In societies that are burdened with poverty and a culture of violence, a garden can bring deeply needed respite into a child's life. A Child's Garden of Peace works to provide safe opportunities for children to reconnect with the natural world, even in extremely urbanized neighborhoods.
Asociación Vivir was founded in 1987 with the fundamental objective of working to promote health from a more human and integral perspective that allows individuals and communities to participate proactively in their health and well-being.
Publicly funded vision screening for children, which is standard in Europe and North America, is unknown in much of the rest of the world. Moreover, the cost of an eye exam and corrective lenses is unaffordable for poor families in underdeveloped countries. Children's Vision Project provides eye exams and glasses for low income Bolivian children with poor eyesight.
Fundación Amanecer (“Sunrise”) was founded in 1991 to develop programs,
projects and activities in the areas of social, community, cultural and
enterprise development.
The Fundacion Educativa Amor
in Soacha, on the outskirts of
Bogota,
Colombia, has
provided primary and secondary education for students from poor families since
1988.
The mission of Fundación Despertar is to promote reading as a tool for personal growth and empowerment in the rural schools of the San Alberto Department (Córdoba- Argentina). The vision is to have rural schools that center their educational program on the human development of each child and seek a profound sense of equality and social justice.
Working as educators with the indigenous community in Saraguro, Jose Maria Vacacela and Gabriela Uraida Vacacela began
to prepare the indigenous curricular project called UEAITIS (Unidad Educativa
Experimental Activa Intercultural Trilingüe Inka Samana).
The SINTRAL Network of Ecuador focuses on both human and economic development. Economic issues include providing adequate and healthy food through organic agriculture, conservation of farmland, provision of clothing and housing, natural medicine and commerce through alternative economy.
A project in Argentina that has been working since 2001 in various ways to support the development of community and the welfare of children and families. Since 2005 Tierraviva has focused its activities on working with women and children in prisons through arts, self-esteem and human rights training.