Life skills in adolescents to face violence

For Roberto, the word "survival" recalls a difficult stage in his story. At age 16, he encountered the struggle with addiction issues amidst the harshness of the street environment, and “survive” was the only thing he could do for a long time. Despite the adversities of those days, he made one of the most important decisions in his life: to leave the street.

His first home was an assistance house, where he had food and shelter, but after a while he realized that this was not enough; that he had to go one step further, and thus, with help from the caretakers of that house, he approached Fundación Pro Niños.

After a first contact stage, Roberto established a stronger link with the Foundation and received the invitation to join our residential program "House of Transition to Independent Living" (CTVI), a space where adolescents and young adults, with support from trained educators, prepare themselves for an autonomous life.

Today, at age 21, on the one hand Roberto feels more sure of himself, and on the other, he feels he is part of a family. He has managed to overcome his addictions, control his emotions and improve communication with the people around him. He resumed his high school studies and has managed to secure a formal job.

Roberto's plan for the future is to study law and become a lawyer. He tells us that he thinks that would be the best way to help others who, like himself, look for an opportunity to get ahead. The message he sends to other youngsters in a vulnerable situation is: "You can definitely leave the street if you are determined to."

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