Training Centre for street children and youth
Guatemala City Training Centre
Life on the Streets is no life for a Child
Street children often come from extremely poor areas of Guatemala City. Most are suffering from abuse, neglect and abandonment. Once on the street, many children are coerced into gangs or forced into the sex industry. Their life expectancy is about 4 years. This is no life for a child.
Street Kids Direct is a UK based charity, whose founder, Duncan Dyason, now lives in Guatemala City, working in partnership with local organisations. Through the relationships that have been built up, Street Kids Direct has been given the opportunity to work with the Guatemalan Government and the Mayor’s Department to partner in a major redevelopment project. This will include the construction of a site that will include schools, training centres and sports.
This site will provide the base to target the hardest to reach children and young people through a new mentoring programme, designed and developed with the support of Street Kids Direct and its partners.
In order to discourage children from living on the streets, the new centre will provide a range of activities to help them understand the dangers of street life. Each child will be supported by an adult through the mentoring programme and offer positive alternatives to gang involvement or the seemingly inevitable drift towards street living. The mentoring app will also allow Street Kids Direct and other organisations to share information about the numbers of children living on the streets and seek to reduce that number year on year.
People will be trained to offer a supportive programme of mentoring tailored to meet the needs of individual children. The centre will also offer a range of sports and high-energy activities to engender health and well-being.
By providing the practical support and training the children and young people need to leave the streets, the new centre aims to help them create a new life for themselves. There will be enhanced education programmes for those who have never been to school or completed primary education. It will also provide vocational training to help young people gain employment and control over their lives. Experts will offer counselling and support to ensure a successful transition to life outside the centre.
The effectiveness of the project will be measured by the success of the young people to learn a skill and find work.
Work on the Streets
Street Kids Direct will continue to monitor the numbers of children living on the streets and will work with its partner organisations to reduce their number. A unique mapping tool app has been developed that will monitor the success of this easily and effectively.
Street Kids Direct is well aware of how important the engagement of the children is to the success of these projects. It has had many years experience of working with children and young people, providing fun and energetic activities that allow them to participate fully in the process.
Street Kids Direct would like to thank donors and keep them regularly updated via its web site, Facebook and Twitter feeds.
