Introduction

AIDS/HIV

In most slums in Kenya, Kayole included, HIV/AIDS is the most urgent danger facing both middle age and young people girls and boys are most vulnerable and have the highest rates of infection. The economic vulnerability of girls puts pressure on them to exchange sex for money and makes it difficult to negotiate safer sex. One of the worst consequences of HIV/AIDS deaths is an increase in the number of orphans. It is commonly assumed that children drop out of school when their parents die, whether of HIV/AIDS or another cause, yet studies in Quarry village point to HIV/AIDS infections within the household as one of the direct causes of school dropout along side poverty. Currently the number of HIV/AIDS orphans in Quarry slum stands at 12,000 and it is projected to increase to over 20,000 by 2015 (MOH/NACC 2006). Families headed by children are on the increase in Quarry, thus the impact of HIV/AIDS has been great.

Poverty and child prostitution

The poverty level in Quarry currently stands at 56%, which means that most people are living below the poverty line. The whole village is characterized by the hardship and poverty families and individuals must face. Parents must choose between sending their children to school or withdrawing them prematurely because of the costs. Child labour is sometimes seen to be imperative for family survival, and even when the imperative is absent, girls are expected to provide unpaid labour inside the house. In Quarry, many girls engage in prostitution in order to meet their needs and boys tend to work at the hawking (informal street-side or door to door sales) of small scale commodities (biscuits, sweets, second hand clothing, etc.)

Lack of Government School

In Quarry village there is one private school that charges high fees which aren't affordable by the local residents who are poor.For this reason the community members agreed to send their children to Boston Children Centre to get this fundamental need for all human beings.. The luckiest child in Quarry walks about 3 kilometers to school while others cover an approximate 5 to 10 kilometers each way.

Teenage pregnancy

According to the Kenyan domestic household survey, adolescent mothers constitute more than half (55%) of the adolescent girls in the country. Most of those girls drop out of school due to stigmatization, and although the Kenyan government has a policy allowing re-admission of girls to schools after giving birth this is still a challenge to both child mother girls and there offspring 's education since they suffer from stigmatization, ridicule and abuse from many other pupils. In most cases both girls and parents are not aware of the re-admission policy, which has not been widely disseminated in schools and communities.

Guardians negative attitudes towards educating children

Many guardians would very much like to mind their children rather than orphans left by dead couples, thus risking the chances of orphans getting education .Guardians view the education of the orphan under their care as being of little importance. In such instances orphans start to feel hopeless for their classes in relation to their commitment. The guardians will be happy to conclude that educating such a child is a waste of time and, when orphan girl loses hope the obvious and easy options for her are marriage, prostitution, pregnancy and the eventual dropping out of school before completion of her studies. While boys engage in small-scale hawking of small commodities.


	Child Labor Child labor is on the rise in Kayole especially within the adjacent Quarry farms, an area that is engaged in the mining of ballast and building stones. Both boys and girls are employed to work in these Quarry farms. On the other hand, girls face another set back by being employed as domestic workers. Most of these girls (domestic workers) are of school going age between 6 and 18 years old. Boys also engage in hawking wares during the weekends in order to earn money for fees. Boys and girls both sometimes offer sex in exchange for money.

	AIDS/HIV In most slums in Kenya, Kayole included, HIV/AIDS is the most urgent danger facing both middle age and young people girls and boys are most vulnerable and have the highest rates of infection. The economic vulnerability of girls puts pressure on them to exchange sex for money and makes it difficult to negotiate safer sex. One of the worst consequences of HIV/AIDS deaths is an increase in the number of orphans. It is commonly assumed that children drop out of school when their parents die, whether of HIV/AIDS or another cause, yet studies in Quarry village point to HIV/AIDS infections within the household as one of the direct causes of school dropout along side poverty. Currently the number of HIV/AIDS orphans in Quarry slum stands at 12,000 and it is projected to increase to over 20,000 by 2015 (MOH/NACC 2006). Families headed by children are on the increase in Quarry, thus the impact of HIV/AIDS has been great.


	Gender Division of Labor Domestic chores for girls are numerous and demanding, hence girls have little or no time to study. For instance, if there is a baby to be taken care of, it will be the girl who must do so at the expense of her education. Some parents force their daughters to carry their siblings to school.
	In Quarry village girls are burdened with housework, which includes cooking, cleaning, washing and taking care of the young ones.
	Health As do other slums in Kenya, Quarry village suffers from poor sanitation, poor housing, and immoralities, amongst other conditions. The government does not recognize this area as a part of Nairobi City and does not feel obligated to provide welfare services and other social amenities. The settlement is characterized by poor toilets/latrines, sub-standard one roomed galvanized iron sheet dwellings with little or no privacy, and general despair among the residents. Residents use a few communal toilets set along the sewage line. The village receives water three times a week from the Nairobi City Council Water Supply Unity. Most of communal toilets are in very poor condition: while some have no doors, they are also dirty and face the front of the road. girls feel embarrassed to go to these toilets and so are forced to use the school toilets, which are not sufficient to serve them all.

	Diseases such as malaria, cholera, diarrhea and dysentery are very common amongst children which results in death. Sick, injured orphans and destitute children must travel to the nearest Kayole City Council hospital, which is 5km away, for treatment. Yet the hospital is not equipped with proper medical facilities to curb and control the outbreaks that regularly occur, hence the high death rate recorded from these same outbreaks in the community.
	Poverty and child prostitution The poverty level in Quarry currently stands at 56%, which means that most people are living below the poverty line. The whole village is characterized by the hardship and poverty families and individuals must face. Parents must choose between sending their children to school or withdrawing them prematurely because of the costs. Child labour is sometimes seen to be imperative for family survival, and even when the imperative is absent, girls are expected to provide unpaid labour inside the house. In Quarry, many girls engage in prostitution in order to meet their needs and boys tend to work at the hawking (informal street-side or door to door sales) of small scale commodities (biscuits, sweets, second hand clothing, etc.)
	Lack of Government School In Quarry village there is one private school that charges high fees which aren't affordable by the local residents who are poor.For this reason the community members agreed to send their children to Boston Children Centre to get this fundamental need for all human beings.. The luckiest child in Quarry walks about 3 kilometers to school while others cover an approximate 5 to 10 kilometers each way.
	Teenage pregnancy According to the Kenyan domestic household survey, adolescent mothers constitute more than half (55%) of the adolescent girls in the country. Most of those girls drop out of school due to stigmatization, and although the Kenyan government has a policy allowing re-admission of girls to schools after giving birth this is still a challenge to both child mother girls and there offspring 's education since they suffer from stigmatization, ridicule and abuse from many other pupils. In most cases both girls and parents are not aware of the re-admission policy, which has not been widely disseminated in schools and communities.
	Guardians negative attitudes towards educating children Many guardians would very much like to mind their children rather than orphans left by dead couples, thus risking the chances of orphans getting education .Guardians view the education of the orphan under their care as being of little importance. In such instances orphans start to feel hopeless for their classes in relation to their commitment. The guardians will be happy to conclude that educating such a child is a waste of time and, when orphan girl loses hope the obvious and easy options for her are marriage, prostitution, pregnancy and the eventual dropping out of school before completion of her studies. While boys engage in small-scale hawking of small commodities.