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Different services – ranging from group homes to outreach on the street – exist for street children. Run by private organizations, religious groups, and government agencies, these groups take varying routes to alleviate the problems of street children and eliminate the problem of street children. Click on the titles to find descriptions of the various services:
For an extensive list of local, national, and international organizations that work with street children throughout Latin America, please visit Shine a Light at http://www.shinealight.org.
Volunteer Opportunities General Information Applications Notes From the Field
Group homes, often run by non-governmental organizations and religious organizations, seek to house at-risk and homeless children on a long term basis. They provide food, shelter, and an education and/or vocational training. The children found in group homes may or may not have lived on the street. Some children arrive in the homes in order to prevent them from resorting to living on the street. The homes may be tailored towards specific groups of at risk youth; some provide drug rehabilitation, others seek to assist pregnant adolescents, and many are more general in the population they house distinguishing only on the basis of gender and age.
The staff and volunteers in the homes work with the youths to rehabilitate them. Whenever possible, the organizations work with the children’s families to ultimately reinsert the child in their home or in the home of a relative. Providing the children with an education and vocational training, the goal is that they will ultimately graduate from the home and support themselves.
The transition from living on the streets to living in a home is harsh, and some street children are unable to adapt. Furthermore, adolescents over the age of 15 are occasionally unable to enter a group home as the organizations feel that there is not enough time to effectively rehabilitate them before they become legal adults. Other at-risk youth are not homeless, but spend much of their time on the street. For these groups, drop-in centers exist. The centers provide a safe place for adolescents to talk with staff and volunteers, eat, shower, and learn how to reduce their risks.
Striving to reduce the morbidity and mortality amongst street children, many organizations have taken to educating children on how to improve their situation and reduce their risks. Some organizations have regular meetings with youths on the street, organizing sports events or a free meal. Others seek out the children in their regular hangouts. The goal is to gain the trust of the kids on the street, provide them with someone they can talk with, educate them on how to take care of themselves, and eventually assist them in leaving of the streets.
Some organizations provide scholarships so that students might continue with their education, others provide basic health services – tending to injuries, educating about STD and pregnancy prevention, and assisting youths in finding necessary medical care. Many outreach programs are linked with group homes and drop-in centers, providing a continuity of services.