| dc.description.abstract | The purpose of the study was to investigate challenges which exist in the process of
rescue, rehabilitation and reintegration of street children back to the society. The
objectives were to identify different stressful situations experienced by street
children, establish the challenges which exist in rescuing the children from the
street, reexamine the rehabilitation program and investigate the level of home
preparedness in readiness for reintegration process and lastly assess the
methodology used by rehabilitation centres to make follow ups for the reintegrated
children. The study was guided by crime and child development theories, which
focused the role of the society in shaping a child personality.
The study adopted an exploratory ex-post-facto research design. Hundred children
formed the population for interview, sixty from various rehabilitation institutions
and forty children who had been reintegrated. Ten key informants involved in
rehabilitation of street children in various organizations within Nairobi County and
ten parents of the reintegrated children were also sampled to supplement information
got from the children. The sample was selected using purposeful sampling
procedure. Questionnaires and interview guides were used to collect relevant data
on the challenges which exist in the process of rescuing, rehabilitating and
reintegrating children back to the society. The data collected were coded and then
analyzed. Data presentation was done using tables, pie charts and graphs. This was
done in line with Statistical Package for Social Science (SPSS) program. The study
was of great significance to policy makers, social workers, counselors, managers,
donor world, and rehabilitation organizations. It was evident 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.
Recommendations were made on what has to be done to overcome these challenges
which require a paradigm shift from the government structures and rehabilitation
institution themselves in addressing the menace of constant increase of children in
the streets of Kenya. | en_US |
