Abstract:
The problem of street children is one of the challenges that many developing countries are facing. However, the government of Rwanda has made remarkable efforts in solving this problem. It has initiated various programs such as returning them to families, reintegrating and rehabilitating them as well as taking them back to school. The aim of this study was to investigate driving forces that influence children to return to street life after being reintegrated in the families or rehabilitated. The study employed descriptive method using qualitative approach where interview and recordings were used to collect data from two Sectors (Nyamirambo and Kimisagara) of Nyarugenge District in Kigali city. The sample size was composed by fifty street children who return to street life after being reintegrated or rehabilitated, selected randomly in above-mentioned Sectors. The findings of this study show that boys (60%) were more visible to street life than girls (40%). The study revealed that the main factors that induce to return to street after reintegration include poverty by 30%, conflicts and parental break up (28%) and children preferences (26%). Further, the findings found that the combination of efforts including safe environment, provision of basic needs such as households and parental guidance and care for children are major tools to deal with the issue of street children. Finally, different suggestions and recommendations were highlighted in details to allow the government, local leaders, community, parents and children to be aware and handle this challenging issue.
