“I was so happy to go to school with my brother. We had never been to school. It felt overwhelming to be in a school uniform.”
born on the streets
Nine-year-old Akeyo (pictured above) lives in Nairobi with her mother, stepfather and two younger siblings. Born on the streets of Eastleigh, Akeyo’s earliest memories are of begging for money to help her mother afford food and shelter. Her mother was just 12 years old when she lost her parents and fled abuse from relatives in her home village. With nowhere to go, she found herself living on the streets in Nairobi. At 13, she gave birth to Akeyo.
Akeyo, now nine, began begging from an early age. She shares, "I used to beg on the streets from when I was a small child. I would borrow money from passers-by so that we could buy food. If we got good money, we could pay for a room to sleep during cold days."
For several years, begging was their full-time occupation. Akeyo, her mother, and later her two younger siblings would spend long days approaching passers-by. Sometimes her mother joined them, other times they went to different areas and met later to pool together what they had earned.
“I would beg until very late at night when the streets were quiet. I would normally get between 600-800 (£3.50- £4.64) per day. Fridays were good days for begging. The worshippers who come to the mosque are always generous. That’s where you could get a lot of money in a short time."
To increase their earnings, Akeyo would bring her younger siblings along. “When a passerby saw me carrying my siblings, and we told them we were hungry, they bought us food or gave us bigger amounts of money."
Pictured below: Akeyo with her mother and siblings.
a turning point
Life began to change when Toybox local partner PKL first met Akeyo in 2024. A member of the team shared,
"I began working with Akeyo in April 2024 and since then, she has shown significant growth in both her attitude and behaviour. Akeyo was confident from the start, but she initially struggled with her temper and often got into conflicts with other children during sessions.
Along with her two siblings, she used to beg in the streets of Eastleigh until as late as 10 p.m. However, over time, she has made notable progress in managing her anger, building positive relationships, and cooperating with others. She has also become more proactive in reporting cases of abuse she witnesses around her. Akeyo’s willingness to join Grade 1, despite her age, (2 years late) is a clear reflection of her determination to transform her life and that of her family."
starting school
Last year, Akeyo joined school for the first time, alongside her younger brother. Because of her age and the fact that she was starting school late, special arrangements were made with her teacher to support her learning. "I was so happy to go to school with my brother. We had never been to school. It felt overwhelming to be in a school uniform.”
Every day, Akeyo wakes up at 6 a.m. to prepare for school. Being the oldest in her class has not stopped her from focusing on her education. Despite being in school for only one term, she was proud of her first-ever exam result. She shares, “I scored 88 marks out of 230, I feel I tried.”
She also shares her determination to improve her skills, "I want to be better at reading and writing."
Pictured below: Akeyo (far right) on her first day at school.
daily challenges
Despite this progress, challenges still remain. During follow-up visits by the project staff, it was found that Akeyo sometimes returns to begging after school. "There were times when we went to school without having breakfast. Sometimes supper is not enough, so after school I sometimes I go to beg in the evening so that we can have money for breakfast in the morning. It's hard to concentrate in school when you are hungry."
Her mother’s lack of a National Identity Card and a phone makes it difficult to access basic employment, or other services for the family. “Because my mother has no ID, we cannot be registered for Dishi na County (government subsidised lunch programme) at school. But there are good classmates who share their food with us.”
Akeyo's stepfather works as a porter in Eastleigh’s shopping malls, but due to the high cost of living there's a lot of competition for work and earnings are low. “Dad’s work is very hard, and he doesn’t make a lot of money, so sometimes he stays at home.”
learning, growning and speaking out
Outside of school, Akeyo enjoys spending time with her friends, drawing and playing kora (a traditional game using small stones) near their home.
Through regular child rights sessions at the project, Akeyo has learned how to protect herself and others - skills that have become vital in her daily life. She shares, "I like attending the project becasues I have learnt how to protect myself and my friends from bad people. There are many bad people in this area who harm small children. I always tell smaller children they shouldn’t follow strangers. One day a man asked two of my friends to follow him so he could give them sweets."
Akeyo concludes with sharing her hopes for the future. “I want to be a soldier to protect my country from enemies. I also want to move my family to a better house and environment – like the beautiful ones we see on TV. "
Pictured below: Akeyo during a project activity.
