NIÑOS DE LAS CALLES STREET CHILDREN IN LATIN AMERICA
Street Children in Latin America | 1
2 | NiĂąos de las Calles
Table of Contents 3 5 7 25 40 50
My Story Abstract The Research Concept Symposium Conclusion
Street Children in Latin America | 3
My first time in Guatemala visiting at the age of 4. I am sitting at the far left with my grandmother and cousin.
4 | NiĂąos de las Calles
MY STORY BEGINS IN 1996 When I was 4 years old, my parents and I took a trip to Guatemala to visit family. This was 2 years after we had moved from Los Angeles. (That’s me on the left, with my grandma and cousin). On one of our visits, we were walking down the streets by the markets. It was hot, there were people all around. A few feet away, I saw a child, similar to what you see here. A kid, just like me. And my 4 year old brain instantly went, ‘I want to play with him.’ Mind you, I was with my parents and my aunts, they were talking about grownup stuff and I was pretty bored listening. So when I saw this kid, I was pretty excited. When I got my parent’s attention, I pointed to the kid and asked, “Can I play with him?” And immediately my parents exploded, they said “No, you cant play with him. Don’t go near him, don’t talk to him, don’t even look at him”. And I was confused. He was just a kid, probably a couple years older than me, but he didn’t look dangerous. At that time, I didn’t see what my parents saw. He doesn’t have a bed to sleep on, no family, and was most probably hanging around with a street gang. During the rest of our visit, I became more aware of how often I saw these children. In every corner, I saw children selling things from candy, to plates of food, to flowers. I came to understand how lucky I was. And I could only imagine how many children in just Guatemala alone had their youth stripped of their humanity and burdened with the everyday concern of survival. I couldn’t imagine how many kids in other countries were in that position. I became self aware of this issue and I wanted to learned more about it and I had this need to help in anyway I can.
Street Children in Latin America | 5
My first encounter with a street child was seeing a boy similar to this picture selling candy to locals and tourists.
6 | NiĂąos de las Calles
And in every town we went, I saw a lot of street children - some selling various things to tourists. What caught my eye were these two kids - one boy and one girl selling bracelets and my grandmother asked me if I wanted one. At that moment I saw my chance to talk to one of these kids and learn more about what it was like living on the streets. While my grandmother was talking to the boy - who later on told me his name was David - I tried my best to talk the little girl - who later on told me her name was Christina. Even though I am 100% Guatemalan, I can not for the life of me speak perfect Spanish to this day - let alone at the age of 14 - but i did my best with my broken Spanish. They told me they were selling these bracelets that their sister Maria had made and would still be selling on the main street until she came to get them. And then later on they would meet with other children. When I asked them where Maria was, they were very quiet. My grandma actually intervened - she can be quite charming -and they actually were able to open up more. David and Christina said in order to have food and protection, their sister was with a man who was friends with a police man. What Maria was doing is called “survival sex” - being sexually engaged with adults in order to be fed, sheltered, protected, and sometimes paid for their services. Take note that David was 8 and Christina was 11, their sister Maria was 13. I had also asked them if they went to school. They said no. They had stop going a couple years ago. Increased fatigue, the large quantity of work, it is difficult to balance school and work. It’s been 10 years and I still think about those siblings and some days I wonder, “what could I have done to help them? Are they even still alive?”
Street Children in Latin America | 7
“THE END GOAL IS TO PROMOTE LIFE AND HOPE”
8 | Niños de las Calles
ABSTRACT
There is a large scale urban phenomenon that is viewed in society as a threat, which predominately occurs in third world countries. Street kids in Latin America are not a moral threat to society, but rather a sad reflection of an amoral society. There is no one answer to solve the problem but the message is clear. To help these children they need to be given better opportunities for a higher quality life and success. Why should people care? The economy would strengthen, meaning production in goods and trade would go up, it would provide a better and more equipped workforce, children would receive quality education and community activities so therefor crime would decrease. Crime rates in Latin America are three times higher than in the United States. By giving street children an education and surrounded in a better environment, they could grow to become our future, the productive members of society we will need to continue forward. The first step to help these children is to help the community. CALLES supports and spreads the word of local charities with outreach programs in the Latin America area. When an individual donates a sum of money of any of the charities, they are received by a bracelet of the specific cause they support. Contained in the packaging are simple instructions on the app, which informs the person of events, success stories, and how their money is being used to the cause.
