SOUTHERN CROSS HUMANITARIAN
Organization Information
1492 SOUTH 800 WEST, SUITE A
WOODS CROSS, Utah
WOODS CROSS, Utah
Mission Statement
Our Mission:
Helping street children in Latin American through sponsoring sustainable homes providing food, medical & psychological care, education and opportunities for positive futures.
Working with volunteers to enrich the lives of street children, Southern Cross:
Facilitates humanitarian expeditions to Peru, Colombia & Ecuador
Sponsors and helps build sustainable Orphanages/Homes and Drop-in centers which provide food, medical & dental care, clothes, hygiene and educational opportunities for children
Assists Funded Homes already working within communities
Develops mentorships and aids with higher education/or apprenticeship placements for children transitioning into the local & global job market
Helping street children in Latin American through sponsoring sustainable homes providing food, medical & psychological care, education and opportunities for positive futures.
Working with volunteers to enrich the lives of street children, Southern Cross:
Facilitates humanitarian expeditions to Peru, Colombia & Ecuador
Sponsors and helps build sustainable Orphanages/Homes and Drop-in centers which provide food, medical & dental care, clothes, hygiene and educational opportunities for children
Assists Funded Homes already working within communities
Develops mentorships and aids with higher education/or apprenticeship placements for children transitioning into the local & global job market
Organization Profile
Why We Exist:
Southern Cross Humanitarian, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization, is committed to sustainable global development by providing homes of opportunity for street children in Latin America.
There are 100 million street children in the world. Forty million, or 40%, live in Latin America while Latin America has only 8% of the world population. Street children are called gamines (urchins) in Colombia, pajaros fruteros (fruit birds) in Peru, and marginais (nonessentials), disposables, and abandonados in Brazil. In Cochabamba, Bolivia, they are called "ninos de goma" (glue kids), because they consume inhalants to abate and cope with their hunger. In Peru, it is reported that street children have been adopted out and taken to Italy or Switzerland where they were put into a comatose state and their organs were harvested, more widely spread, however, is children being used in sex trafficking rings. In Colombia, two decades of guerrilla wars have left one million children internally displaced or refugees. Some 7,000 children were conscripted as "child soldiers." Even ten years ago, most of Brazil&039;s street children expected to be killed before they turned 18 years old: between 4 and 5 adolescents are murdered daily and every 12 minutes a child is beaten. Considered to be bad for business, Brazilian store owners hired off-duty police officers or professional killers to eliminate the "disposable children."
Southern Cross Humanitarian, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization, is committed to sustainable global development by providing homes of opportunity for street children in Latin America.
There are 100 million street children in the world. Forty million, or 40%, live in Latin America while Latin America has only 8% of the world population. Street children are called gamines (urchins) in Colombia, pajaros fruteros (fruit birds) in Peru, and marginais (nonessentials), disposables, and abandonados in Brazil. In Cochabamba, Bolivia, they are called "ninos de goma" (glue kids), because they consume inhalants to abate and cope with their hunger. In Peru, it is reported that street children have been adopted out and taken to Italy or Switzerland where they were put into a comatose state and their organs were harvested, more widely spread, however, is children being used in sex trafficking rings. In Colombia, two decades of guerrilla wars have left one million children internally displaced or refugees. Some 7,000 children were conscripted as "child soldiers." Even ten years ago, most of Brazil&039;s street children expected to be killed before they turned 18 years old: between 4 and 5 adolescents are murdered daily and every 12 minutes a child is beaten. Considered to be bad for business, Brazilian store owners hired off-duty police officers or professional killers to eliminate the "disposable children."
Additional Information
The red Andean cross with the hole in the center is called "Chakana". This Incan representation of the Southern Cross constellation was described as the symbolic power to "puentear" or "to bridge" heaven and earth. Today, Southern Cross Humanitarian uses the Chakana as our symbol as we bridge cultures - extending our reach from those who have to those who have not.
Resources:
Those wishing to become more familiar with street children&039;s issues are referred to the following sites, studies, and books:
Children&039;s Rights Are Human Rights, by Claire Bedard.
Millennium Development Goals, 2000. United Nations International Children&039;s Emergency Fund (UNICEF). Regional Office Latin America & Caribbean. Panama City, Republic of Panama.
UN Human Trafficking Report 2006
The United Nations Global Programme against Trafficking in Human Beings: Working to End Trafficking in Children
Street Children: A Comparative Perspective
Part II. Literature Review of Situation of Adolescents in 8 Countries in Latin America and the Caribbean: Trends and Recommendations, 2005. UNICEF - Regional Office for Latin America and the Caribbean, Panama City, Republic of Panama.
A New Social Contract for Peru: An Agenda for Improving Education, Health Care, and the Social Safety Net, 2006. The World Bank.
Resources:
Those wishing to become more familiar with street children&039;s issues are referred to the following sites, studies, and books:
Children&039;s Rights Are Human Rights, by Claire Bedard.
Millennium Development Goals, 2000. United Nations International Children&039;s Emergency Fund (UNICEF). Regional Office Latin America & Caribbean. Panama City, Republic of Panama.
UN Human Trafficking Report 2006
The United Nations Global Programme against Trafficking in Human Beings: Working to End Trafficking in Children
Street Children: A Comparative Perspective
Part II. Literature Review of Situation of Adolescents in 8 Countries in Latin America and the Caribbean: Trends and Recommendations, 2005. UNICEF - Regional Office for Latin America and the Caribbean, Panama City, Republic of Panama.
A New Social Contract for Peru: An Agenda for Improving Education, Health Care, and the Social Safety Net, 2006. The World Bank.