CHURCH RESPONSE TO HOUSEHOLD FACTORS CAUSING AN INCREASE TO STREET CHILDREN: A CASE OF AFRICA INLAND CHURCH MACHAKOS TOWN, KENYA
Ndolo A. Sila - St. Paul’s University, Limuru, Kenya
Nason B. Vundi - Lecturer, St. Paul’s University, Limuru, Kenya
Odek A. - Lecturer, St. Pauls University, Limuru, Kenya
ABSTRACT
This paper investigates the church’s response to household factors causing an increase to street children, case of Africa Inland Church (AIC) Machakos County, Kenya. The phenomenon of the street-connected children has become a great concern to different churches, from different denominations. The objective of this study was to evaluate the AIC church’s response to the household factors that cause an increase in street-connected children in Machakos town, Kenya. This study took descriptive survey research design. In this study the target population was 380 respondents which included 190 street-connected children in the streets of Machakos town, 40 AIC Church pastors and 150 from the rehabilitation centre within Machakos town. The pilot study was done in Tala town, Machakos County to test the validity and reliability of the study tools before the actual research. Quantitatively, the responses were coded into the SPSS program and analyzed; they were presented using percentages, bars, tables and pie-charts. On the total target population of the study, only 30% were included in the actual study. Stratified random sampling was used to select the respondents from their respective strata where the sample size was derived randomly in which every third element was picked at random. This study concluded that the AIC Churches were doing very little in the response to the household factors causing an increase in street-connected children in Machakos town. Therefore this study recommends that the AIC Church should address with seriousness the cause of poverty, illiteracy, domestic violence and HIV/AIDS contributing to the increase in street children by providing some family related economic assistance, training, teaching and counselling through seminars, workshops and conferences with the aim of ensuring children stay at home.
