Overview

Jitegemee, which means “sustain yourself” in Swahili (or Kiswahili), is a partnership between American volunteers and Kenyan educators who work together to address the needs of street children in Machakos, Kenya, a town about an hour outside of the capital city, Nairobi.  Jitegemee, Inc. has 501(c)3 tax-exempt status in the United States and is a registered nongovernmental organization (NGO) in Kenya.

The Challenge

Like countries across Africa, Kenya has been going through a dramatic, historic change. Its economy is transitioning from traditional subsistence farming to participation in the modern cash economy.  Rural families are increasingly losing their land and moving to city slums where they often have little means of feeding or supporting their children. The result? Today, between 250,000 to 300,000 of Kenyan children are categorized as street children and forced to fulfil their basic needs on the streets. As these street children grow older, many turn to theft and prostitution to survive and end up circling through a revolving door of childrens prisons and the street. Without some form of basic education and economic training, the future is bleak for these street children and their life expectancy terrifyingly low.

Jitegemee’s Response

Since 1996, Jitegemee has helped street children who have shown a dedication to changing their lives and learning the skills to be self-sufficient in adulthood. These young people, though not necessarily homeless, have spent the greater part of their lives in the streets:

• Some of these children are former sex workers or drug dealers who are now striving for a better life; some tried to earn money by doing small chores or begging; and others were simply idle, sniffing glue to deaden their hunger and boredom.
• Some of the children have spent time in jail or lost years to drug addiction.
• Some of the children are orphans whose parents died of AIDS, some were abandoned because they had become too much of a burden, and others fled problems in the home.
• Most of these children are the only members of their families to learn to read.
• Many used to attend formal elementary schools years ago but were forced to drop out when their relatives could not pay the fees.

Jitegemee runs a scholarship program for elementary and secondary school children and a vocational training program for youths over 14 years old. Jitegemee works to ensure these youths have a place to sleep with a relative or guardian or in a boarding facility. Jitegemee also runs a center that serves more than 150 youths with a library, lunches, a parents group and other educational services.

We work in partnership with the Kenya Adult Education Department; which provides teachers for our classrooms; Kenya’s Children’s Department, which provides guidance, referrals and advice on specific cases; and other NGOs serving vulnerable children.