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Casa Alianza

Casa Alianza is internationally recognized for its successful outreach strategies to the children living on the streets of Tegucigalpa. The organization provides them direct attention and works to correct problems associated with their marginal existence. In cooperative partnerships with the public sector and the judicial system, Casa Alianza has also succeeded at guaranteeing the children rights of survival and protection under the law.

The Campaign highlights three areas of Casa Alianza's work:

  1. Street Education. Street educators work directly with the children who live or work on the streets. They attend to medical problems, play games and counsel the children within their own environment. By offering this support, the educators help children recapture lost aspects of their childhood. Once a bond is formed, the educators encourage these kids to enter the organization's housing and drug rehabilitation program.

  2. Police Workshops. By educating the police force about the causes, dangers and realities that children face on the streets, Casa Alianza is improving the sometimes strained relationship between the "street kids" and the police. A typical police workshop consists of various interactive activities, including role-plays, discussion of encounters, and hearing testimony from the kids themselves.

  3. Office of Legal Assistance. Casa Alianza created the Legal Assistance Program in response to violations committed against the rights of children living and working on the streets. Infringements usually range from abuse by family members to mistreatment by the police. Once kids present an allegation, Casa Alianza lawyers register the complaint and proceed to conduct a formal investigation.

The Office of Legal Assistance also works with the juvenile justice system in two interrelated ways. First, the Office promotes a better understanding of the CRC and the Child and Adolescent Code in the juvenile justice system. Second, the office actively works with juvenile judges to implement these instruments when children are brought before their court.