This mixed-methods study, drawing on qualitative and quantitative data from all 15 counties in Liberia, examines the drivers and scale of children living in street situations through interviews with children, parents, government, UN, and civil society actors. The findings identify multidimensional poverty, family breakdown, lack of access to affordable and functional education, hunger, orphanhood and abandonment, drug abuse, teenage pregnancy, and child labor as key interconnected factors pushing children onto the streets, with additional risks including exploitation, abuse, and social exclusion. Quantitative estimates suggest hundreds of thousands of children are engaged in street-based survival activities, with significant numbers out of school, underscoring the need for comprehensive, child-centered social protection, education, and family support interventions.
