Street Children Project "Feria Libre" in Cuenca, Ecuador

Cuenca is the third largest city in Ecuador. At the market place "Feria Libre", many families are living below the breadline. Occasional jobs are the only possibility to earn money.
The children have no opportunity to get appropriate nutrition, education and health care. Generally, a family eats only once a day. In the evenings, soup is cooked. Children are malnourished since birth and therefore limited in their receptivity and their capacity. In addition, there is a lack of care and support that meet the special needs of the children. Many children are working at the markets to contribute to the family income.
The financial condition, the work at the market, the effects of malnutrition and the absence of support, thus all living conditions impact the physical, intellectual and social development of the children.

The project taking place at the market place "Feria Libre" is preventive and inclusive. Its target group are the children working at the market, young people with disabilities are supported at all measures.
The project exists since 1994 and is managed self-dependently by young and dedicated Ecuadorians.
Aim of the project is to take comprehensive care of the children whose families are living below the breadline. Their affected development is encouraged by several activities, thereby impending disabilities are prevented. In order to support the children in their special life situation at the market multilaterally measures in different areas are taken. All of them promote the physical, mental and social development of the children. Basically, all offers are voluntarily.

These are the areas where the measures are taken:
- education
- health and nutrition
- family work - therapeutical work
- examination of child labour and children's rights
- youth work

The work takes place at the market Feria Libre in Cuenca.

bezev supports the project "Feria Libre" since its nascency.
Besides, since July 2008 bezev sends every year two volunteers who support the project for at least 12 months. The main task of the volunteers is to take care of the children when they come home from school. They do homework assistance and arrange educational workshops in the areas of art and creativity, mathematics and construction, sciences, personal hygiene and nutrition.

With your donation you make it possible that the children are able to develop physically, mentally and socially and you avoid that they become street children. Additionally, you contribute to the children's independence and permit them an education. With your support you make it possible that the children have the opportunity to develop to self confident and self dependent people! With your support the children learn that their life is worth living!

bezev is a nonprofit organisation and therefore is able to issue contribution receipts. In this case, please name your address when you make the remittance or send us a short e-mail.
We ask you to desist from donations in kind because we produce auxiliary material in the project area for reasons of sustainability.