Street Children in Latin America | 9
THE RESEARCH
Throughout my research of street children in Latin America, I have grown to be more empathetic and be much more aware about people living in poverty states. I now understand the difference between homelessness in the USA and in Latin America. I found it fascinating and surprising how this urban phenomenon is being portrayed and viewed in different countries. I’ve looked over outreach programs that support the cause located in the capitals of Latin America’s nations. There have been a select few that caught my eye the most, each advertising their charity in the similar way of taking advantage of people’s sympathy. I’ve watched documentaries and short videos that talked about the living conditions these children under go through. The more I delve into the issue, the more I wanted to help, but not in the same way as other charities are doing it. My main concern was finding a way to promote life and opportunities, not guilt and sympathy.
10 | Niños de las Calles
Street Children in Latin America | 11
Homelessness in the USA vs Latin America To get a better understanding of what my project is, I’d like to open up a question to ask yourself. How do you see homelessness in the United States? The first think up an image you might get is a homeless person is a 30 or 40 something year old guy begging for money. The average age of homelessness in the United States is 11. Why? Family dysfunction, sexual abuse, “aging out” of the foster care system, and exiting the juvenile justice system are some of the primary reasons of youth homelessness. This is not the case in Latin America. Countries such as Mexico, Ecuador, Colombia, Brazil, and so forth are so underdeveloped because of the high poverty rate, corruption in the government, and the drug trade. While the adults are trying to make enough to survive, so are the children. Youth homelessness in the States are often caused by the lack parental, foster, or institutional care. Whereas children in Latin America end up in the streets because their families can not take care of them so they are forced to join the labor force in order to survive. Because of this, street children in Latin America have been described as victims of “economic violence.” This is what my project focuses on.
12 | Niños de las Calles
The Causes of Youth Homelessness in America
Street Children in Latin America | 13
14 | NiĂąos de las Calles
What are Street Children? The term “street children” was first used by Henry Mayhew in 1851 when writing London Labour and the London Poor, although it came into general use only after the United Nations year of the child in 1979.1 Before this, street children were referred to as homeless, abandoned, or runaways. Most definitions of street children concentrate on just two characteristics: presence on the street and contact with the family. The most commonly used definition comes from Unicef and distinguishes two groups: Children on the street: “Home based” children who spend much of the day on the street but have some family support and usually return home at night Children of the street: “Street based” children who spend most days and nights on the street and are functionally without family support Some social scientists have constructed more revealing typologies and systems3,4 which consider other dimensions of street life such as street territories, social organization, economic activities, and integration with street culture. Others have sought to define street children in terms of human rights.5 The UNICEF definition was developed with Latin America in mind, where studies suggest that 80% to 90% of street children have some contact with their family.2,3,6–8 It may be inappropriate for some countries such as India, where often whole families remain on the street.9
Street Children in Latin America | 15
What Problems Do They Encounter? Recently in my research I found out that In some countries, illiteracy has been decreasing, but the rising number of child laborers has the potential to hurt the educational system. In Brazil alone, out of the total of 522,185 child workers in the ages of 5 to 9, 78 percent of them are not enrolled and not going to school. This statistic alone is evidence of how the child labor force severely effects the children’s ability to learn. Increased fatigue, the large quantity of work it is difficult to balance school and work. It’s also difficult for schools to keep pace with the rapid overpopulation and urban growth that happened in recent years. The educational system struggles to effective socialize children due to its outdated schools, lack of seats for enrollment, and strikes by teachers. Less than 6 percent of the adults in families have completed 15 or more years of school (thats to the college level.) The need for income, as well as the toll of labor upon the body, places a lot of street on one educational ability. Urbanization has caused the development of child labor to thus evolve from a family agriculture business to industrial and illegal work within the street’s informal economy. Not only that, but being under the influence by subsistence dominates the possibly of education. I know, it’s difficult to imagine a kid at the age of 10 or younger
16 | Niños de las Calles
Street Children in Latin America | 17
18 | NiĂąos de las Calles
using drugs. But truthfully, substance abuse is very widespread among the population of street children. The most popular are inhalants, alcohol, marijuana, and cocaine. The majority of children use inhalants. Glue, nail polish remover, hair spray, cleaning goods- whatever they can easily get their hands on. There have been studies that found the use of inhalants, particularly sniffing glue, plays a really big part of these children’s lives. “They prefer glue because it is there means of identity. Those who do not sniff glue are considered ‘street novices’. for the youngest ones, glue sniffing is an initiation rite that makes them feel part of the group.” (Moorhead, 1990). It is a method of peer acceptance, for many children they form groups on the street for the purposes of protection and self-defense. They sleep together, beg together, and carry out the majority of their daily activities as a group. “It’s not physically addictive, but children quickly develop a psychological dependence on it. The law prohibits the sale of glue to minors, thus increasingly, the children rely on ‘street fathers’ for their daily supply.” (Moorhead, 1990). Glue sniffing strengthens the ingroup bond. They use it as a method of coping with life’s daily struggles, but it causes problems like liver toxicity, renal failure and death. It is literally killing them from the inside out.
