KCC-BuruBuru-Kariobangi South	3	Huruma-Kariobangi North	5
TOTAL	26	TOTAL	25

The workshop objectives, as set by the Research Consultants, were to

· develop common understanding of the purpose of the proposed study on children living and working in the streets;

· familiarise the research team members with research methods appropriate to such a study;

· give them practice with the use of the Head Count and Survey Questionnaires;

· solicit the input of the research teams in the finalisation of the quantitative instruments;

· map the concentrations of children living and working on the streets by site as perceived by the organisations working with street children in the site (locale); and

· draw the site boundaries.

These above objectives were negotiated and reformulated together with the workshop participants. To attain the above objectives, the workshop used a dominantly participatory methodology. The specific facilitation methods used included:

· Games and exercises

· Buzz groups discussions

· Break-out group discussions

· Simulations

· Oral presentations/lectures

· Mapping

The introductory part of the workshop comprised an icebreaking exercise, which was meant to show how well one responds to questions. A word was written out on VIPP cards. These cards were then cut into half. The participants were then asked to find the matching half of the word, introduce themselves to the other partner, discuss the word, and come up with an agreed meaning of the word. The partners were also required to write one expectation and one fear that each one of them had of the workshop, recording them on VIPP cards, and posting the cards on the wall.

During the plenary, it was noted that some of the expectations and fears would actually be addressed during the workshop such as gaining an understanding of research methods, while others would be addressed immediately after the end of the workshop. Acquiring skills in doing research, for example, was initiated during the workshop period through simulated interviews and later, during the data collection process. Other expectations and fears were related to problems that they anticipated might crop up during the research process and strategies for dealing with these. The issue of safety and security of the field researchers was a recurring concern.

Acquiring Knowledge and Skills in Research Methods

As noted previously, the major focus of the first capacity-building workshop was to familiarise the Research Team members with knowledge and skills in research methods. The workshop facilitators presented a quick overview of social research. The overview included the following components:

· Definitions and explanations of quantitative and qualitative research paradigms

· Data collection techniques associated with each of the paradigms

· Different sampling types and methods

· Various sources of data

· Data analysis

A considerable amount of time was spent on giving the participants skills in building rapport with research subjects as an essential part of the data collection process in general and in conducting effective interviews in particular. The Research Team members were at the same time exposed to ethical issues relating to fieldwork and reporting such as obtaining informed consent of the research subjects, maintaining confidentiality and resolving personal and professional conflicts. As already mentioned, the participants got opportunity to improve their interviewing skills by using the draft Head Count Questionnaire.

Mapping

One of the anticipated problems was that of doing the headcount accurately in the absence of adequate information about their places of residence and work. Therefore, it was felt that one of the first steps would be to map the whereabouts of the children in each of the selected study sites. In order to do this, each of the two parallel workshop participants were divided into groups based on what they had identified as their work site. They were then asked to draw the boundaries of the sites and indicate within these boundaries the following:

· The sleeping/living locations of the children (e.g. chuoms[6])

· The work/subsistence locations (including dump sites)

· The recreational locations

· Major landmarks characterising the sites including the main roads and buildings (churches, schools, hospitals etc).

Each group drew the preliminary maps on large sheets of brown paper (pasted together as required) using coloured markers. During the joint plenary session, the maps were presented and discussed for accuracy, overlap and gaps. In case of overlap, site boundaries were negotiated between the concerned groups and consensus achieved. It should be pointed out that the site boundaries do not necessarily coincide with official (Kenyan) administrative boundaries.

Where gaps in geographical coverage were identified, two alternatives were proposed:

1. First, it was agreed that some of the gaps would be addressed by those within or near whose site boundaries they were appearing. For example, with the Pumwani and City Centre teams, it was agreed that the latter would incorporate a "base"[7] that had been left out.

2. Second, for specific sites, it was agreed that the gaps would remain as gaps for the time being given constraints in time and resources. This was especially so for the Embakasi team whose coverage included areas such as Mwiki and Ruai but which could not be visited due to the aforementioned constraints.

Once consensus on the boundaries was achieved, the maps were dated and handed over to SNV for further processing after the workshop. A professional cartographer was contracted to reduce the maps to A3 size to make them friendly for use by the field researchers. They were then distributed to the field teams to guide the fieldwork process.

It is important to note that the maps drawn during the workshop were considered to be very tentative drafts. The accuracy of the details were expected to be validated during the field work by the researchers, and the corrections made so that by the end of the research period, the maps would reflect the reality on the ground at the time the research was conducted. For example, in the case of Embakasi, the locations noted on the map were found to be non-existent after piloting. In other cases, it was found that children had moved on to other places because dumping sites had been moved. [See Supplementary Annexes]

Training in Qualitative Research

A further two-day training in qualitative research methods was conducted on 21^st and 22^nd January 2002. The workshop had sixteen participants, drawn from the three sites selected for the qualitative phase of the study. These sites were: City Centre, Korogocho and Mukuru. Initially, Kibera had been identified as a possible site for the qualitative phase. However, it had to be dropped following security concerns resulting from the violence that rocked the area during part of October and most of November 2001.

