Region
THE AMERICAS
72
Local Partners
Combating gender-based violence; promoting healthy masculinities; strengthening the education, leadership, and creativity of children and adolescents; promoting the participation of LGBTQ+, Indigenous and Afro-descendant children; and accompanying children and youth affected by migration and in other conditions of vulnerability.
8
Countries
Brazil, Colombia, Guatemala, Honduras, Mexico, Nicaragua, Peru, United States

The children and youth of the Americas are a force for transformation, full of powerful ideas to promote collective wellbeing. And yet, structural poverty, violence, and inequality seriously limit their opportunities for development and civic participation. Together with our partners, we work to reverse this dynamic, accompanying children and young people as they strengthen their communities, lead social transformation, and enjoy full and happy lives.

The Americas is a diverse and complex region, connected by shared stories of courage, resilience, and hope. Children and youth are a powerful engine of social change in the region, taking leadership roles in movements that demand justice, peace, and equality despite facing multiple challenges that impact their wellbeing. Harmful gender norms; forced migration and displacement; obstacles to health and education; adult-centric mechanisms of public participation; and discrimination are just some of the issues that affect children and youth, preventing them from exercising their right to live a life free from violence.

Fortunately, our local partners work with children and youth every day to address these challenges. Whether they are defending the rights of migrant girls; promoting healthy masculinities for gender justice; supporting holistic learning and early childhood development; strengthening youth leadership and girls’ empowerment; or building collaborative networks, our partners demonstrate every day that the world can be changed.

Your contribution to these efforts will enable thousands of children and youth to reach their full potential, strengthen their leadership skills, and enjoy opportunities for holistic development.

See our 2022-2024 Americas Strategy Brief (also available in Spanish), read our Theory of Change in Spanish, and learn more about our current initiatives and collaborations below:

CHAMPIONING THE RIGHTS OF MIGRANT GIRLS

Through the collective work of 14 local partners, this initiative aims to protect the safety and rights of adolescent migrant girls in Central America, Mexico, and the US, while raising public awareness about the challenges and heightened vulnerability these girls face throughout their journey.

Promoting Youth Leadership for Gender Justice

This initiative brings together youth-led groups and networks of community-based organizations in Guatemala, Honduras, and Nicaragua to engage boys and young men in promoting healthy masculinities and advancing gender justice.

SUPPORTING EARLY EDUCATION AND DEVELOPMENT IN HONDURAS

This pilot initiative brings together five community-based organizations in Honduras that are improving development and learning outcomes for infants and young children.

Supporting Educational Recovery in Central America

This initiative supports a cohort of 12 civil society organizations in Guatemala and Honduras that are working to ensure children and young people can exercise their right to education.

Collaborations

GFC is currently involved in 15 regional collaborations in the Americas to amplify the voices of migrant girls (with Fondo Semillas, the International Community Foundation, and the Central American Women’s Fund); prevent teenage pregnancies and early marriage (with Girls Not Brides Latin America); strengthen youth leadership (with the Central America and Mexico Youth Fund, FRIDA, Plan International, and Diakonia); promote healthy masculinities (with the Latin American Network of Masculinities and Youth); and raise awareness of the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on Indigenous children and on education (Fundación Ideas para la Paz, IMDEC, El Colegio de la Frontera Sur, Central America Donors Forum, the Summit Foundation, and the Tinker Foundation).

 

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Unlocking Opportunity for Youth in Honduras

Organization for Youth Empowerment / El Progreso, Honduras

For many of us, our notion of Honduras is of a country wracked with drug trafficking and gang activity. And it’s true: every single day, young people live in fear of being threatened or recruited by gangs, losing loved ones to violence, or even being killed.

In this difficult environment, Organization for Youth Empowerment (OYE) is fostering a generation of educated young leaders who are committed to improving their communities. OYE’s flagship project is a competitive youth scholarship program that supports promising young people so that they can finish high school and graduate from a university.

Without OYE, many of these scholars would be working instead of getting an education. And even work is often out of reach—a lot of kids living in poverty in Honduras see little hope for the future and turn to drugs and gangs, or attempt the perilous journey north in hopes of making it across the US border. Instead, children at OYE learn how to be leaders and engage their peers through community projects, including a radio station, public arts and graphic design projects, and team sports. All aspects of OYE’s programs are designed and implemented by the kids themselves.

Equally inspiring as its scholars is OYE’s incredibly capable director, Rocío Mendoza. Against so many odds, Rocío doesn’t let anything get her down. Her spirit is a reminder that even in the most dangerous places, children and youth have amazing potential—and it’s our job to give them every opportunity to thrive.

