Hope for the Children of the Street    hits today

  VOLUNTEERS of Faith...WORKING TOGETHER  TO SAVE THE STREET CHILDREN

HCS- What our Ministry is about

Updated: Saturday, April 12, 2008 12:18:33 AM

Our emphasis is on helping children we have rescued from the street, or who have come to us, to  acquire living  skills  that  will  help  them to permanently leave  the  street, and  to recover from the devastating mental, physical, and spiritual damage inflicted upon them during their short lives. This is effectively done in a loving, Christian, family setting, where  HCS  provides  housing,  education,  health  services,  drug rehabilitation, and good Christian based social interaction & behavior  skills.

Primary area of focus that benefits children: HCS works with street children in Manaus, and  Manacapuru Brazil, who are at high risk, usually between the ages of 8 to 14. When we find them on the street, or they are referred to us, many have diminished reading skills or none at all. Usually they have been abandoned, or abused and thus have little faith in adults. With patience, love, and time these children are able to start to open up and to understand that someone does care about them. Once a bond of love and trust has been established, most children flourish and develop a healthy desire to learn and better themselves.

The short-term benefit is that these children are taken out of harms way; the perils of life on the street. They are welcomed, most for the first time in their lives, into a loving Christian family lifestyle.

The long-term benefit is that these same children, rough speaking, untrusting, and full of doubt, when they first come to us, learn that at HCS we say what we mean, and mean what we say. We establish commitments to each child that not only means a promise, but is followed up by the strong will to do something concrete for each of them.

This commitment on our part allows them to feel safe and to drop their guard. We try hard to provide an atmosphere where these hardened children can once again return to just being a child. We love our kids, and become quite attached to each one. We also understand that no matter how much we love them, we are still just substitutes.

 Every child is different, as are their circumstances, thus where it is possible we are committed to make every effort to re-unite our children with their families. Because of this strong belief, we make every effort to keep them attached to their family units, through regular visits.

These children come to us beaten, and hopeless. All are physically weak, and many are sick. With-in weeks, their strength starts to return. Their empty eyes start to show life, and soon will sparkle. The balanced lifestyle at the HCS camp begins to transform these children into real kids that start to believe they just might be ok.

Because the HCS care program is adjusted for each boy, they start to trust in the simple fact that they now have a family who cares and respects them. They develop a desire to be part of that family by learning, working, and playing with the other boys in a healthy way.

The HCS Boys Camp located 5 miles upriver from Manacapuru, Brazil, and helps these boys by providing them with a safe home away from the dangers of the street. HCS is a Christian, long term, assistance facility. (1 to 5 years).  Hope for the Children of the Street - HCS is a 501(c)(3) non-profit charity organized in April 1999.