New intiative to end child labour
June is a month when the spotlight turns on children. Undugu society has a new plan. Wathuo Mwangi reports

Emmanuel and his two sisters are ‘residents’ on the busy streets of Nairobi.

Every now and then, they shift base, according to the demand and time. In the early mornings they will be seen on Aga Khan walk where they leave at about noon for greener pastures on Moi Avenue and then later at four, leave for Tom Mboya street.

The peculiar and disturbing issue about the three siblings is that they are minors below the age of twelve and never set foot in class. They have been on the streets begging for money with their parents all their life. It’s the only trade they know .

Emmanuel who is about eight years of age is bold and offers to talk to me as his older sister aged about ten years takes position further away. Lola, his six-year-old sister still has this air of innocence around her and her little bright eyes look around for that coin or note from a stranger.

Braving the strong stench of dried up urine; Emmanuel reveals that they have been on the streets with both their parents who are blind, begging to eke out a living. Living in Kariobangi in Nairobi’s Eastlands’, they are sometimes forced to walk all the way to their ‘workplace’, which is tens of kilometers away.

However, this situation is not only restricted to Emmanuel and his family alone, but pairs or more of blind beggars with the familiar clutter of coins in a bowl or plastic mug are a common phenomena now. The blind men and women have become a familiar sight in the city streets with children as young as four in tow as guides. Their numbers on the busy city streets have been soaring at an alarming rate in the last few years as every few yards you meet a new pair. More children are also involved in other forms of begging at a fee by unscrupulous adults.

Unaware of the risks they are exposed to, the children will give you that sad look that prompts one to drop a coin or a note in the bowl. Curiously, all high denominations of coins like twenty shillings or a note is quickly stashed away by the blind person before they proceed.

The children involved in this venture are usually between the ages of four and fifteen years of age, though some have adult guides. Some are usually with their parents trying to eke out a living while others are hirelings. Ironically, there are some children who have hired the blind persons especially from the slums and upcountry to make a few bucks for themselves.

However, on the wider perspective, these children are being exposed to child labour in its worst form under the very noses of the persons supposed to protect them. They will be seen on the streets, bus stops and some hotels and can be a nuisance as they continue to be exploited.

The children work in harsh conditions, as they have to walk all day; that may translate into several kilometers while they sometimes do without food. They also work come rain or sunshine and usually have no protective clothing on rainy days that exposes them to the risk of diseases and are sometimes harassed by wananchi.

Aloys Opiyo, Executive Director Undugu society of Kenya (USK) says that the children have been forced onto the streets mainly due to poverty and lack of affordable and accessible education facilities.

Over the last thirty years, Undugu Society has been involved in outreach programmes for street children whereby they are given a chance to enroll at their centers voluntarily. However, Opiyo says that the approach has not been dealing with the underlying factors, which drive them out of the centers to engage in money-making ventures at the expense of their education.

“Our organization now seeks to de-link from direct service and work through non-governmental and community based organizations. USK will only intervene at the level of capacity building to enhance their effectiveness in service delivery.” To achieve this goal, USK will work with organizations like Cradle Kenya, Kenya Alliance for the Advancement of Children (KAAC) among others, which work at the grassroot level. USK has consequently closed down two of its reception centres in Eastleigh and Dandora retaining the one at Kitengela only.

In a report released early this month by the International Labour Organization (ILO) Kenya’s child labour figures proved wanting as there are still over 2.5 million children involved. The numbers were attributed mainly to the agricultural sector but a blind eye has been cast on the city’s child labourers.

Child labour is defined as any work involving children between the age of 4-17, that violates their rights by either exposing them to hazards or denying them education among other rights. ILO Convention 138 permits light work for children above the age of twelve that depends largely on the conditions in which the child works, and whether work prevents the child from going to school.

Opiyo says that to deal with the issue of child labour and street children, we need both curative and preventive interventions that will transform the lives of both the children and adults. “USK hopes to achieve this by providing basic and technical skills education centers for the children involved, while the poor families will be financed. The financing will be through the formation of Undugu Community Empowerment Programmes (UCEU) in areas with the highest number of street children as a preventive measure.” he adds. The programme contained in USK’s Strategic Plan 2006-2010, aims at providing loans for community self improvement as opposed to grants which reduce them to dependants.

As World Day against Child Labour approaches on 12 June, the Kenyan children involved in begging in urban areas have nothing to celebrate as they are still exposed to exploitation. The trend may be largely blamed on lack of awareness on violations of child rights by the concerned persons, poverty and poor enforcement of laws. However, USK hopes to initiate a Street Children Association project in Nairobi that will involve working street children on the ground as opposed to institutionalizing them. The children will be involved in community service activities and education.

USK’s director says that the system has been successful in other countries like Ghana and believes is workable in the local situation once it is implemented.

Emmanuel and his siblings and many others on the streets may find reprieve if this ambitious project takes off, but before then, they will continue being exploited by their parents and other unscrupulous adults to beg on the streets.

Copyright © 2006 Times News Services Ltd