In response to increasing numbers of vulnerable children and heightened demands on girls in care-giving roles in Kenya, this collaboration develops and strengthens the research capacity of university faculty, NGO professionals, and community leaders working with vulnerable children in Nairobi and Eldoret, Kenya, through the establishment of an innovative University-NGO Coalition-Building Initiative (UNCBI). 

Specifically, the program is creating two Kenyan research-training institutes and developing joint university-NGO coalitions of social science researchers and practitioners to respond to the health and social needs of street-living and vulnerable children. 

As a result of the UNCBI training institutes, university faculty and NGOs in Nairobi and Eldoret are developing skills to offer peer trainings in their respective cities, form a university-NGO coalition, and implement a community response plan to effectively intervene with vulnerable populations at a local level.