Kenya

The situation of children in Kenya’s refugee camps is concerning. According to UNHCR, more than half of the refugee and asylum-seeker population in Kenya are children. These children are at a heightened risk of abuse, neglect, violence, and all forms of exploitation. They may also have witnessed or experienced violent acts and/or been separated from their families.

In addition, many children in Kenya’s refugee camps face challenges such as:

  • Malnutrition: Malnutrition rates among children in Kenya’s refugee camps are alarmingly high. In 2022, Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) reported that the number of children treated for malnutrition in its health facility in Dagahaley, a camp in the Dadaab refugee complex, had increased by 33% in the past year.
  • Lack of access to education: Not all children in Kenya’s refugee camps have access to education. In 2023, UNICEF estimated that only 63% of refugee children in Kenya were enrolled in primary school.
  • Lack of access to healthcare: Children in Kenya’s refugee camps also face challenges in accessing healthcare. In 2023, the World Health Organization (WHO) estimated that only 61% of refugees in Kenya had access to essential health services.
  • Lack of access to safe water and sanitation: Children in Kenya’s refugee camps are also at risk of waterborne diseases due to lack of access to safe water and sanitation. In 2023, UNICEF estimated that only 58% of refugees in Kenya had access to safe drinking water and 54% had access to adequate sanitation facilities.

Despite the challenges they face, children in Kenya’s refugee camps are resilient and resourceful. They are eager to learn and grow, and they dream of a better future for themselves and their families.

There are a number of organizations working to support children in Kenya’s refugee camps, including UNHCR, UNICEF, MSF, and the World Food Programme (WFP). These organizations are providing children with access to food, water, healthcare, education, and child protection services. However, more needs to be done to meet the needs of children in Kenya’s refugee camps.

Every child, child has the right to live free from violence, exploitation and abuse.

Children experience insidious forms of violence, exploitation and abuse. It happens in refugee camps, and in the places children should be most protected – their homes, schools and online.