The Thousands of Street Kids in My City

Mexico City has 1,900,000 underprivileged and street children. 240,000 of these are abandoned children. In 1991, an estimated 11,172 children lived on the streets in the center of Mexico City. We now estimate the number at 30,000 in the metropolitan area. Most of these children live in deplorable conditions and resort to drug use to find an escape.

Last week I had the great privilege of visiting a beautiful ministry to these kids. Casa Alianza helps willing kids come off the streets, break their addiction to drugs, reintegrate into the educational system and find a good job at the age of 17. They'll even help the children reintegrate into their families, if they want that.

Part of what they do involves going out into the streets and trying to convince the kids to come into one of the five beautiful homes they have built for the children. This can often turn into a long process. These kids, most of whom are addicted to drugs, like the freedom of a life on the streets, mostly because they don't know any other way.

We have begun a partnership with this Christian-based organization to help, because "the street is no place for a child".