PROJECTS

Working in Partnership

Our current strategy is to work in partnership with local civil society organisations in Sub-Saharan Africa and Asia which build the self-esteem of children and young people living at the margins of society. We currently support 6 small programmes of work in:

• Cambodia
• Kenya
• India
• Sri Lanka
• Tanzania
• Uganda

We intend to build the capacity of these current partners before developing new partnerships.

Giving Back their Childhood

We support partners who give some of the world's most vulnerable children back their childhood:

• AIDS orphans
• Street and working children (many who would be considered child labourers)
• Children and young people displaced by extreme poverty, disease or armed conflict
• Children and young people who come from broken homes

Typically children living at the margins of society grow up too fast. We believe that practical solutions such as education and vocational training can prepare them for independent living and reintegration back into society. Informal education is supported to prepare children for school and/or training: sport, theatre, dance and the visual arts make learning fun and help children build their confidence, participate in activities with other children, and take the first steps towards reintegrating themselves back into society.

Urban and Rural Solutions

We also work with our partners to tackle the root causes of poverty and displacement by implementing integrated solutions. Although many of the projects that we support target urban slums and street shanties, rural areas, where there is extreme poverty, are also targeted. This helps poor families at risk of migrating to urban slums to make their lands more productive and some families are taught how to start small businesses.

Teaching Children their Rights

Also, a global economy means that the world is much more interconnected and that many of the products that we buy in the developed world are partially developed by poor people in the developing world; we are, therefore, very actively involved in supporting programmes that teach children and young people about their rights, so that they will not be exploited. Organisational development is also supported, so that solutions are sustainable.