If we are to achieve the Toybox vision of a world with no street children, things have to change

Ambassador: n. an authorised messenger or representative

Helping street children find their voice

Having the opportunity to express yourself and being listened to, are fundamental rights of any human being. In each of the projects associated to Red Alert in Bolivia, Peru and Guatemala, there are two Toybox Child Ambassadors, voted for by their peers who are giving street children this voice.
The Child Ambassadors are former street children, working children, prison living children, those in poverty. In their Ambassador capacity, they represent all the street-involved children of the city. They speak to governments and the media, raising awareness in their communities of the kind of lives street children endure in Latin America. These children are active and passionate. They are fighting for themselves, for their friends and for the children of Latin America. They aren’t content with accepting the way things are but genuinely believe they can make a difference… and they do.

Join them

The Toybox Ambassadors are also part of our sponsorship scheme. You can sponsor them and support the values and vision that they stand for. For more information about how you can impact their lives through our sponsorship scheme, click here.

“You believe in us. You believe that children and teens can be heroes and push on forward towards a better future. I thank you a thousand times for making me a Child Ambassador. I like it very much and I like to share and learn with the other children.” – Noemi, Child Ambassador

Ambassador Grover

Grover was seven years old, a miniature Stan Laurel, with one or two teeth missing and a permanently distracted expression on his face. He was unquestionably an elected project representative, like his older sister Shirley, but the grand title of Ambassador seemed to envelop him like one of those oversized items of clothing that optimistic parents expect their children to grow into.

Certainly, on this particular occasion Grover appeared less committed to his ambassadorial responsibilities than to the collection, arrangement and consumption of a quite staggering quantity of biscuits… He ate them. He hid them. He set them up in rows like biscuit dominoes and looked at them. He ate a few more. He tucked the rest away for later. Later was not long in coming...

We all know that Jesus did not quite say ‘I am come that they might have biscuits and have them in abundance,’ but in a country like Bolivia, where thousands of children like these battle to find enough scraps of food to keep themselves alive for one day, why shouldn’t little Grover experience that kind of abundance just for once? It was good to see.

The above extract is taken from a book, Fountains in the Dust, by Adrian
& Bridget Plass and Angela Murray.

Go back to: What We Do

Ambassador Vaccination Campaign

As well as being a link to Toybox projects, the Ambassadors get involved with all kinds of fun and exciting activities. They get together once a month to learn about child rights, take part in art competitions, write poems, play games and plan campaigns. One of the campaigns that the Ambassadors have come up with is ‘Vaccinations Against Violence’.

How does the Vaccination work?

* The children perform dramas and plays in the central squares and parks of the town, to attract attention.
* The children speak to the gathered adults about the problem of violence in the home and explain that this is one of the main reasons children in Latin America go to the streets.
* Then they ‘vaccinate’ each adult who would like to take part by giving them a sticker, a sweet and a little vaccination card which the adult signs.
* On the card are the ingredients of a happy home – a little love, a bit of kindness, some understanding etc.

The Vaccination campaign has grown year on year, with more and more adults being reached. In 2009 an amazing 17,000 adults were reached in Cochabamba, Bolivia with the message of good treatment. This attracted the attention of local media and the local government who have decided to make every September a month of good treatment for children in the city. This is an incredible achievement by the children.

If you want to support a Child Ambassador and help them to be a voice for change, please click here for more information on our sponsorship scheme.