Street children stay alive by their wits – stealing and scavenging, begging and sleeping rough in parks, shop doorways and on dumps. These children have little or no access to education, care, food, shelter and their other rights. Many are drawn into a world of drugs or the sex trade. In some areas, they are known as the ‘disponibles’ – the disposable ones. Statistics vary widely but the United Nations estimates there could be as many as 40 million children living and working on the streets of Latin America.
Toybox is a Christian charity committed to helping street living and street working children and those at risk of becoming so, principally in Latin America. Their vision is of a world where there are no street children, where families are restored, those who are disadvantaged have choices and hope and all children have a voice. Toybox currently works in Guatemala, Bolivia, and Peru; but they are actively seeking out new opportunities to help the street children in other Latin American countries.
Toybox is based on caring Christian principles but they help all children who need their support, regardless of their faith, gender, ability or background. They partner only with projects that are carried out to the highest standards of care and child protection. They facilitate the sharing of good practice and help their Latin American partner organizations to become sustainable.
Every day, Toybox reaches out to over 5,000 of these children with practical help, friendship, training, education, and homes, as appropriate. They support teams helping children at high risk and their communities – with education, training and social action. This helps prevent children becoming street children by tackling root causes.
In Guatemala City, Toybox works with the following groups:
- Niños Y Jovenes Con Futuro: working with children in high risk situations, providing educational and holistic support.
- Libre Infancia: working with children who collect rubbish and often live around the rubbish tip.
- Amor del Nino: working with children who have been abandoned and/or physically abused.
- Fundación Vida Ilimitada: working with children who have been abandoned and some that are HIV positive
- La Gran Comisión: working with abandoned babies
- Nuestros Pequeños Hermanos: working with children at risk – often from very poor families
- Asociación Rosa de Amor: working with children who have been abandoned, sexually abused and ex-street children
- Fundación Esperanza de los Niños: working with children who work on the streets
- Fundación Protectora del Niño, Casa Bernabé: working with children who have suffered from domestic violence, children from very poor families and ex-street children
- Hogar del Niño, Liga de Vida Nueva: working with children at high risk and those living in extreme poverty
- Ministerio Cristiano Mi Especial Tesoro: working with teenagers at high risk and those who have experienced domestic violence
- Ministerios Tabitha: working with children and families who work on the rubbish tip and those involved in prostitution
- Fundación Samuelito un Reto para Vivir: working with children who work on the streets and those at high risk
- El Castillo:
- Boys Homes: Jireh – Maranatha – Emmanuel
- Girls Homes: Shalom – Torre Fuerte – Salem
- El Castillo School
To learn more about Toybox, please visit their website, blog, Twitter page, or Facebook page.
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