The Movement of Support for Children who Work and/or Live in the Street (MATRACA, A.C.) is a non-governmental, non-profit institution, with legal rights, founded in the city of Xalapa, Veracruz, Mexico.

We are a non-profit organization and educational movement in favor of children who work and/or live on the streets and was established in May of 1991.

In 1991, thanks to the interest and concern of a young group of university students, who gathered to reflect on human rights in general and on the economic and social problems of the country and state, the Committed University Students (UPC) group was created.

This group was composed of students from a variety of disciplines including psychology, pedagogy, and biology at the University of Veracruz. They discussed and reflected on the condition of human rights, the forthcoming election, the culture of the students, the statutes of the University and its commitment to the social reality of that time, and other topics of interest.

Later, its members began working to support teachers and peasants. They also formed a human rights group and electoral training group, which allowed them to challenge their objectives and actions.

During the same year, in the Aldea Mece (Village of Mece) (Children in Special Circumstances) of the D.I.F. Municipal (the public institution in charge of handling the affairs of children, women and indigenous) municipal, a teenager was fined and expelled for having broken a glass (window) of the shelter. The teenager contacted Father David Fernández Dávalos S. J., a member of the UPC.  This was the first contact between UPC and populations that work and/or live in the streets.

UPC developed a project to bring attention to children in the street, which received the name “Handymen Together”. Ednica (Education with Children in the Street, IAP) of Mexico City and The Movement of Support for Abandoned Minors (MAMA, A.C.*) of Guadalajara, were important guides in the initial work.

The name Handymen Together does not generate an identity amongst the children, which is why the idea of MATRACA was created. Referring to a children's toy, they are creating “noise” about the circumstances in which the children live.

*Asociación Civil (A.C.): Non-profit

We organize our work into 4 programs. Under a human rights approach, we address distinct themes related to children and adolescent working and/or living on the streets and their families. Our programs are the Program for Children in the Street, the Program for Children Workers, the Program for Family Care and Community Prevention, and the Program of Institutional Bonding and Strengthening.

To achieve the program objectives, we develop projects with strategic allies who help us complete our mission.

About Children

We believe that there are various childhoods. Every child experience different phases, depending on the context in which they operate. No phase is better or worse, simply different. We think that children are not only the future of our society, but also our present. They live and feel here and now. Therefore, they are active subjects able to grow and develop if given the means to do so. It is their right and our obligation.

About family

We believe that the families of the children are a nucleus that can and must be protected during this stage of their life. We think that is where the first links are generated that facilitate or impede the development and abilities of all people.

 

We believe that families should be the main support networks of children, but we know that is not always so. Therefore, we are committed to the children and their families who themselves need a social support network, which permits them to function and coexist in a healthier way.

 

About rights

We believe in a world in which the rights of children can be respected by everyone, where they are taken into account as active subjects with the capacity to organize.

Therefore, in MATRACA we believe that the promotion and protection of rights is essential in creating a more responsible, just, and equitable society.

 

About justice and social commitment.

We believe in the fight for social justice for the most vulnerable groups, especially children who work and/or live in the street and their families. We are seeking equality and opportunities that will allow them to be protagonists of their own lives and in the society in which they live.

We are aware of the changes necessary to achieve this. They cannot do it for themselves, so we need to work together. We know that there is no easy task, but we believe in the human capacity to help and be helped. We believe in the solidarity.

 

About child labor

In MATRACA we are opposed to any form of child exploitation. We believe that child labor is a factor in the comprehensive training and development, allowing the construction of different processes of organization, mutual support, decision making, learning and transformation of reality, always and when it does not take place under conditions of exploitation.

 

About liberty

We believe in liberty as a transformative tool of reality, with which they can recognize the differences between destructive behavior that does not build a more dignified and responsible society; and the human ability to think, act, and responsibly decide the meaning of life.

 

About democracy

As a part of society, children have a voice and opinion that must be heard and taken into consideration when making decisions about their personal and social lives. We are dedicated to the idea that children participate in the construction of their life projects when they exercise their rights.

 

About child leadership

We believe in the potential and creativity of the human being. We believe in all children and adolescents. We believe in children who work and/or live in the street, and their capacity to organize and participate actively in the various processes in which they are part. We consider empowerment of children essential in the construction of their present and future; we boost their skills, abilities, and knowledge; while seeking to promote their integral formation as active subjects and guides in the social dynamic.

 

Transparent information

In MATRACA we consider information transparency to be a fundamental pillar that solidifies the institutional democracy, based on accountability. We think that society needs to know about the issue of children who work and/or live in the street and the work of MATRACA as an institution. Therefore, the information we provide must be clear, accurate, consistent. It should also be based on the optimization, management, and accessibility of the resources and various activities implemented for the benefit of the population.

 

Educators

We believe that our educators are active subjects, transformers of the social reality. We believe in their information and their capacity to organize and act. We have a social commitment to marginalized children and we fight for the respect of their rights. But at the same time, we respect the culture of the street as we accompany them in their life processes.

We are an organization of society which receives no state funding. We develop our programs through the financing of projects by private entities which support our work as strategic allies. We also obtain resources through individual donations in cash or in kind.

Moreover, we have the support of volunteers, interns, students, professional practices, among others, who help us continue to work in accomplishing our mission.

You can help:

• Make a cash donation
• Make a donation in kind (clothing, food, electronic equipment, educational materials, furniture, etc.)
• To make a donation in kind, you can contact us at the following e-mail: matraca@matracaac.org.mx
• Be a part of our team as a volunteer. Contact us matraca@matracaac.org.mx