The Global Street Kid Crisis
Although it is literally unfathomable for North Americans to believe, there are over 100 million (1/3 USA's entire population) street kids worldwide, 40 million of whom are suffering in Latin American countries. The situation is primarily due to the extreme poverty experienced by large populations in a number of countries. Children as young as three or four are forced to spend their lives on the streets begging for money to help feed themselves and their younger siblings. The children are often killed by the police or by the general public because they are considered to be human trash and useless. In many cities, public protection for the street kids is nonexistent. They are left to fend for themselves and this leads to the formation of gangs. The kids never have a chance for education and therefore resort to drug use, prostitution, violence, theft, and gang life in attempts to survive.
In Spring of 2003, a number of Vanderbilt students organized a trip to Lima, Peru. The students had the chance to live at a refuge for street boys and befriend them and work alongside them for ten days. The relatively short trip made a lasting impact on every student who was there.
To learn more about the global crisis involving millions of street kids, take a few minutes and read through the following site: Casa Alianza (Covenant House).
