- Let The Children Live is a registered charity through which people can
respond to help the needs of the street-children in Colombia and
beyond.
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- It is a Christian Foundation,
and it aims both safeguard
the lives of the children from the violence and poverty of the
streets, and to make their lives worth living by giving them love,
education and a future.
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- Let The Children Live was founded by Father Peter Walters, pictured
above, who became involved with the street children in 1982. when
they helped him when he became temporarily stranded in Colombia.
Since then he has gained first-hand knowledge of the problems
of the gamines and of the work being don
 e to help them. He now lives in Medellin but continues
to make regular visits to Britain to raise fundes for 'Let
The Children Live!'
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- Father Peter confirms, "The Colombians themselves are taking
the lead in the campaign to help the street-children". He
goes on to say, "They are doing excellent work with their
limited resources but they need support from abroad to continue
and expand it. Because the gamines have no-one, they really belong
to us all. Unless we help them, these children will remain 'disposable
ones'; throw away kids with no future at all".
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- Father Peter Walters welcomes invitations to come to speak to parishes,
schools and other interested groups.
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-
THE STREET-CHILDREN NEED YOUR HELP..........
-
 They are called
'The Gamines' the 'disposable ones', the children who live
- and sometimes die - in the streets and the rubbish dumps of
the cities of Colombia in South America. These'gamines' range
from six year olds to teenagers, and they are often unloved, unwanted,
beaten, robbed, abused , raped and murdered.
-
- Although the Colombians are generally
a kind and generous people, crime related to the cocaine traffic
has made cities like Medillin amongst the most violent in the
world. In the poverty and squalor of the shanty towns, families
tend to disintegrate and many children find themselves on the
streets.
-
- They have to survive as best they can
but they easily fall prey to violence and abuse. Many of the street-children
sniff glue as an escape from pain, hunger and lonliness.
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