Street Children in Latin America | 19
Outreach Programs The majority of my research focused lot about the negative image of street children. This is a common method used by a lot of organizations and charities who advertise themselves as outreach programs. Their funding is very depended on sympathy in order to get donations. In their pitch, they don’t specifically mention why you should care to donate. Their campaigns tend to say, “don’t let them spend another night on the street” or “together we can rescue him”. But what do you get in return? Other than to know that the money you donated could give them a meal or a roof over their heads. But how would you know? In some charities they have a “sponsor a child” option, where they update you on the children you help, but it’s often in the forms of newsletters or annual reports. It’s not the most effective approach though. This is why you should care: The economy would strengthen, meaning production in goods and trade would go up, it would provide a better and more equipped workforce, children would receive quality education and community activities so therefor crime would decrease. Let me remind you that crime rates in Latin America are three times higher than in the United States. By giving street children an education and surrounded in a better environment, they could grow to become our future, the productive members of society we will need to continue forward.
20 | Niños de las Calles
Street Children in Latin America | 21
Street Child United provides a global platform for street children to be heard so that they receive the protection, support and opportunities all children deserve. Ahead of the world’s biggest sporting competitions they organize international events inviting street children to be at the center of the call for their rights. They use the power of sport and the arts to challenge the negative perceptions and treatment of street children transforming lives across the world.
22 | NiĂąos de las Calles
SCOOP (Support Children Out Of Poverty) are a registered Irish non-profit organization working in both India and Cambodia. Their mission is to build new futures for impoverished children who are at risk of exploitation, and to empower disadvantaged communities through educational and social development projects. Their vision is a world where the meeting of altruism, innovation and technology creates a support network of education and awareness for each and every child.
Street Children in Latin America | 23
Casa Alianza UK, A UK-registered charity, has a single-minded and life-changing objective – to help and defend street children across Latin America. The charity works tirelessly to raise awareness and funds for their program partners in Guatemala, Honduras, Mexico and Nicaragua. Collectively they help around 10,000 street children a year, equipping them with the material and emotional resources they need to transition successfully into adulthood.
24 | NiĂąos de las Calles
Toybox has always identified itself as a Christian organization, offering practical day to day support and advice. With the help of donations, they rescue children and place them in a safe and secure environment where they can grow and flourish.
Street Children in Latin America | 25
Portrayed in Latin America Here in the States, the media hardly covers homelessness, let alone how it is being portrayed in other countries. Street children usually have no access to health care or education, and some of them have been victims of violence even before taking to the street. In Latin America, they are seen as worthless, and believe that they represent a moral threat to society. Earlier I said the children consider police a fearful figure. Here are some examples why. A Honduran outreach program found that half of the street children had been arrested and 40% imprisoned. There are some countries that use violent measures to remove them. The most frighting manifestation of this view is the emergence of “death squads” - who are self proclaimed vigilantes, many who are involved with the police. The murdering of street children and the violence they face is one of the lesser-known aspects of this crisis. In some nations, the war on street children is still aggressively pursues by groups organized by police force members, with the determination to exterminate them There was a study by the National Movement of Street Children, that recorded 457 murders of street children between March and August in Brazil. That is an average of 3 street children killed every day. There was a time when these ‘death squads’ openly fired a group of 50 or more street children sleeping at a plaza. 90% of the killings of children in Brazil go unpunished. This explains the need for street children to remain in groups for their own protection.
26 | Niños de las Calles
Street Children in Latin America | 27
CONCEPT
28 | NiĂąos de las Calles
Now, where do I come into the picture? As a designer, I want to contribute by bringing light into these children’s lives. I believe that communication design can elevate the worth of neglected children, even when they have not been given the chance to self-develop.
Street Children in Latin America | 29
Brainstorming In the process of deciding the form of the project, ideally I had planned to design a campaign to bring awareness. The campaign would bring a series of experiences, going beyond an installation. I went through a few ideas, one pertaining a book or a large info graph. In the end I decided to go with the idea of bracelets.
My first idea was to design a series of books that provided information.
30 | NiĂąos de las Calles
Pure Vida “Pura Vida” is Spanish for “pure life”, a Costa Rican philosophy that encourages the appreciation of life’s simple treasures. Every Pura Vida Bracelet is carefully handcrafted by artisans in Costa Rica. The commitment to their craft is conveyed through the quality of their work. The artisan’s dedication to the “pura vida” way of life is demonstrated in the seemingly endless color combinations and innovative styles. Each bracelet is as unique as the person wearing it. The Charity Collection was created to give back to different causes all over the world. Pure Vida partnered with over 190 charities and have donated more than $666,721 to date. They are also a member of 1% for the Planet, meaning they donate 1% of our annual net revenue to environmental organizations worldwide. They are constantly looking to expand their charity line and try to support as many causes as possible.
