Lessons learned from the Uruguayan experience

Because of its welfare state, the strong role of the middle class and the strength of the Left, Uruguay seems an exceptional, almost utopian country in Latin America. However, there are street children, and there is plenty to learn from the country's experience.

1. The Left also suffers from asistencialismo. Church or international NGOs projects are often criticized because of this attitude, but independent and government programs can fall in the same trap. In Uruguay, public officials (doctors, social workers, teachers, etc) form a strong middle class sector, but sometimes their work does not recognize poor people’s agency, i.e., people in need have good education and health services, but they are not considered actors. This has contributed to homelessness in some way.
   
   
2. A good NGO network can work miracles…or nearly so. NGOs working for street children on Montevideo are connected through the Intercalle network, thus becoming one voice when addressing the Government, avoiding redundancy and exchanging experiences.
   
   
3. Prevention is half of the work. By watching homelessness in Brazil and Argentina and acknowledging that Uruguay would not be immune to the global economy effects that push children on to the streets, Uruguayan NGOs started working with children before this phenomenon started. Between 1970 and 1980, programs began to be implemented in poor communities. In this way, when children started to appear in the streets, there was a great deal of experience already and, more importantly, there were less children in this situation than expected. Here, the experience of Gurises Unidos is typical.
   
   
4. A street child can return to formal education. Most children in the street have abandoned school, but street educators in Uruguay do not give up their effort to get them back there. An important part of programs for street children and child workers is linking them again with their school. Public teachers accompany El Abrojo’s street teams to provide schooling and facilitate the return to school (schools pay teachers’ salaries for this outreach work). Fortunately, the inclusive tradition in Uruguayan schools allows this return and can be a model for other countries to implement.