Factors Influencing Skills Acquisition Among Institutionalized Street Children and Youth: a Case of Street Children in Mombasa City County

Abstract

The problem of street children in Kenya has aggravated since its emergence. This has necessitated the involvement of public and private agencies to help rehabilitate street children and equipped them with necessary skills and techniques. The purpose of this study is to investigate impeding factors in skills acquisition among institutionalized street children in Mombasa County of Kenya. The study focused on two institutions rescuing street children within Mombasa County, Wema Centre Trust and Loren Beadry’s Rescue Centre for Street Children. The study was guided by two main specific objectives; types of skills, and enabling factors in skills acquisition among institutionalized street children. The study was guided by grounded theory which focused on the role of society in shaping a child personality. The study adopted an explanatory ex-post-facto research design. Both institutions staff and institutionalized street children formed part of the population for interview. The sample selection criteria was a purposively selected sample of 70. The focus was on children who have been institutionalized for more than 6 months and staff who have been employed for more than 4 months. Questionnaires, interview guides and participant observation were used to collect relevant data on the factors hindering skills acquisition among institutionalized street children. Some of the challenges faced during data collection included unwillingness of the staff to give information as it is since some fear of victimization by the management also getting permission to interview the children was also another challenge since the management were suspicious with what we were intending to do with the information but this was overcome by convincing them that the information obtained will purely be used for academic purpose and no any other ill motive about it. The data collected were coded and then analyzed. Data presentation was done using tables. This was done in line with Statistical Package for Social Science (SPSS) program. The study found out that Street children possess skills such as mastery of foreign language, talents like dancing and skills of art which if recognized, supported and mobilized could lead to empowerment for their participation in development. The study found the following factors to be responsible for influencing these skills; the motivational factor, institutional infrastructure, the participation in various activities, shared information and the role/function of the children. The study further found out that challenges exist in all the levels of rescue, rehabilitation and reintegration and if these challenges are not well addressed in each level the whole process becomes a vicious cycle. In conclusion, the study recommended that institutionalized street children be involved more as participants and less as beneficiaries. This may as a result, influence their acquisition of action skills, which they lack. Also, that the resourcefulness of the institutionalized street children is more as a result of their informal education through experiences, interrelations and socialization. Therefore these children should be helped to attain their potential and not otherwise condemned as non-resourceful thereby overlooking the significance of informal education