Beyond economics, severe family dysfunction plays a critical role. The HIV/AIDS epidemic has created an enormous cohort of orphans and vulnerable children who lack stable care networks. Additionally, internal conflicts, civil wars, and climate change-induced displacement fracture communities, leading to mass migrations where children often lose contact with surviving relatives. Finally, the breakdown of traditional extended family support structures, coupled with rapid urbanisation that concentrates poverty into crowded slums, exacerbates the issue. These systemic failures create an environment where the street, despite its dangers, sometimes appears to be the only available survival mechanism.

Every day life on the street is a struggle for survival defined by risk, neglect, and systemic deprivation. Street children in Africa face chronic malnutrition, exposure to communicable diseases like tuberculosis and HIV/AIDS, and untreated injuries. Access to clean water, sanitation, and basic medical care is virtually non-existent. More tragically, their vulnerability makes them prime targets for various forms of exploitation. They are routinely drawn into petty crime for survival, often working as drug couriers or used for heavy labour. Sexual exploitation is rampant, particularly for young girls and boys who trade sex for food, shelter, or protection, leaving them profoundly traumatised and exposed to sexually transmitted infections. The consistent lack of safety, combined with the psychological toll of isolation and fear, creates a cycle of trauma that can permanently hinder their development and prospects for reintegration.