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Our history

ChildHope International was established twenty years ago as the first international movement working on behalf of street children with support from UNICEF, Save the Children (Sweden), World Council of Churches, the International Catholic Child Bureau and others. The ChildHope UK office then became established as a UK charity in 1989 and retained links with ChildHope offices in Brazil, the Philippines and the USA, but became fully independent of them. ChildHope UK was a founding member of both the Consortium for Street Children and the European Network on Street Children Worldwide.

ChildHope grew out of a recognition of the huge and growing but neglected problem of children living and working on the streets of Africa, Asia and Latin America. Often subject to abuse, and forced into particularly hazardous forms of work, these children face horrifying risks. ChildHope began by responding to their immediate needs for food, clothing, shelter, healthcare and counseling. We then developed longer-term strategies based on family reintegration, education and training.

For some years ChildHope UK has also been working to tackle the causes of family disintegration and the ‘push’ factors that force children onto the streets as runaways or labourers. Our partners work within communities to strengthen safety nets and social structures that enable children to protect themselves against violence. This has led us to work with not only children in the street environment, but also with those affected by HIV and AIDS, and children vulnerable to abuse within institutions such as the law enforcement agencies, the courts and the education system.

We now assist organisations to develop clear policies, procedures and practices for ensuring the protection of children throughout their work. We are supporting learning and advocacy at all political levels to ensure that children’s rights are addressed in law, policy and practice.