By Joseph Amiri | Project Leader
As the staff and families of Fundación Junto con los Niños (JUCONI) have just recently celebrated the Carnaval season, we are excited to move forward with our work done here in Guayaquil to prevent child labor and end interfamily violence.
Your continued support has helped JUCONI continue the therapeutic work that has reached more than 90 families in the northern communities of Guayaquil in 2014. Right now JUCONI has 30 families in the control segment of our newest remedial work with 30 separate families in the investigation portion of the project. In addition to therapy based work with 10 trained psychology specialists, we have continued our community based work with both our sports and art club.
JUCONI has worked with over 100 kids within the communities by using soccer to teach values such as teamwork and cooperation. Soccer, being the most popular sport in Ecuador, is a great way to reach the youth and include everyone in the communities. Each weekly soccer club includes a lesson regarding healthy choices and important values. On a sweltering day in February JUCONI hosted the first soccer tournament that included all youth from Socio Vivienda, where the majority of JUCONI families live. The tournament was held to coincide with school vacations so that children could continue to spend time within the community rather than the streets. Over 70 boys and girls participated in the soccer tournament and each team walked away victoriously with new soccer balls, healthy snacks, and certificates to prove that they too are against child labor.
Soccer will always be a great way to engage the youth of Guayaquil, and we have had so much fun and success by including exercises to promote healthy living and self-reflection each week. Our weekly soccer clubs will continue with a renewed enthusiasm as we plan to set up more tournaments that allow for kids to play against youth from neighboring communities. While the new soccer season has just begun for the national cup of Ecuador, the new season is already underway for JUCONI and the communities we work alongside. We are excited to see what is in store for us and are so grateful for your continued support.
Thank you for your continued investment in our mission for a Guayaquil without child labor or interfamily violence.
Sincerely,
Joseph Amiri
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