SELECT AN AFFILIATE OFFICE

JOIN OUR LIST

(Required)











 

What We Do

Vision

Generations Humanitarian envisions a world without street children.

Mission

Generations Humanitarian is committed to transform street children toward an abundance of health, hope, and loving homes thereby breaking the cycle of scarcity for generations to come.

Summary

Estimating numbers of 'street children' is fraught with difficulties. In 1989, UNICEF estimated 100 million children were growing up on urban streets around the world. 14 years later UNICEF reported: 'The latest estimates put the numbers of these children as high as 100 million' (UNICEF, 2002: 37). And even more recently: 'The exact number of street children is impossible to quantify, but the figure almost certainly runs into tens of millions across the world. It is likely that the numbers are increasing' (UNICEF, 2005: 40-41). The 100 million figure is still commonly cited, but has no basis in fact (Ennew and Milne, 1989; Hecht, 1998; Green, 1998).Similarly, it is debatable whether numbers of street children are growing globally or whether it is the awareness of street children within societies which has grown. While there are understandable pressures for policies to be informed by aggregate numbers, estimates of street child populations, even at city levels, are often hotly disputed and can distract rather than inform policy makers. (Thomas de Benitez, Sarah. 2008. State of the World's Street Children: Violence)

Whatever the number, it is estimated as well that 40% of them live in Latin America, yet Latin America has only 8% of the world population. Street children are called gamines (urchins) in Colombia, pajaros fruteros (fruit birds) in Peru, polillas (moths) in Bolivia, resistoleros (little rebels) in Honduras and disposables in Brazil. They are victims of hunger, exposure, violence, kidnapping, illegal adoptions, rape, and pornography. They are trafficked and sold for slave labor, for sexual exploitation, for their organs, as well as the participation of boys and girls in armed conflicts. In our previous work, it was not uncommon for children to be brought to our homes who had been held as slaves, some as young as 8 years of age.

The bulk of the Latin American street children are located in Developing Nations or Least Developed Nations (LDNs). These are countries with lower incomes and a lower human development index.

A significant body of research is available on the study of street children in Latin America, including demographics, causality, and their struggles. Inter-governmental agencies such as UNICEF and others spend considerable resources and effort to tackle the problem systemically through advocacy, laws, etc. It is not a surprise that government social service agencies in Latin America have minimal budgets and these are spread too thin to make a dent.

While countries grapple to take preventative measures, millions roam uncared for on the streets, and there is a dearth of research recommending best practices and interventions. Further, well meaning NGOs and churches have stepped in to do what they can by opening orphanages and centers, but given the magnitude of the problem, these are unsophisticated, non-federate, and few and far between.

We enter the picture

Generations Humanitarian (Genhu) is a newly applied for 501(c)(3) non-profit or non-governmental organization (NGO). We prefer the term NGO. We are founded as a confederation of affiliates throughout the western hemisphere, with our Secretariat headquartered in Salt Lake City, Utah. Each country will have a Country Director or an Advisor who reports to the Affiliate President over that Area. Country Directors are native to their lands and oversee operations in their respective countries, including presiding over Administrators of our homes. While we are not immediately operating homes in all countries within these areas, Genhu plans a presence in each country to lay the groundwork for our goals of Collaboration and Research. Genhu Affiliates are founded and guided by professionals with years of experience in social services. Affiliate Presidents all have graduate degrees, as do most country directors. Each Affiliate President specializes in an area that other Presidents do not, such as politics, education, mental health, social work, and so forth. Together, they serve as a team drawing upon each other's strength.

Our purpose

At the end of the day, we produce efficient and scalable solutions that can be applied by government agencies, NGOs, and Mom-and-Pop orphanages. Specifically, we have four goals:

Research
Evidence-based research will govern our implementation and our goal is to produce a body of research toward systemic change. Our objective, at the outset, is to establish a learning and evaluation framework for our programs in our own drop-in centers. Once valid and reliable methods materialize, we plan to invite other NGOs, local municipalities, US-based 501(c)(3)'s, and local Mom-and-Pop orphanages to participate in our research. Longitudinal studies anywhere between one month and two years will be implemented. Objectives will include financial efficiency studies, collaboration with local governments and food producers, and program interventions for the children. We will offer to publish our findings in professional journals for the benefit of all.

Collaboration
Our goal is to exploit unused social capital in the field. Our objectives will happen in three areas: A. Latin American mindsets and governments are slow to connect the dots between agencies and other resources. We have had great initial success in bringing together local municipalities (alcaldeas), social service agencies, marketplace producers, foreign donations, university internships, and other volunteers for a single home.
B.There appears to be little collaboration, and often some competition, among homes and centers in the field. Our objective is to connect and unite them in appropriate and unthreatening ways.
C.As affiliates, we will ally ourselves with other stakeholders, both locally and abroad to collaborate with this plan internationally.

Homes and Centers
Our goal is to establish a simple step-by-step blueprint that can be followed by the relatively unsophisticated to open hundreds of homes in the next two years in an affordable manner.

Adoptions
Our goal is to increase local foster homes, local adoptions, and international adoptions. Our objective is to begin to systematically reduce the number of children living in orphanages where alternatives exist.



AFFILIATES:
Copyright 2010 Generations Humanitarian. All Rights Reserved. Website hosting donated by Marc Steele.