San Salvador city, where Toybox works in El Salvador, is very violent. There are many gangs that undertake criminal activity without any respect of life. Children are recruited and used for their purposes so street children and children at risk of becoming street children are very vulnerable. Street children have been through dreadful circumstances before arriving on the streets and this gang activity is therefore extremely damaging.
Toybox Ambassadors, who many donors to Toybox sponsor, are children elected by the children in their projects, to represent them. These children, as well as being sponsored, benefit from training workshops where they learn about speaking out for their rights and good treatment of children. These Ambassadors go back to their projects where they have workshops with the other children in their projects to pass on what they have learnt. The ‘Good Treatment’ Campaign is run by “Red Alert San Salvador” and these Ambassadors have now ‘vaccinated’ many adults AGAINST bad treatment of children. They go out into poor communities and speak with adults about good treatment of children and then give them a certificate … vaccinating them. Children benefiting from Red Alert San Salvador have been very busy with this. In fact El Salvador TV gave 6 advertising slots per day for several months together with Radio to support this campaign. If you wish to consider sponsoring an Ambassador who represents a project please go to the Toybox website. Sponsorship of an Ambassador supports the overall work in the Red Alert country you chose.
Red Alert San Salvador is also recognised by the Government giving Red Alert a voice at government level. The Government orphanage is developing a relationship and trust with Red Alert.
Projecto Moises
We visited Projecto Moises which is held in two stalls in a huge covered market. Children in the market are working there and therefore vulnerable to abduction and abuse. Some are not going to school but working all day here. Juan, the project leader, is an inspiration, with a huge amount of energy at the age of 79 years old, and full of love, which he delivers unconditionally to these children. Even local street children join in. He clearly communicates Jesus to them and helps them with life skills, application and purpose. Juan has benefited from training workshops from Red Alert in Child Protection and Well Being. He has also received grants for desks and materials he really needed to work with these children. It is so special to see the impact on this amazing work that Toybox contributions have made, thanks to God and the conviction He placed on donors hearts.
Hogar Delories Medina
Hogar Delores Medina is run by Maria who opened her home up as a residential project for street children, as they left the streets, 11 years ago. During that time she has received just over 100 street children. Of these 70 have returned to their families or have independent good lives. Sadly some of the 30 returned to the street and some have been killed. Maria remains positive and very grateful to God. Whilst we were there two former resident boys called in (ages 17 & 18), both very smart with their waxed hair and trendy clothes. They are a great encouragement to the boys living there as those there now can see what they could become in time. Maria loves to see her former boys and encourages them to visit. They are also great role models to the boys in the project … we could not agree more. They were two great boys/young men with wonderful faiths who clearly the present boys were pleased to see. Three very enthusiastic boys showed us around a self-built hydroponics vegetable garden. They grow all their own vegetables and sell some too that helps fund the project. Maria is an amazing lady who selflessly helps these boys. God has, and is, using her in an amazing way …. The boys love her. Maria is very grateful for the support she has from Red Alert including support from psychologists and opportunity to receive training to improve what she does. She gratefully showed us a new cooker and fridge, which have been bought with Toybox grants.
Jehova es mi Pasto
Jehova es mi Pastor Church runs a project which is in an extremely poor community, where there are many children at high risk of becoming street children. Many of the children either do not go to school but to work, or do go to school, but in both cases, without breakfast. This project has the children in two shifts Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays, and all 70 are at the project all day Saturday when they always receive either a cooked breakfast or lunch or both on Saturdays. This is a great preventative project that has benefited from grants for tables, chairs and a cooker together with child protection training. A very grateful group of children sang and made speeches of thanks.
Fundacion Amor
Fundacion Amor works with 75 children from extremely difficult backgrounds and abandoned children, many of whom need support to live their lives at home or in the residential part of the project. They are given educational reinforcement and school is encouraged and arranged when they are not going to school. Spiritual support, psychological support and games are also part of the programme. They also receive children that have been in gangs and help them. A particularly difficult group. School is operated for children in 3 shifts – morning, afternoon and evening. With school, the children tend to come in two shifts AM and PM so they either have breakfast or lunch though some have both!! This is yet another amazing project that is totally committed to children and doing amazing things and we are sure is preventing many vulnerable children from potential street life. San Salvador feels edgy and dangerous. There are many street working children for which this type of preventative work is vitally important.
Our final night produced a real challenge for us. Red Alert coordinates many street-work projects and we went with a group/project from an Assemblies of God Church. This group is very committed and Toybox is privileged to support them. They included Debbie and I as we spoke with and prayed for an extremely broken group of 20-25 street children. The work involved promoting a purpose for, and a desire to change, their lives as a Street Child has to decide for him or herself to come off the streets (if just taken off and into a home they usually just run away to the streets again as they have not taken the decision for themselves or learnt to trust adults beforehand) We met three children who Becky (our daughter) met when she came to El Salvador with Adrian and Bridget Plass photographing a year ago. We sent some pictures to her not knowing this. Becky recognised 3 that were still on the streets (5 of this group have come off the streets in the last 6 weeks). Please see her blog that reflects her comments about this.
We found, as always, the thought of leaving children like these for even one more night on the street a deep personal challenge. We pray that the Toybox vision will be fulfilled of a world with NO Street Children.
Gracias Senor que podemos jugar un pequeno papel en la vida de estos ninos. Gracias Senor por el apoyo Toybox recibe lo que hace una gran diferencia a lasque puede. Amen
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