TO SET UP A PROJECT

* The partners
* The structures of the project
* The cost involved
* Financial partners for the future
* The obstacles

• The street children.

It is crucial to remember that it is they who decide, who invent and conceive the plan of action. This must be true in practice as well as theory. The best programs devised in Paris, Washington or Brussels will fail if the target population isn’t intimately involved in the planning process. Consulting them isn’t enough. They must be the principal partners.

• On-site projects educators.

The best training comes from experience on the field. It’s preferable to involve a former scout or volunteer sports coach rather than someone whose training is theoretical, and not from the local area.

• The financial supporters.

It must be reminded that it's not because financial supporters provide money that all their decisions are necessarily right.

• The neighbourhood and youth groups.

• The government authorities.

- Social welfare.
- Health.
- Education and professional training.
- Police.
- Justice officials.

• Churches, mosques and religious leaders.

It can be reminded that every religion considers that acts of solidarity with poor people, in particular abandoned children, aren’t a choice, but a sacred duty.

• The news media.

Everyone has a role to play. A consensus must be reached on the main principles for action. Coordination on the field is fundamental. One must avoid that associations compete with each other, sometimes destroying each other's work.

Any plan can be drawn up for a project, providing there is a clear division of responsibilities and there is a shared vision of the work at hand. The aim of this document is to try to adress in advance the problems which could arise.

Whatever the cost, a child's life is priceless.

It’s very difficult to estimate the average cost of a programme from the vantage point of a foreign country, because prices vary enormously from place to place.

• The cost of a foster home with 12 children.

• The initial investment
  - 12 straw mattresses and blankets.
  - A mat.
  - A gas burner.
  - 12 containers for storing the children’s belongings.
  
  
• The operating expenses
  - Renting a simple living place.
  - Salary for the person in charge (from the same background as the children); in countries where there are street children, salaries are usually low.
  - Salary for the cook, who may be a neighbourhood woman or the wife of the head of the house.
  - Food, which would amount to 2 pounds of rice and fish; to prevent scurvy, we give fruit once a week.
  - A minimum of clothes given once a year at a big party; we try to get them donated by Europeans.
  - School supplies and soap.
  - Water and candles.
  - A minimum amount of pocket money, to ensure the children won’t steal to get things they really need (like cigarettes in the initial stages) ; we encourage the children to find little jobs they can do in the neighborhood to earn some more pocket money.
  - Transport allowance to go see their parents (if they have been found) in order to prepare for their return home, when possible.

• The cost of a listening centre.

- The rent of the space.
- The salaries of the people running the centre.
- The purchase of some straw mattresses and foam pads.
- Water.
- Transport costs to find the children’s families and take them home.

• The cost of the project direction.

- The salary of the director.
- Bookkeeping expenses.
- A means of transport; either a car or a moped, depending on the size of the project.

• The initial stage.

To pursue and develop the action, but also to show that this project is realistic and feasible, financial support will be requested from NGOs. First we will approach the following groups:
- Solidarity Fund for Street Children
- the Secours Catholique
- the Fondation de France
- the Comité Catholique contre la Faim et pour le Développement
- the Charity Services of the Order of Malta
- M édecins sans Frontières
- Médecins du Monde.
- etc.

• The second stage.

At this point, the various international organizations which have responsibility for street children come into play. These are UNICEF, UNHCR, the relevant government offices and agencies, as well as large corporations which are involved in developing countries.

The obstacles are numerous, at both a financial and political level. But the main obstacle for this project is of a human nature: can we find enough people in the NGOs, the local government and international organizations that are motivated and competent enough to get the work done?

Criticisms levelled at homes ...

Updated on 15 november, 2007