The phenomenon of street children has become a focal point of the media and in academic research in recent years. It is a continuing issue and has been accepted by the international community as a serious global problem. A large amount of research has been done related to street children, however, research related to the identity and self concept2 of street children has been relatively neglected. Hawk (1967) describes that it is very difficult for someone who has not been disadvantaged himself to see the world in the eyes of a disadvantaged child as they do not come from the same context or background. Therefore, in order to understand the lives of street children it was vital that, instead of imposing theory, a methodology which allows the children to speak about their lives was used.

Ennew and Swart-Kruger (2003) describe how paradigms in both the understanding and in the definitions of street children are currently shifting with the recognition that there is not a typical street child. The new opinion is that children are not just victims or problems but rather that they are interacting with a variety of environments where the children have the power to actively construct their own worlds. For this study, the voices of this poorly understood group in West Africa, the Talibé street children, were explored. Broadly following the structure of Ovaska (2005) and Kealy (2012), an initial set of concepts were generated from a preliminary review of the literature. As this was specifically an exploration of the voices of a largely unheard vulnerable population a deep review of literature was avoided as it may have prejudiced the data gathered. Using Grounded Theory, this body of research investigated the self concept of Talibé street children3 in the West African Country, Senegal and concluded with recommendations on how to improve the situation for these children.

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2 Self concept is defined by many authors, including Bem and Allen 1974; Butterworth 1992; Wakslak, et al. 2008, as set of self-identities and self-schemas that, together, form the person we perceive ourselves to be. 3 In Senegalese society, Talibé children are children who attend a Quranic school (a daara) which is run by a religious leader (Marabout). For the purpose of this study Talibé street children will be any children who are in a daara or were in a daara for a period of time but now find themselves on the street.