Every child deserves a better chance in life, especially those impacted by extreme poverty. Ordinary people can make a major difference in the lives of children trapped in hopeless conditions. We rescue them from the street and provide them with a future filled with hope and purpose.
Problem: Child Abuse
Physical, emotional, and sexual abuse, as well as extreme neglect, can impair a child for life. Many children face the horrors of the street in order to escape the torments of intolerable life at home. Some children are actually abandoned by parents who cannot feed them.
Solution: Effective Programs
Street kids are survivors. They are resilient and street-smart. The annual Mundialito Callejero (Street Olympics) gives kids a chance to practice, compete, and progress. The effective “Pinch & Talk” Program enables them to overcome addiction. The Street Lights Program develops leadership through peer-mentoring.
Problem: Exploitation
To help feed their families many children work from an early age. They are deprived of the joys of childhood. Without education they remain trapped in a vicious cycle of poverty. Many are forced into prostitution or abducted to provide slave labor.
Solution: Social Outreach
Kids in shelters are special. They help each other to succeed. We support these “families” by bringing them dental volunteers to provide dental care, mentoring, and other medical and educational services. Preventive education enables kids to avoid the pitfalls of crime and prostitution.
Problem: Crime and Addiction
Teenagers and destitute children engage in risky behavior. Substance abuse leads to addiction, crime, and gang activity. This makes them vulnerable to police persecution and social ostracism.
Solution: Powerful Leadership
Ardent advocates such as Professor Arnulfo Reyes and Dr. Jose Vallejo are living heroes. They inspire adolescents and implement programs of drug detoxification and emotional rehabilitation that enable youngsters to achieve a better life.