“Here they told us, ‘If your family finds out you ran away and one day when you are grown they see you stealing, what will they say? That you’re a professional thief now? Stay here and study and when you are grown you can show your mom and dad you left the streets. You can show them your diploma and tell them you graduated. That’s what you can tell them!’ I had never thought about that before. That really motivated me to stick with it.â€
– Lucho, 14

Street Outreach

The best way to connect with children on the streets is to get out on the streets with them. Through our street outreach program, we meet children where they are. We provide a variety of services with the ultimate goal of helping children transition off of the streets and into a more stable, healthy, and appropriate environment.

Street visits

Our street outreach team, made up of staff members and volunteers, walks the streets regularly between 9pm and 2am when children are most vulnerable and available. Team members spend time with the children they encounter and build relationships with them over time. Through these informal visits, the street outreach team provides basic medical care, crisis counseling, social support, health education, food and clothing, and a listening ear. Engaging with street outreach workers is generally the first step in a child's transition off of the streets.

Special events and activities

Throughout the year, the street outreach team organizes special events and activities for children living on the streets. These include soccer games and tournaments, complete medical exams, Christmas in July (when we distribute warm clothing and blankets, just as Bolivia enters its winter season), and our annual Christmas dinner. Ultimately, these activities are simply other ways we try to communicate to children that they are valued and worthy.

Training and advocacy

Children on the streets inevitably interact with various community organizations - like hospitals, justice departments, and churches. Our street outreach team provides training workshops to help these entities better understand the unique needs of street children and how to best respect and protect the rights of these children.

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