Street and Slum Support
Some of society’s most forgotten youth are street children. Street children are both boys and girls, usually between the ages of 6 and 15, who live homeless on the streets, sleep under cars or in dumpsters, and sniff toxic glue to numb their senses. Many of the kids of Light Home of Hope are former street children.
While we would love to get every child off the street and into school, that is impossible due to the vast number of street children in Kenya. The Arrive team continues to help children still living on the street by buying them meals, taking them to the hospital when sick, and generally looking out for their well-being. Whether that means arriving at night with blankets so the sidewalk doesn't seem so cold, or buying a child a 10 cent meal so he or she doesn't need to search through the dumpster for food, Arrive is committed to helping street children who have not yet had the opportunity to join the Arrive family.
“Glue is my family. Glue is my food. Glue is my blanket.”
We once asked Zablon, a 10 year old street child, why he huffs toxic glue. He answered, “Glue is my family. Glue is my food. Glue is my blanket.” As you read this, we have empty beds waiting for children who are sleeping on the streets of Kenya tonight. At this time, Arrive cannot accept incoming orphans and street children due to a lack of funding.
Give the gift of childhood
Love. Support. Education. Food. Give it all by sponsoring a child and getting him/her off the streets and into our home.
Numerous street children have walked for up to two days straight, without eating, from the inner city to reach an Arrive sponsored childrens home by foot. They have come because they desperately want to escape their current situation as an abandoned street child. Money donated will be used to increase our ability to help more children in dire need. Check out this blog for more info on street children coming to our home, by themselves
Many of the kids living with us now were former street kids. The contrast of a homeless, hopeless life alone in the streets and our home is impossible to conceive without witnessing it. Taking our volunteers to see the horrific living conditions of current street kids, to engage with the kids and hear their stories, and to buy them food, blankets, etc. helps to 1) show the extreme transformation of our former street kids who now live with us at Light Home of Hope, and 2) creating awareness that these types of living situations still exist in our world today (more awareness leads to more money raised leads to getting more of the kids you see in the photos below off the streets and into our home).
