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For
both children and adolescents, job opportunities are
few, and are often informal activities offering inadequate
payment or protection. The unemployment rate is now
over 40%.
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The "lucky" cihldren that manage to get
a payed activity to contribute to family support,
must share their time with school and split their
efforts to keep up with work responsabilities and
school.
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THE SITUATION
Marginalized
children and youth in Latin America have limited access to
education and resources, and frequently end up working or
living in the streets. Their "tools" for daily survival include
prostitution, begging, theft, and drug abuse. These activities,
in which increasingly more and more small children are involved
threaten not only their lives but society as a whole.
Ecuador,
a small country located in northwest South America is now
experiencing the worst economic crisis of its history. The
combination of a dysfunctional government and economic elites
who are insensitive to the reality of 80% of Ecuadorians,
provides little opportunity for most people. And time is running
out. The people who suffer the most are the poorest (now 70
% of the total population); 4 million (30%) earn less than
$40 per month (a little more than $1 per day). Meanwhile,
the average cost of living is $200 per month.
For all of these people, but especially for children, this
situation has forced radical changes in the daily life of
the country. During the past few months, a very high percentage
of boys and girls have abandoned school, taking on all kinds
of small jobs to contribute to family income. Kids who sell
any kind of product on the street are exposed to multiple
dangers, including car accidents, violence, prostitution,
and substance abuse.
The neighbourhoods where street kids live are places lacking
hope. These children find it difficult to escape. Poverty,
disease, sexual abuse, and pollution are all accepted as daily
realities.
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