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Friends-International
provides worldwide support to street children, their families
and their community with the objective to support them to become
independent and productive adults in their society.
Friends-International
works around a series of principles that is guiding its work with
the children. These principles are based on Friends-International’s
extensive field experience and lessons learned:
Too often,
street children programs are based on a philosophy of charity
and assistance.
Friends-International
works for an effective social reintegration of street children
in a perspective of sustainable development.
Too often,
street children projects are used to hide the problems and to
give a good conscience to the implementers.
Friends-International aims at building real, effective and
sustainable strategies, programs and policies for street children.
Too often,
street children projects do not respond to the real needs of street
children in a spirit of development, but instead maintain or reinforce
the dependency and the vicious cycle of poverty.
Friends-International
develops holistic projects that effectively respond to the needs
of street children in order to create a positive cycle of development.
Too often,
professionals working with street children see them and treat
them as “lost” and vulnerable children and by ignoring
their strengths, infantilize them.
Friends-International
works with the children and develops child-centered projects that
promote the children’s independence and builds on their
strength and capacities.
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The programs
supported and initiated by Friends-International adopt a charter
of quality and follow similar basic principles:
- adhering
to the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child
- responding
to the right to survival (food, health and security)
- providing
life skills (education, vocational training)
- giving children
freedom to make the decisions regarding their future and support
them to attain these objectives
- teaching
them the traditions and rituals of their own culture, to prevent
alienation
- allowing
them to express their creativity (dance, music, drama, arts…)
- allowing
them to protect themselves from the risk that threaten them (AIDS,
drugs, reproductive health issues, and all kinds of abuse…)
- supporting
their social reintegration (family, public school, employment,
citizenship and culture)
Friends-International
promotes the idea that working with children is an investment, but
will always rely heavily on donor support. On the other hand, working
with street children is critical for the health of society and the
long term development of a country. |
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