Gurises Unidos

In 1989, even though there were few kids in the streets of Montevideo, the United Nations promoted and funded a project to prevent the a tragedy similar to the one already happening in Brasil in Argentina. In collaboration with the Italian government and the Uruguayan youth ministry (INAME), they founded Gurises Unidos (in Uruguayan slang, “Gurí” means kid.).

Gurises Unidos now works in various fields:

1. On the street. Here, the challenge is simple: to convince the kids to live in a home. Gurises gives street kids new opportunities, from games and sports to school and family. They always understand the child as the actor in his own life, but they don’t underestimate the importance of professional support. After the child feels comfortable with outreach workers, they invite h/er to the drop in center, where s/he learns non-excluding relations with others, and recieves respect.
2. Community: Gurises works with local community networks to prevent youth homelessness: churches, schools, community NGOs, and government agencies. For example, they help kids get IDs, a difficult and bureucratic process, but absolutely essential for the kid to get government services, education, or a job. They also do drug prevention work and promote healthy families, using Proyecto 300, which allows Gurises to distribute government food stamps to poor families.
3. Public policy: Gurises hopes to be a model for future government programs. In addition, working through local, national, and international networks, they lobby to improve goverment services and to promote children’s rights.
4. Training: Gurises trains “community agents” in poor neighborhoods to help kids and families. These agents become almost volunteer case managers, connecting families with government services and health care, but also promoting community life.
5. Press: Many journalists do stories about street kids, and Gurises gives them the background and contacts necessary to do honest reporting. They try to undermine the “poor babies!” attitude many middle class people feel toward street kids, talking instead about children’s rights and the kids’ strengths.

In May, 2006, Gurises Unidos sent us an extensive update of the program's activities. You can download it here in Spanish.

Asociación Civil Gurises Unidos
Dirección: Carlos Roxlo 1320, Montevideo, Uruguay.  CP. 11200
Los teléfonos de contacto son:  + 5982 4003081-4088572 4096828
Web:  www.gurisesunidos.org.uy –  www.redlamyc.info
 
Correos electrónicos de contacto:
gurises@gurisesunidos.org.uy
guvolunt@gurisesunidos.org.uy
 
Director:  Psic.  Gonzalo Salles.
Contacto Área de Participación Ciudadana:  Lic.  Natalia Xavier.

gurises@chasque.apc.org

www.gurisesunidos.org.uy

En 2008, Gurises Unidos nos mandó la siguiente información:

Con gran alegría les informamos que nos hemos mudado, y que contamos con una nueva casa en el barrio Centro/Cordón de Montevideo.  La misma se realizó en el marco del Proyecto  “Una Sede de referencia para los gurises del Uruguay: un Centro Educativo”, que contó con apoyo de la Embajada de Japón y gracias al cual pudimos terminar de reciclar y reformar la casa, adecuándola a las necesidades actuales de nuestra población objetivo, ampliando las aulas, mejorando salones y maximizando los espacios para las actividades diarias.

Asimismo contamos con la generosidad y compromiso de muchos uruguayos, tanto de quienes están en nuestro país como de aquellos que se encuentran en el exterior,  de empresas e instituciones que hicieron posible equiparla y acondicionarla, creando entre todos un espacio físico para que cada niño, niña y adolescente pueda acceder y disfrutar plenamente de todos y cada uno de sus Derechos.
 

understanding social services for street kids in Latin America