Love At Work is a nonprofit organization dedicated to rescuing abandoned children. Street children are adolescents found the world over who do not enjoy the blessings of normal adolescent development. Many come from dysfunctional families and broken homes where they have been exposed to violence and extreme neglect. Most have been abused in one way or another and develop unhealthy emotions. Working street children begin working at a very early age in order to support their families, thus depriving themselves of education and personal development. Other children are so traumatized by life at home that they prefer to take their chances by living on the street. But on the street they are victimized by predators and persecuted by the police and society. Crime becomes their only option for survival.
There are an estimated 100 million street kids in the world. Forty million inhabit Latin America. In addition to exposure to disease, injury, and depravity, many children are exploited, recruited into crime gangs, used as slaves, or forced to become child soldiers. Needless to say, the life of a street child is often short and very wretched. Without outside intervention, street children are incapable of helping themselves.
As a geographer who spent many years traveling the world and observing the conditions of poverty, Neil Millman decided to devote his efforts to helping the poorest of the poor. He has found street children to be highly resourceful and resilient individuals who can go on to a worthwhile life when provided the opportunity and incentive to do so. Each year Love At Work conducts humanitarian service missions to Mexico City to assist shelters for street children. Dentist and dental students have been very effective in providing dental care to adolescents and homeless parents residing at a shelter called The Ecuador House. Residents of the facility are entitled to services provided by The Rebirth Foundation. These include drug detoxification, counseling, medical attention, access to school, and skill training. The program has been highly effective in getting traumatized children off the street and into the care of those who can provide for their rehabilitation.
Casa Ecuador and other shelters stand in need of constant funding to upgrade their facilities, extend their services, and provide help to a greater number of needy children. Love At Work needs caring individuals with warm hearts and strong hands to provide a vital key to the transformation of sick and at-risk adolescents. The name of the organization says it all. Free information is available to anyone who wants to learn more.