Work has begun on a new building at the Alalay boys’ welcome house: creating a street adolescents’ drop-in centre and accommodation for older ex-street children.
Over the last 25 years, Alalay has built up a wealth of experience of how to deal with street children, much of which would be highly applicable to adolescents still living on the streets. There is virtually no help given to this group in Santa Cruz as they are expected to sort themselves out and “get a job”, however many are drug addicts, alcoholics, illiterate or with hugely low self-esteem. This building will provide a safe space in which to offer drop-in sessions offering help and specialised support to this age group, through both individual and small group workshops, amongst many other activities (including health and employment support).
The building will also incorporate a separate working space for all the ex-street children already living at the welcome centre, and greatly improved accommodation for ex-street older boys in the final stage of Alalay . This group are preparing to become independent: finishing schooling, doing vocational training courses, finding jobs/flats and beginning to save money. They are fantastic role models and helpers to the children just coming in off the streets, yet currently live in cramped conditions in two small bedrooms within the existing dilapidated welcome house building.
If you would like to support this exciting project, please just click here and follow the on-screen instructions (write “welcome house” in the message section so that we can guarantee that this is where your money will go).
