Canadian Charity Helps Children in Mexico Find Brighter Future Globe Newswire
go to original February 7, 2022

The world is home to 281 million international migrants at any given time, many of them vulnerable women and children. For most, leaving their homeland is not desirable, but because they feel they have no other option, they go in search of basic human rights such as jobs, education, healthcare, food and safety. Classified as irregular migrants, they leave without proper documentation or legal status, becoming stateless and in danger of various forms of exploitation.

Irregular migration has increased dramatically in recent years as many countries see a rise in violence and societal breakdowns affecting their people, meaning less safety and a perceived lack of future prosperity. Coupled with insufficient local programs and services to help them overcome these issues, families risk everything – including separation, incarceration and even death – in search of a better life.

This global humanitarian issue, while extremely complex, is preventable, as demonstrated by Children Believe over the last five years (2017 – 2021). During this time, the Canadian charity helped avert 180,000 vulnerable children, over 620,000 youth and an additional 483,000 adults, who are often the parents of these children, from choosing to migrate. The multinational project, entitled PICMCA: Preventing Irregular Child Migration in Central America has improved the lives of children at risk and removed many of the factors pushing them to leave their home communities.

Led by Children Believe and in collaboration with its ChildFund Alliance partners, ChildFund International and Educo, PICMCA engaged children and youth in Guatemala, Honduras, El Salvador, Nicaragua and Mexico.

“Tackling the root causes motivating children to leave their home was incredibly effective in reducing irregular migration,” says Fred Witteveen, CEO, Children Believe. “The project had a preventive approach and we worked through targeted investments in 155 at-risk communities. We strengthened child protection services and violence prevention programs, increased employment and entrepreneurship skills to help youth generate income, and enabled gender-responsive engagement of youth with local, national and regional institutions.”

Today, Children Believe reveals some key findings of PICMCA including:

• In the final evaluation, 85 percent of young people agreed that the project improved their living conditions, due to youth skills development, employment training and mentorship programs.

• At the start of the project, 59 percent of young people believed their lives would be better if they migrated to another destination. At the end, this number fell to 44 percent. Creating awareness among children and youth about the dangers of migrating irregularly and the alternatives offered by their country proved successful.

• 91 percent of young people who participated in the project said they now felt safe in their communities, compared to 84 percent at the start of the project. This 15 percent improvement was achieved by strengthening child protection services, promoting child rights and gender equality, and improving prevention strategies for children who are victims of child labor, discrimination and violence.

• Following youth leadership skills training and civic engagement initiatives, 84 percent of young women and men expressed that their opinion was now taken into account in their community or neighborhood. Further, 38 percent of women assumed leadership roles in their communities. “Children Believe worked with education centers, local partners, youth groups and private organizations to put the possibility of community growth within reach for at-risk children and youth,” explains Witteveen. “Through training programs and mentorship, PICMCA empowered children to dream and reach their full potential.”

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