Doris Sabina Wako 36, is an Administration Police officer, stationed in Busia county. The mother of five caught the public attention from her generosity towards street children.
Police officers are usually associated with a lot of negativity. Mainstream media occasionally highlights some positive actions done by the police, but these are a drop in the ocean compared to the negative things we associate them with. This is the reason we highlighted this story. She regularly feeds 63 street children and is a mother figure to them.
In 2003, the government set up the Street Families Rehabilitation Trust Fund (SIRTF), a corporate body that was meant to coordinate rehabilitation efforts for street children. Currently, they are carrying out a census to know the exact numbers of street families. According to an article on the Kenya News Agency, the government plans to set up County Chapters of SIRTF’s in all the 47 Counties to synergize efforts of street families rehabilitation programmes being undertaken by different players at the county level.
Dorris has decided to do the little she can with her Administration Police salary. She has set up a website to appeal to the society’s goodwill, to join her in this worthy cause. Her tagline is “street kids are human beings too”.
Through her selfless act, she has developed a rapport with street children in Busia, who expect her to show up every evening to feed them. Though society considers them criminals and often considered a security risk, “they are just children in need of opportunities.” She says that the street children face challenges like lack of parental love, care, guidance, failure to get a formal education and lack of basic needs, which can make them be better people in the society.
Her dream is to get enough donors to help build a proper home and school for these kids. Even though the government’s role is to come up with programs of rehabilitation for street families, she has decided to play her part in being a mother to these children. She wants you to join her in this noble cause.