what we do

what we do

Focus Areas

- Social

Testimonials

Juconi has worked with Heidi and her family for six years. Two of her children, Mercedes and Luis, used to work on the streets.

“Juconi found Luis and Mercedes on the streets and began helping them. A friend of mine had told me that they would try to take the kids away, but they explained to me how they worked and that they wanted to help us.

When Mercedes and Luis first came back to live with me, I hardly recognised them … But over time we became a family again. Juconi really helped us to make things better and they even helped us to get a house, for which I thank God.

I now have a job but what I most want is for my children to stay in school and keep studying so that they can have all the opportunities that I never had” – Heidi

“At first I didn’t know what to make of Juconi, but they kept on visiting us and they have given me and my family so much love and care. We all get on so much better now” – Mercedes, 12

“I started selling sweets on the streets when I was three years old. I felt bad because I did not want to go to work but we needed the money for food. I was also scared of being knocked down by a car.

Since Juconi came along, I feel I have more opportunities. I never want to go back to work on the streets and that is why I try to study as hard as I can. I love learning maths at school. One day I would like to be a teacher who teaches children a lot of things” – Luis, 11

Grace has four children. Family difficulties meant that her two eldest sons did not always live with her and had to work on the streets. Jefferson and his brother have ‘graduated’ from Juconi.

“I call Juconi my angels. Thanks to them, Jefferson, who is now 20, has a job and has travelled to other parts of South America. He has had a difficult life and saw a lot of terrible things when he was on the streets like little children being raped. We were on the bus the other day when a little boy got on and started singing for money. My son

gave him some money and then sat there crying. I asked him what was wrong and he just said: ‘Mum, I remember what it was like.’

I can’t really find words to describe the kind of people who work at Juconi. They have helped us through everything. They may be called Together with the children, but they should really be called Together with the families because they help everyone. In my darkest hours, they were a little window of light at the end of the tunnel. I can never repay the things that Juconi have done for my family. They have been our guardian angels” – Grace

“I was 12 when I started working on the streets, selling oranges or whatever I could. I was living with my granny at the time. She didn’t have a proper job and because I wanted to study, I went out to work. At least it was an honest job, and it earned me two or three dollars a day. One day, my brother said I could help him selling flowers on the streets. It was there that Juconi came and found us. Since then, they have helped the family financially, psychologically, given us food and everything. They even gave me money for my studies.

I am so glad that my two little brothers will never have to go out and work on the streets.

I would love to go back to the navy and serve my country. I’m saving up at the moment so I can get back in. One day I would like to have a family and give them all the things I never had”– Jefferson, 20