What was the defining moment that led you to this innovation?
Six out of ten children and teenagers living on the street sleep on the street due to the insufficiency of foster homes and programs that motivate this group to get closer to centers that can provide them with human development alternatives. Almost all fathers and mother and most brothers of children and teenagers living on the streets are incorporated to the labor universe forced by the low income they earn. Thus, most members of the family are absorbed by the struggle for survival mainly concentrate on service activities and abandon their families and the guiding and socializing role which is fundamental for children development.
At the same time, almost all children and teenagers living on the street take some drug or have some kind of hereditary influence due to family consumption, both in the case of women and men, and in all age groups. As time goes by, this consumption on the streets is increasing both in terms of quantity and variety and it is creating an ever increasing dependency, increasing the addiction with the age of the individual, and in face of this institutional actions are insufficient top generate effective process of detoxication and detachment from drugs in the frame of an integral self improvement approach for children and teenagers living on the streets.
It is enough to walk along the streets of our city to see the number of begging children, wandering the streets, living in the canal; that is why Tahuichi Football Academy designed this program to help children to voluntarily live in foster houses, supplementing their education with our integral development program, by attracting them with what they like most, football.
In an environment where basic services, education and labor market are deficient, the participation of social inclusion activities, integral education and leadership activities do not exist or are not give the appropriate attention. In face of the reality of thee children and teenagers living on the streets, social sport is a very useful tool that bring children closer to opportunities and learning experiences with a methodology approach that generates no rejection, strengthening individual possibilities and introducing the individual into a team work and the society. Access to sport is seek as an alternative education method that generates development capacities in these teenagers and children, strengthening their self esteem, contributing with positive values that collaborate with the creation of a fair and supportive society based on respect for one another.
Tell us about the social innovator behind this idea.
The Project was an initiative raised by the Center for Participation and Sustainable Human Development [Centro para la Participación y el Desarrollo Humano Sostenible (CEPAD)] its general director Barbery Knaudt was the visionary who relied on the practical experience of the Tahuichi Aguilera Football academy and the inter institutional cooperation agreement celebrated between both parties. By means of this partnership we managed to strengthen the work with children living on the streets by using Red Plataforma, a coordination instance with foster homes in the program. Please learn more about its biography in the following link:
http://www.cepad.org/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=3&Item...
How did you first hear about Changemakers?
If through another, please provide the name of the organization or company
