The B!NK project of 2010
The B!NK project of 2010 is all about the street children of Rio de Janeiro. These children are not living the life they deserve: violence, drugs and hunger are their daily reality.
For these children we’re going to fight, because these B!NKIES also deserve a decent future!
Therefore this year we support AMAR, a local organisation in Rio de Janeiro that commits to the well-being of street children. Our support goes to the youth program ‘A Caminho da Cidadania’/ ‘The way to civilian ship’.
Life on the streets
Many children of the slums of Rio de Janeiro end up on the streets due to poverty. They are forced to go to work at a young age to help pay the bills and therefore they go to the city centre to do al kinds of dirty jobs. Eventually many of these children don’t go home any more. In many cases their home situation is full of alcoholism, violence, abuse and drugs and the long and expensive bus ride home is not worth it to them.
Only a few organisations dare to stick their neck out for these children. Politicians and social government programs neglect the non-touristic northern zones. Drug gangs have taken over these areas and use children as couriers and for all kinds of dirty and dangerous jobs. Street children who want to give up this ‘way of living’ can voluntarily turn to AMAR’s Social-Educational Centre (SEC).
Day-care facility
At this SEC AMAR provides a pedagogic program, drug rehab and creative activities. It also provides children with schooling. They offer courses for, amongst others, chef, waiter and other hotel services so the children can work in the tourist industry of Rio de Janeiro. European volunteers provide even classes in English and there is a computer course.
The children rights are also looked after: their focus on defence and promotion of children’s rights forms a important part of their work. To the children the transformation from living on the streets to being in the day-care is an enormous change. That’s why they get pedagogic and psychological support.
The next step is to find a stable home for the children, preferably with their own family. Unfortunately this proves to by impossible in many cases so they turn to foster care or other alternatives. The project ‘children of the streets’ helps at least 800 children and young ones from the forgotten North-zone of Rio de Janeiro. Besides this, AMAR also runs a project to prevent wandering.
Night-care facility
AMAR is ready for the next step: a highly necessary night care facility for the children. This night-care serves as a necessary station till a permanent living situation is found. It will be a safe-haven for twenty children at a time. I this way the children are taken from the dangerous living conditions of the streets and provides them with security, protection and the chance of a decent future.
Expected is that in the first year 80 children won’t have to live in the streets anymore. With this night-care AMAR ensures the children won’t have to turn to steeling, snorting glue or smoking crack to forget their misery. It provides a bed for twenty children at a time. A bed in which they can forget about their worries and fears and know that there are people who care about them and fight for them. Isn’t this every child’s right?
More information about AMAR can be found here.