Japanese Funds Target
"Street and Working Children"
in Latin America
Support from Children's Hour in Japan is being directed at a special initiative aimed at enabling nearly 2,000 street living and street working children in Mexico and Ecuador to gain the skills and knowledge to leave their life on the streets.
Through META 2000, a model for addressing street children's needs developed by Fundacion Juconi, based in Mexico City, young people in four cities in Mexico and Ecuador are receiving a variety of services to strengthen self-esteem, adopt healthy behaviors, and develop connections with family, schools, and other social support networks. In addition to targeting children on the street, the program will work with over 600 parents or guardians to reinforce social bonds.
The program model stresses:
- Classification of children by type of street life and degree or risk
- Specialized services for different categories of children
- Connection with the family or other suitable social unit
- Strong emphasis on education and rewards for learning appropriate behaviors and norms
- Rigorous staff development
- Monitoring of children's progress against standards
- Extensive follow up with each child
Over a three-year period the program will be tested and its effects documented. Experts in child development, staff training, and evaluation will work closely with program staff to assess outcomes-such as how many children completed the full program, how many no longer live or work on the streets, how many regularly attend school, and how many are integrated into a suitable family environment. Information gathered through the grant is expected to strengthen the program's overall ability to enable young people to leave life on the streets permanently behind.
