Prevent mexican children from living in the street

In 2012, Fundacion Pro Niños de la Calle started to carry out prevention work with families, during our work with children and adolescents we noticed that some of them did not live completely in the street, but they spent a lot of time there. In their surroundings, several factors put them at a latent risk of dropping out of school, initiation of substance use, involvement with criminal groups or living on the street.

Since then, we have worked with more than 50 families, 35 in the last year. Three of the this group completed their program cycle at Pro Niños, so on November 27 we celebrated their graduation acknowledging that they now have the skills and strengths to take care of their children and offer them safe environments in which they are heard, supported and protected.

In the celebration (which was also attended by other families we are currently working with), we played, ate, socialized and reflected on the achievements that each family has built based upon their effort, as well as the things in which they still need to work to attain a home where their children can feel safe and happy.

Throughout the process with the three graduating families, we shared many experiences such as the empowerment of mothers, who were able to accept and learn to handle various situations of violence that they had experienced in their life and that affected their own well-being and that of their children. Furthermore, the support of adolescents who made such important decisions as returning to school or entering a detoxification center for the treatment of addictions.

Now these families have become strong, they can move forward with their children, and they do not need the assistance of Pro Niños. They have been able to improve their living conditions, develop skills and create networks of support in their surroundings to face the difficulties of daily life and support their children in their development, without the street being an option of life for them.