During the workshop, the facilitators took the participants through the more common qualitative research techniques (Focus Group Discussions, In-depth interviews and observations) as well as creative methodologies (e.g. role plays, puppetry, poetry, song/music). The importance of detailed note-taking, transcription and recording was emphasised.

Participants were given hands-on experience in developing and using creative qualitative techniques of research. They were divided into the following thematic areas derived from assessment of the issues arising from the quantitative research phase:

· Schooling

· Health challenges

· Sexuality and transition issues and relationships

· Conflict with the law

· Self-perception vis-à-vis community perceptions

Box 2: Lessons Learnt from the Presentations

· Researchers should not pre-empt information

· They need to probe further for depth

· They need to use language that the children are familiar with. Rapport would be strengthened if the interviewers used a bit of sheng[8]

· The researchers would need to strengthen their interviewing techniques to ensure that they are able to guide the flow of the discussions in the desired direction without biasing the responses.

Source: Qualitative Orientation Workshop

Each group was assigned an issue that they were required to pursue using one of the creative techniques discussed earlier in the workshop. The presentation by each group was critiqued by the others and used as further learning points for improving their techniques of data collection using the selected techniques.

Developing the Work Plan

A tentative workplan was developed during the first training workshop to cover the quantitative phase of the study. This workplan was subsequently revised and the time period extended to the first two months of 2002. The qualitative phase of the research was similarly scheduled for February 2002.

Data Collection

The collection of the data commenced after the pilot period though it was agreed that the information obtained during the pilot phase (especially the Headcount component) would constitute part of the findings. The actual period of data collection varied from site to site, depending on the time available to the researchers as well as the situation on the ground. In most cases, the teams worked three days a week with other competing duties taking up the remaining days of the week. Time staggering was also done to ensure maximum access to the targeted children. For example, the City Centre team worked during the night to include the children involved in night street work. There were six sessions of night fieldwork between 7:00-11:00 p.m. over the data collection period.

With the exception of four sites (City Centre, Kibera, Huruma/Kariobangi North and Pumwani) all the other sites concluded the collection of quantitative data by the third week of December. By the time of conclusion of the exercise in December, researchers at most of the sites had estimated that they had covered more than 90 percent of the targeted children in their areas. Among the external factors that disrupted the field work were:

· The bloody rent dispute clashes in Kibera already referred to in an earlier section.

· The clashes between the revivalist Mungiki[9] sect and matatu[10] touts for the control of the bus terminals in Dandora. In Racecourse and Kamukunji areas, children and youth could not be counted as a result.

Monitoring the Process

Two mechanisms were put in place to monitor the fieldwork process, i.e. (a) feedback sessions and (b) field monitoring.

The Feedback Sessions

Box 3: Problems identified and highlighted during feedback sessions

¨ Hostility especially from the older children. A way of countering this problem was to interview the older children as an entry point to get to the target group.

¨ Lack of patience from the children (especially while interviewing them for the survey questionnaire) due to glue sniffing and other competing priorities.

¨ Children asking for money/food in exchange for being interviewed.

¨ Harassment especially of the female researchers by the male street children. This was countered by ensuring that the teams were gender balanced.

¨ Research vis-à-vis social work issues. At times, the children were too ill to be interviewed or the researcher was aware that the information being provided by a particular child was not true. Since most of the researchers also doubled up as social workers, it was difficult at times to draw the line between research and social work.

¨ Walking long distances in search of the children.

¨ The high rate of mobility of street children from one geographical area to another.

¨ The children wanted to know the immediate benefit of the research for them. This had implications in terms of whether the children would agree to be interviewed or not

¨ Poor weather conditions.

Linking Research to Advocacy and Action

This report consists of two volumes and was compiled by:

Women Educational Researchers of Kenya (WERK) for SNV/Kenya and German Technical Cooperation (GTZ)

Annexes …………………………………………….105

List of Tables

List of Figures

List of Textboxes

Acronyms

Acknowledgements

The community members and especially the children, parents and guardians who agreed to
participate in the headcount and the survey.

Executive Summary

CHAPTER ONE

INTRODUCTION TO THE STUDY

1.0 Background

1.1 Aims and Objectives of the Study

1.2 Conceptualisation of the Research Population

1.3 The Research Methodology and geographical coverage

1.4 Time Frame

1.5 Organisation of the Report

CHAPTER TWO

THE RESEARCH PROCESS

2.0 Introduction

2.1 The Research Framework

2.3 The Composition of the Research Teams

Roles and Responsibilities

2.4 The Research Process

The Preparatory Phase: Ensuring Participation

Stakeholders’ Meetings

Drafting the Instruments

Building Research Capacity

Acquiring Knowledge and Skills in Research Methods

Mapping

Training in Qualitative Research

Developing the Work Plan

Data Collection

Monitoring the Process

The Feedback Sessions

Linking Research to Advocacy and Action

This report consists of two volumes and was compiled by:

Women Educational Researchers of Kenya (WERK) for SNV/Kenya and German Technical Cooperation (GTZ)

Annexes …………………………………………….105

List of Tables

List of Figures

List of Textboxes

Acronyms

Acknowledgements

The community members and especially the children, parents and guardians who agreed to participate in the headcount and the survey.

Executive Summary

2.0 Introduction

Roles and Responsibilities

The community members and especially the children, parents and guardians who agreed to
participate in the headcount and the survey.