Children are generally believed to be the future of any nation and their proper development is of significance to a healthy nation. However the situation of our street children in Zambia is a source of concern as numbers of unsupervised children taking to the streets seem to continuously grow. The trend on the major streets of Lusaka has seen increasing numbers of children leading visually impaired parents begging for alms, children cleaning cars for alms and those literally begging for alms and left over food. Such a saddening phenomenon is worth researching about as the youngest children are ranging from five to six years in age. The diet of these children is of great concern here. They eat anything they can lay their hands on as long as it is food without proper guidance from responsible adults. These children are supposed to be at home or in school and eating healthy to keep them away from the streets. This paper uses an exploratory approach to inductively explain the case of children’s health and nutrition on their Education. Specific focus is on the Street Kids as children that should not be left behind. Qualitative research methodologies will be employed to collect in-depth data that will then be analysed thematically.
Table of Contents
1. Introduction
2. The nutrition of the Disadvantaged Children on/of the Street and its implications
3. Methodology
4. Data Discussion and analysis
4.1 Food
4.2 School
4.3 My friends
4.4 Home
5. Summary
6. The recommendations
Research Objectives & Themes
This study explores the implications of health and nutrition on the education of street children in Lusaka, Zambia, aiming to highlight the urgent need for inclusive social support systems. The research investigates the lived realities of these children to understand how their daily struggles and lack of access to fundamental care impact their development and educational potential, advocating that no child should be left behind regardless of their circumstances.
- The impact of poor diet and malnutrition on the cognitive and physical development of street children.
- The role of the "ecological framework" in understanding the disconnection between street children and their societal support structures.
- The influence of street life on the children’s perceptions of formal education and career aspirations.
- The necessity for government and academic collaboration to develop sustainable, welfare-based interventions for disadvantaged youth.
Excerpt from the Book
Food
The DCS whom I got to call ‘banzanga’ had so much to say on the issue of food. All the children insisted that hunger was one of the reasons they were on the street. They insisted that there was hunger at home and they could not remain there and die. The four who lived on the streets had further reasons. Two of them were double orphans and the relatives could not take care of them hence opted for the streets. Food was not fairy distributed at home and complaints of food finishing because of their presence were not good enough for them as observed by Smart:
It is not easy to be taken care of. Relatives can be difficult complaining about their food all the time. Their food is good for their children and as for me I was not their obligation to feed. It looked like I was the cause of my parent’s death so I can live with and inconvenience them. So you see eating their food made me guilty [Smart].
Me, I was told to go look for my father’s relatives to provide the food. Most of the time, I was the messenger and while I was away their children eat. I slept hungry for some days then I met Smart and things changed (looking at Smart who is smiling and nodding his head and intercepted ‘nimunzanga uyu’ (this one is my friend). Okay Smart, it is Bright’s time, I interjected. Bright continues; He helped me find food. He smiles, so I left home [Bright].
The provision of food is not readily available and surety of the provisions is not guaranteed on the street but the DCS seemed to enjoy the whole activity of sourcing for food as noted below:
We do not know where the food comes from. We all work for it. Begging hard to earn it, I mean making sure we try and try to persuade the people to give even what they are eating because it is food for us. It does not matter it is food. We do not mind at all and we share the food but we make sure everyone works and contribute or we stay without food [Black].
Summary of Chapters
1. Introduction: This chapter introduces the growing concern of unsupervised street children in Zambia and presents the core research objective regarding the link between children's health, nutrition, and their education.
2. The nutrition of the Disadvantaged Children on/of the Street and its implications: This section examines the physiological and development consequences of malnutrition for street children, utilizing an ecological framework to demonstrate the fragmentation of their support systems.
3. Methodology: This chapter outlines the qualitative, exploratory research design and the purposive sampling of six street children to collect in-depth data through interviews, observations, and transect walks.
4. Data Discussion and analysis: This chapter presents the empirical findings categorized into four key themes: food sourcing, experiences with school, the formation of peer-support networks, and the meaning of "home" for children on the streets.
5. Summary: This section synthesizes the research findings, confirming that poor health and lack of nutritional stability significantly impede the children's ability to learn and integrate into society.
6. The recommendations: This chapter suggests actionable strategies for the government and universities to establish welfare systems that prioritize the children's rights and provide access to education through inclusive, non-draconian approaches.
Keywords
Disadvantaged Children of the street, Disadvantaged Children on the street, nutrition, health, education, streetism, Zambia, qualitative research, ecological framework, child development, social welfare, malnutrition, poverty, social exclusion, street children.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the primary focus of this research?
The research focuses on the implications of health and nutritional status on the education of street children in Lusaka, Zambia, advocating for their inclusion in societal support systems.
What are the central themes explored in the paper?
The key themes include the nutritional deficiency of street children, the fragmentation of their family and support environments, their barriers to formal education, and their survival strategies on the street.
What is the main goal or research question?
The study aims to understand how health and nutrition impact the education of street children and to argue that their status should not be an excuse to exclude them from the national education agenda.
Which research methodology is employed?
The author uses a qualitative, exploratory approach, including one-to-one interviews, observation schedules, and transect walks to collect in-depth data from the participants.
What is covered in the main body of the paper?
The main body discusses the ecological framework of the children's lives, analyzes their dietary habits, their perspectives on the utility of school, and their reliance on peer-created family structures.
What are the defining keywords of the study?
The study is characterized by terms such as Disadvantaged Children on/of the Street, nutrition, health, education, ecological framework, and social welfare.
Why does the author prefer the term 'Disadvantaged Children on/of the Street'?
The author argues that the term 'Street Kids' is stigmatizing and creates a false perception that the 'street' acts as a custodian or parent to the children.
How do the children perceive school?
While the children express a desire to be educated, they perceive school as irrelevant or inaccessible due to their hunger, lack of hygiene, and feeling of not being accepted by society.
What is the specific role of the ecological model in this study?
The model is used to demonstrate how the fragmentation of the children's 'microsystem' (family, school, health services) forces them to create their own values and survival norms that often deviate from societal standards.
- Quote paper
- Christine Phiri Mushibwe (Author), 2014, The Implications of Children's Health and Nutrition on Their Education. A Focus on Street Kids, Munich, GRIN Verlag, https://www.grin.com/document/285246
