Honduras - Street Children Residential Programme
Once a child has made their own decision to enter into one of our residential programmes we carefully look after them and guide them through a three staged plan.
Our purpose is to help them overcome the initial crisis that led to them being on the streets in the first place and also to deal with the adverse effects of actually being on the street. We achieve this by helping the child develop a "life plan" and by introducing psychological stability.
To enter our residential programme and to fit in with other children who are also in transition we ask children to sign up to our principles which include: no drugs, no violence and no sexual relations.
Having entered the programme the child then moves through three stages in the transition away from the street. These are as follows:
Integration
This stage usually lasts from 1 to 2 months during which we provide individual attention seeking to build their trust and confidence. We want the children to feel that at last they have found a place where they are protected, respected, listened to and fundamentally, wanted. We satisfy all of their basic physical and emotional needs, compensate for their previous treatment and gradually help them to start valuing themselves as human beings.
Recognition
The objective of this stage is to identify and recognise each child or adolescent's strengths and capabilities and to enrich their education around these. We encourage the kids to get actively involved in developing a "life plan" and a personal educator works with each child to set priorities and help them focus. We encourage children to attend school or to enter vocational training and generally seek to stimulate their overall abilities and life skills. This stage typically lasts for around 6 months.
Strengthening
Our ultimate goal is family reintegration or for the child to reenter society and live independently. This stage therefore seeks to consolidate learning and the personal development of the child or adolescent. We seek to change embedded attitudes and encourage both personal and social responsibility.
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