Family Support and Protection for Vulnerable Children

ICT Partner, JUCONI, is based in Guayaquil – Ecuador’s second city. JUCONI works with street and otherwise vulnerable children in the most violent and poorest communities of Guayaquil. 22 years of experience in the city with children linked to the street has revealed a cause to effect relation between the violence suffered by the children in their homes and their stay on the street. JUCONI’s interventions with parents reveal evidence that they too have experienced a violent childhood hence JUCONI established that intergenerational violence forms the background to the phenomenon of street children, and the many negatives arising from street involvement in addition to working and exploitative labour such as teen pregnancy, drug use, gang activities, even gun running, suicide, and violent living.

JUCONI therefore prioritises the elimination of violence within children’s homes as a strategy to combat children’s street involvement and also to change negative cycles of violence perpetuated through generations.

JUCONI’s approach is focused and methodical in order to quickly stop intrafamily violence and achieve permanent change for all family members. A methodology has been developed where JUCONI works together with families to develop an intervention which is applied together. This work is conducted with those children and families who face the most difficult situations and who unfortunately continue to be excluded from social services because of the complexity of their situation.

JUCONI, with ICT support, offers a 3 year intervention on average, through weekly family visits in the communities and at home.

On street working

Supporting street-connected children who face violence, exclusion, and exploitative labour.

Work within the family

Working with families to reduce violence at home and build safer relationships around children.

Psychosocial trauma therapy

Helping children recover from fear, violence, and trauma through long-term emotional support.