Publication Date
2024
Document Type
Article
Abstract
There are millions of street-connected children worldwide, with thousands estimated in Kenya. Many child-serving organizations - including Agape Children’s Ministry (Agape) in western Kenya - provide rehabilitation and family reintegration services to remove children from the streets and reunite them with their families. This study aims to elucidate barriers and facilitators of Agape’s Family Strengthening Program (FSP) and elicit feedback. Twelve children and 12 caregivers who participated in the FSP, as well as 11 Agape staff, participated in semi-structured, in-depth interviews for this study. Salient child/caregiver themes include: (1) spirituality/religion, (2) reflections on the FSP, (3) reflections on Agape, and (4) family functioning. Staff themes were similar. Results amplify the voices of the participants regarding provision of and participation in the FSP.
Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 4.0 License.
Recommended Citation
Greeson, J. K. P., Gyourko, J. R., Wasch, S., & Page, C. (2024). “The program encourages us not to have a heavy heart”: A qualitative study of family strengthening programs in Kenya. Vulnerable Children and Youth Studies, 19(2), 321-342. https://doi.org/10.1080/17450128.2024.2326435
