Childhope
Childhope began in the late 1980s as a large international NGO dedicated to helping street kids around the globe. Unfortunately, funding has dried up, and Childhope-Brasil must now exist independently. Its work today concentrates on child labor, and several of its programs are innovative and show much potential.
One of the greatest problems with child labor in Brasil is girls working as domestics. Employers often claim that the girls are relatives from the countryside, in the city to go to school, leaving authorities and neighbors unsure of their status. Girls in the home are at special risk for sexual abuse, and few have the social opportunities necessary for adolescent development. Childhope has just begun a program to combat this problem, focusing on training doormen how to recognize and report child labor. Unfortunately, the doorman’s union has been reluctant to allow Childhope access to its meetings, so the project must proceed building by building. Childhope hopes to integrate its lessons into the formal doorman training offered in local schools.
Childhope also works to raise consciousness about the evils of child labor; many Brasilians still seem to believe that work is the best education for a poor kid. Childhope responds with a public relations campaign, through the Forum contra Trabalho Infantil, and by directing scholarships to keep kids in school.
CHILDHOPE BRASIL
Avenida General Justo, 275 - sala 202 - Castelo
CEP 20021-130 - Rio de Janeiro - RJ - Brasil
21 240 7399
Contact: adm@childhope.org.br
www.childhope.org.br
