In the report, the Kenyan Catholic Sister narrates to ACN that there are over 60,000 street families living in the streets of the Kenyan capital city, Nairobi, including thousands of boys and girls who do not go to school and are often addicted to drugs or involved in other illegal activities.
Founded in Kenya in 1962, the ASN members number over 2,000 and are now spread all over the East African nation and other African countries, ACN reports, adding that of the Congregation’s central projects continues to be getting children off the streets to try and give them a chance for a better and more dignified life.
Sr. Caroline tells ACN that the ASE members involved in getting children off the streets used to work only with boys, but more recently began to direct their attention also to girls, after realizing that the girls are much more vulnerable in the streets than their male counterparts.
“We go to the streets of Nairobi, and we bond with these girls; we visit them three days a week and we work with their mothers as well, most of whom are on drugs,” Sr. Caroline is quoted as saying in the report ACN shared with ACI Africa on February 5.
She says that the girls are brought to the centre under the auspices of ASE and enrolled for rehabilitation. Once rehabilitated, the former street girls are equipped with skills to earn a living and thereafter reintegrated with their respective families.
The ASE members involved in the initiative try as much as possible to journey with parents and guardians along the rehabilitation process.
Reintegrated former street girls in their families is not always easy, Sr. Caroline is quoted as saying.
She adds, “Those who cannot be reintegrated with their relatives remain with us, so we take them to school; we pay for their school fees, and we do a lot of psycho-social support, because they are girls who have been sexually abused in the streets, girls who are infected with AIDS … so we empower them.”
With the boys, the ASE members had a success rate of around 50 percent, Sr. Caroline says, adding that when given the opportunity, girls never prefer to return to the streets.
The Sisters’ closer presence to the girls’ residence has been highlighted as one of the factors behind the commendable success rate. ASE members are, therefore, considering building a Convent next to the boys’ residence, to try and improve the situation.
