as under the age of 25 years who were visible on the streets, with the support and supervision of Mkombozi staff supervisors. The interviewers participated in trainings prior to the survey dates, as well as in post-survey debriefing sessions. Since literacy rates are low among these children, the interviewers read questions, presented the response options and then recorded the children's responses. Instrument A questionnaire was developed in English, then translated into Swahili and then back-translated into English with further refinements among bi-lingual members of the Mkombozi staff. The questionnaire was then pilot-tested by giving it to former street children who were in care at a residential centre to assess face validity. The questions disaggregated children living on the streets full time from those who had only partial contact with the following questions: "Do you live and sleep on the streets all of the time, both day and night?" In response to a negative reply they were asked: "Do you come to the streets during the day and return home at night?" Interviewees were also asked what activities they engaged in, and to rate the range of time spent on the street using a four point Likert-type scale. There was also a section in the survey that asked questions about school attendance. For example, "Are you a primary school student?" (yes or no), and if yes, "Are you attending daily", "Playing truant", or "Have dropped out". Lastly, possible supportive and abusive factors in family homes were assessed by inserting eight Likert-type