Education with Indigenous Roots

Asociación Educativa Kusi Kawsay / Pisac, Peru

Surrounded by remarkable Incan ruins and stunning mountain views, the town of Pisac, Peru, is rich in Andean history and culture. But sadly, the indigenous children who call Pisac home struggle to get a good start in life. Poverty, discrimination, and an insufficient school system leave children with few opportunities to grow up healthy and educated.

So, in 2010, a group of local parents set out to provide Pisac’s indigenous children with high-quality, bilingual education—and to ensure that they are proud of where they come from and who they are.

Asociación Educativa Kusi Kawsay is an independent, nonprofit school serving low-income indigenous children from early childhood through 11th grade. The school offers sliding-scale tuition, but most students come from families with so little income that they cannot even afford to pay this minimal fee. Some parents who come from weaving communities donate their work to supplement tuition; a scholarship fund helps make up the difference for other students.

Rooted in Andean values, Kusi Kawsay integrates traditional school subjects (math, literature, reading, science) with workshops in Andean masonry, Quechua language, music, art, agriculture, and more. The curriculum places special emphasis on global awareness, ecological integrity, and social justice. Thanks to Kusi Kawsay, indigenous children and youth gain the confidence, education, and leadership skills they need to succeed in their community and beyond.

Inspiring a New Generation to End Violence Against Women

Centro Integral de Atención a las Mujeres / Cancun, Quintana Roo, Mexico

Located in Mexico’s number one state for tourism, the city of Cancun is home to pristine beaches, five-star resorts, and an endless array of options for those looking for a sunny vacation in the Mexican Caribbean. But behind this façade is a different reality for local people; the city is surrounded by impoverished neighborhoods that have high rates of unemployment, crime, and violence against women. In 2014, 44% of women surveyed in the state had been victims of violence in the last 12 months.

Centro Integral de Atención a las Mujeres (CIAM) believes that the best way to significantly reduce systemic family violence is by raising awareness among new generations. Its Education for Peace program runs a series of workshops that are tailored to different populations, including children, indigenous communities, women, and—perhaps most importantly—boys and young men.

The workshops are held in the communities in Cancun with the highest rates of domestic violence and in five Mayan communities in the northern part of the state of Quintana Roo. Across several months, these sessions explore topics such as healthy relationships, responsible parenting, concepts of masculinity, peaceful relationships, and nonviolent culture. Key goals of these workshops are to reduce teen pregnancy and improve gender-equitable attitudes.

CIAM also trains professionals to improve their response to people affected by human trafficking and human rights violations, making Quintana Roo a safer place, not just for children, but for everyone.

From Slavery to School: Hope for Haiti’s Restavèks

Association Zanmi Timoun / Port-au-Prince, Haiti

In rural areas of Haiti, extreme poverty forces families to “loan” their children to other families in exchange for the children receiving shelter, food, and education. All too often, these young people, called restavèks (meaning “stay with” in Haitian Creole), fall prey to extreme abuse, working as domestic servants instead of going to school. Most of the estimated 225,000 restavèks in Haiti face deplorable conditions that prevent them from living lives of dignity and opportunity.

Working in the most vulnerable neighborhoods in Port-au-Prince and in rural communities throughout Haiti, Association Zanmi Timoun restores hope and opportunity to child domestic workers, victims of abuse, and incarcerated children and youth, with a special focus on the often invisible restavèk population. Zanmi Timoun identifies and rescues restavèk victims and safely reintegrates them into their families. Then the entire family receives counseling and is offered professional training so the child can return to school without being pressured to make a living.

For children who were never enrolled in school (or who have fallen far behind), an accelerated education program allows them to complete elementary school in just three years. Younger graduates then enroll in public schools to continue their education, while older youth earn professional certificates in areas like baking, sewing, plumbing, and electrical work at Zanmi Timoun’s professional training centers.

Recently, in response to the Haitian-Dominican migration crisis, Zanmi Timoun began providing legal aid and counseling to deportees, making it one of the few organizations working with child migrants in Haiti.

Global Fund for Children (GFC) UK Trust, created in 2006, is a UK registered charity (UK charity number 1119544). We work to generate vital income, create new fundraising opportunities, and raise awareness of the invaluable work of GFC’s grassroots grantees. Our aim is to extend the reach of GFC in the United Kingdom, Europe, and beyond.

Contact
Work.Life, 4 Crown Place
London EC2A 4BT

[email protected]