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Kiko and Carmen's view

Kiko:

years old, teacher of drama and photography. He worked for twelve years as a teacher in a boarding school, and then worked for 8 years with “Programa Amanecer”, an organisation which works with and provides help for street children.

Carmen:

years old, primary school teacher and has a degree in Educational Studies from the University of San Simon, Cochabamba. Until recently she worked in an Education Centre in the mornings, but now caring for the increasing number of children at Colonia Ecologica has become a full time job. During the mornings, she and Kiko are often meeting with teachers and other professionals about their charges, in order to offer the children the best all-round care possible.

Description of the project by Kiko and Carmen, the founders.

Colonia Ecologica is dedicated to the problem of children who have been orphaned or abandoned by their parents and/or work in the streets of the city.
Ten years ago, we started this project with three children. We also have two children of our own, Favio ( ) and Carla ( ). Little by little the number of children living with us increased, requiring more attention, school support (books, school materials, clearer explanations) and entertainment. Most of the children who come to us have some degree of malnutrition and come from families with scarce economic resources.

At Colonia Ecologica, we now help approximately 50 children, 17 of whom currently live here full time. We work with the following groups of children:
• Street kids – children who live and work on the streets, some of whom maintain contact with their families,
• Orphans or abandoned children, who for various reasons have lost one or both of their parents,
• Children without their own family who live in another family member's home, often with grandparents.

We believe that one of the primary rights of a child is to have a family – the family unit is a fundamental pillar of society. Only the family can provide the warmth, companionship and emotional stability necessary for the normal development of a child, and the family exerts a powerful influence on a child’s stability and happiness. Nothing more important exists for a child than a strong and united family.

At Colonia Ecologica, we provide for the needs of children, giving them a place for play and recreation, a good atmosphere for studying and doing school work, and above all, a warm home – a family.

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