Supporting street children

Y Care International has supported Chiang Mai YMCA’s Street Children and Child Workers Project since 1999. Our most recent project with them ended in 2007.

Thousands of children live and work in the streets and slums of Chiang Mai, Thailand’s second largest city. Many have migrated from other parts of Thailand in search of work. The children work in night bazaars, restaurants and on rubbish tips. They are vulnerable to abuse and exploitation, as well as drug use, HIV and AIDS and child trafficking. There is little support for children to escape street work.

Those children who can afford the fees to attend school are undernourished and tired from working at night, so find concentration and motivation difficult. Consequently the school drop out rate is very high.

How we helped
The project provided basic education, health awareness and life skills training to street children and child workers, helping them to find safer, more sustainable ways of earning a living. It also supported an advocacy campaign, raising public awareness and understanding of the problems street children face.

Children received training in language, numeracy, hygiene, health and safety, and HIV and AIDS awareness. YMCA staff researched safer alternative employment opportunities for the children, reunited street children with their families, and engaged communities and the government to advocate for child rights. Chiang Mai YMCA worked closely with Buddhist Monks to deliver the project, often using their temples as a base for classes, as well as involving them in training sessions.

What we achieved
• The project worked with 224 in Chiang Mai, 20 of whom have been trained as leaders to represent the street children at events and in meetings
• Children have been supported to access scholarships so that they can continue their education
• Life skills and Leadership training camps benefited 35 young people, helping them understand their own value and supporting them to play a leading role in their own communities
• The project linked with a nearby medical college to provide basic health care training to all participants. The project also gave children and young people the opportunity to take part in sports development programmes.