Children on the Streets in Mwanza: Summary of Survey Findings

Summary

In Tanzania children comprise over 50% of the total population yet many, including those on the streets, do not receive this protection. Mwanza, the second largest city in Tanzania, has a visibly increasing population of street children. To find out more about the lives of street children in Mwanza and inform local responses, children and young people on the streets were asked to participate in a survey. This took place in June 2008. 443 children and young people participated in the survey with the majority (88.7%) being full time street children; the remaining 11.3 % return home at night. The survey included children and young people of a wide age range with many more males (411) than females (32) participating in the survey.