Many organizations believe that the number of children living in the street is approximated to be somewhere between 100 million and 150 million. The age of these children starts from 0 years old. Street children are forced to live on the streets. Usually they do not go to school. Each child has a different reason to live on the streets.

The child:

• is (AIDS) orphan
• is (sexually) abused at home or neglected, because of the poverty and alcohol abuse. They walk away because of the powerlessness feeling
• thinks the streets have more to offer than his or her family
• is sent to the street to help increase the family income. Usually they sleeps at home.
• lives on the street with his or her family

Street children are often in the crime scene to survive. They steal, deal drugs, use drugs, or use (sexual) violence.

• Worldwide there are over 100 million street children
• 1 in 5 street children are younger than 15 years
• 1 in 10 street children is a girl

Kenya alone has over 250.000 street children. And this is just an estimation! The boys of the street call themselves ‘survivors’. They have only one goal and that is to survive. It’s a hard life where the law of the jungle applies and where escape attempts to end up in alcohol, drugs and sometimes even death.