Helping Families Break Cycles of Violence

"GET UP ALREADY!" A door slams shut as Karla leaves her 3 young children at home to sell grilled plantains on the street for those passerbys that have a craving, like she has done for the past 15 years. She has to be at her location every day as early as possible so that other vendors are unable to take over her post. Karla is a street vendor and cannot afford to lose any customers, there is already not enough money to provide basic necessities for her and her three children. Her spouse has long since left and has not communicated with them in over 8 years.

Cindy wakes up jarringly every morning along with her 2 brothers, Santiago and Juan to prepare for the day. Cindy and Juan still go to school but Santiago, the eldest, has been expelled from both schools for violent behavior and currently has no motivation to continue. Karla says she is too tired and too busy to convince him otherwise. The younger siblings prepare themselves for school if they feel inclined to go, no one will be around to ensure they actually do go. Juan struggles with listening in class and obeying directives from the teacher while Wendy has also been reported to have violent tendencies with her classmates and shows extreme discomfort with positive interaction. After school Cindy goes off to the bustling parts of the city in order to clean car windows for stopped cars at redlights. Cindy often goes alone and will work 6-7 hours in the evening to earn money to take home to her mother and brothers. Ronaldo also brings home money for the family but not from washing windows as Cindy does. People are not as compassionate to tall, teenage boys as they are to young, sweet looking girls and feel more inclined to want to "help" the young girl with the spare change that they have. Santiago realized this a long time ago and has since passed on that job to his younger sister. And Karla? Well Karla started working at a much younger age than her children and thus feels that this is what children do, they work to help the family. This life is much better than hers was when she was a child, she did not even go to school, so this is progress.

The situation of Cindy and her family is, unfortunately, not unique. Their story is part of a pattern for many who have grown to believe that this is what is to be expected. Life is tough for them and they are tough in return. Many have recognized that this lifestyle is not what a parent would desire for their children so they begin to take steps to heal and change the cycle in which they have been born into. This step, however, does not come as easily for some as it does for others. However, progress is present, we can see it. Karla wants her children to have a better life and knows that things must change in order for this to happen. We want Karla and her children to have a better life too and we are taking steps to help them succeed.

Intervention on a community level with family psychologists and child psychologists is only possible because of the support of specialized individuals and foundations who provide the funds to help children and families discover healthy coping skills and the donations to provide emotional support to families that may not have had before. One family could receive 20 weekly therapy sessions over topics that focus on the specific needs of that particular family for $240.

JUCONI has helped over 5,000 children and their families in the past 30 years to reduce children working in the streets and to alter the cycle of violence in their homes

While we have psychologists working with many families throughout the communities we work in, our dream is to have an even greater number of families and children receving visits from psychologists to increase stability as a whole, not just for some.

Here at JUCONI we hope to continue this valuable work and with your help we can!