how can you help?

Raise awareness

The more facts you have, the more impact your comments will make. 70% of statistics are made up on the spot… make sure you know what organisation did the research and whether they are reliable and up to date.

Get involved with organisations like Jubilee Action who have the best contacts in political bodies to make changes that will protect children and bring those harming them to justice. They have some excellent materials too if you want to show people pictures to bring your facts to life.

VIVA network can tell you about projects all around the world working with children at risk. So if you have a specific country in mind contact them and they might be able to put you in touch with other projects.

Tear Fund has produced an excellent pack, including a set of stunning photos on OHP slides and a commentary on cassette tape. Contact them for more information on enquiry@tearfund.org or check out www.tearfund.org or call 0845 355 8355.

Write to your local MP. If you are a child, don't forget that a letter from a child has the impact of many letters from adults in the hands of an MP. Your thoughts really matter to them.

Don't underestimate the impact you can make by raising awareness of the fact that there are millions of children in danger, living on the streets around the world still.

One of the children on our farm wrote this in his school assignment to raise awareness: 'Children on the streets are also people, they deserve respect. They run away to the streets because their mother and father don't have the conditions to take care of them. It's because of this that they run away from their homes and go to the streets. The child who goes to the streets, suffers a lot. He doesn't have anywhere to sleep, he sleeps in old houses, and viaducts, on overhanging roofs. Also they don't have anything to eat or anywhere to have a shower. This is why he walks around dirty and also uses drugs smokes marijuana, cocaine and heroine, crack, thinner, glue. They also fight even killing and stealing. They go to prison and suffer a lot, more than he thinks he's suffering. And when he comes out of the prison or FEBEM (Government shelter) they go straight back to the favela and try to buy drugs on credit. But nobody sells drugs like that, so they leave the favela and go to the street to steal. If they see a smaller child begging for money or selling chewing gum or popcorn, they take their money and go and buy drugs. When they beg for money, some people don't give money but offer a home instead. Some accept this offer and others don't. Some people speak to them about their citizenship, others call them thieves and perverts, and so they are very sad. Some even go back to their own family, go back to school, grow up and become men and speak to others, telling them to go back to their own homes. Some go back, others don't. Those that don't go back are subject to getting AIDS and others go crazy and end up dying as well.

Ademilson, 12 years old, 11 February 1999. He returned home to live with his family, in 1999.

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