Millions of Children in many African countries are forced to live in the streets as a result of poverty, abuse, torture, rape and abandonment. Some are orphaned by HIV Aids at a young age and yet others are born to already homeless juvenile children. These children lack security, decent clothing, food and shelter.

The problem of street children remains ignored despite its devastating impact on the society. It has become sidelined by the government and muted by key players in the community. Eldoret, Kenya and Dessie, Ethiopia are among the African cities with numerous street children. Brook and I grew up in these cities and have seen as the number of street children increases with time yet nobody takes any measures to make life a little better for the children you see roaming the streets day and night.

It is impossible not to notice them as they are dressed in ragged and dirty clothes stopping cars and people to beg and selling sundry articles of unknown origin; others run to wash windscreens of cars stopped at traffic lights for money. They are mostly dismissed as mini criminals by the community and at best considered a nuisance. A closer look at them and you will notice the sadness in their faces and deep strain in their eyes, most of them ill and malnutrition. All of them are physically emaciated with a mildly hidden cry for empathy and a little help from the rest of the community.

Brook and I have tried to do something to help these children in the past but our screams have never been loud enough. Now in the summer of 2011, we worked on campus, saved some money and established a home for a few of the children in Dessie. We got them a house, food, clothing, school supplies and got them going to school with their age mates starting 9/6/11. We also hired a house help and got help from 2 other responsible adults to provide the parent figure. Our summer savings could only sustain 7 children, so we started there.  Our budget requires that we spend $385.00 each month on the children, something we are trying to reach out to the rest of the community to help with.

Our plan is to do the same thing at the beginning of 2012 in Eldoret, Kenya. Hopefully with our efforts, the respective governments and the community will view this as a tragedy worth addressing.