My second ideas came from the ARMY STRONG and Pura Vida Bracelets, a physical symbol of support for different causes.
Street Children in Latin America | 31
Niños de las Calles - Branding I designed a service, called Niños de las Calles, Spanish for Street Kids. Mainly, it is an umbrella organization, supporting and spreading the word of local charities with outreach programs in the Latin America communities. Because I believe the first step to help these children, is to start at the heart where this is happening. In communities, mainly the larger towns and capitals. Let’s say for example, you live in one of these communities and you want donate a sum of money to any of the charities the service supports. You can donate for a specific cause like Education or Health if you choose to do so. You are then awarded with a bracelet, a symbol of your support for the cause.
The logo went through two stages: (left) first logo idea to evoke happy children and (right) final logo taken from inspiration of the different patterns in Latin American textiles
32 | Niños de las Calles
The design of the bracelets from the organization was inspired by threaded cuffs with the respected country’s flag.
Each bracelet would have a specific color or pattern for a cause.
Packaging design was a small idea but I scrapped it because the bracelets would be local based not international.
Street Children in Latin America | 33
CALLES the App The bracelet is not the only touch-point, it also has information and instructions on how to access the Calles app. You are then awarded with a bracelet, a symbol of your support for the cause. The app is a way to stay informed of the most recent news and local events from charities supported by the charity. In addition to news, CALLES also has sections. Explore successful stories, support other causes, and check what events are taken place in the neighborhood by other charities helping street children.
34 | NiĂąos de las Calles
Right away the app instructs you to scan the QR code on the bracelet. After it finishes scanning , it will ask you if you are a new supporter.
As a new supporter, you are required to set up an account - so in the future if you decide to donate again all you need to do is sign in with your email or username. This is a normal procedure for every time you receive a bracelet, it encourages you to continue donating - the more times you donate, the more bracelets you receive.
Street Children in Latin America | 35
By default it prompts you to connect to any of your social media account and when you do, you are helping spreading the word about street children and the service. And it helps you keep track on the bracelets you have. This is a very important step to do in the app, because this helps spread the word about the organization and your support.
36 | NiĂąos de las Calles
You can read each article at your own pace, and share it to any of the social media accounts you connected.
Street Children in Latin America | 37
38 | NiĂąos de las Calles
The Causes section contains 6: Poverty, Education, Health, Trauma, Young Mothers, and Family.
Street Children in Latin America | 39
The Events sections has a listing of local planned public or social occasions, with a countdown to the day, it has all the details of the event, and gives you the option to favorite it.
40 | NiĂąos de las Calles
The Charities section, which consists of the non profit organizations that are partnered with NiĂąos de las Calles. By default it lists out the charities based on your location. This is a way to learn more about the charities, and have the opportunity to follow close what they are doing.
Street Children in Latin America | 41
Since the app is connected to the social media accounts, friends and followers saw it. Here is an example of what it looks like on Facebook, and if any of them are curious to know more about NiĂąos de las Calles. Or even know someone else in their friend group who would be interested, they can take a look at the website. And perhaps they will also donate and receive a bracelet. It comes full circle.
42 | NiĂąos de las Calles
Street Children in Latin America | 43
Ornamental Bracelets The bracelets are handmade with thread, each a different color or pattern for a specific cause. Bracelets can be in the forms of bangles or bands. The idea of bracelets came from thinking of a way to show physical support to the service. Thirsts and hats did not have the same effect, bracelets are also unisex and much more personal for donaters.
44 | NiĂąos de las Calles
Street Children in Latin America | 45
SYMPOSIUM On April 26th, I presented to about twenty to twen-
ty-five people at the Degree Project Symposium. For twenty minutes I talked about my story, the information I had learned in my research, and the service I created. It was a successful event, and I was very pleased to find a large amount of people interested in such a heavy topic.
46 | NiĂąos de las Calles
My poster for the Degree Project Symposium was made of linen, and I hand thread the patterns to emphasize my concept.
Street Children in Latin America | 47
CONCLUSION I’m hoping in the future this service can expand to
other countries like Africa, India, and the Philippines. Without a doubt, this is a huge problem and there is no one answer to solve it. Bruce Harris, who was a director of an outreach program called Casa Alianza, talks about the abuse these children go through in a documentary. He really cared for the well being of these children. At one point he made it possible for a child to leave the streets for good and have a wonderful opportunity to visit America. As tough as the issue is, his message is clear. To help these children, give them better opportunities for a higher quality life and success. The end goal is to promote life and hope.
48 | NiĂąos de las Calles
Street Children in Latin America | 49
50 | NiĂąos de las Calles