The unemployment rate in Kenya is more than 40% and more than 40% of the Kenyan population lives below the national poverty level. Kenya is also one of the most HIV affected countries in the world, with an estimated 1.6 million people currently affected by the disease and many tens of thousands of new cases reported each year.

With approximately 36,000 AIDS related deaths yearly, many children in Kenya have lost at least one parent to AIDS. Of the 2.6 million orphaned children in Kenya, close to 1 million, nearly 40% of all orphans, lost their parents to HIV/AIDS.

The cost of sending a child to school is beyond the reach of many people. Without an education and with no prospect for a job, youths end up out on the streets where they are vulnerable to radicalization, trafficking, exploitation, gangs, drugs and diseases.