At a glance: Mexico

Real lives

‘Change for Good’ celebrates a decade of work in Mexico City by pledging additio

© UNICEF Mexico/2004

Sir Roger Moore holds a $270,000 check to UNICEF, funds that were donated by British Airways.

UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador, Sir Roger Moore, joined British Airways Chairman, Lord Marshall, in Mexico City, Mexico to promote the UNICEF-British Airways ‘Change for Good’ alliance, now in its tenth year.

Lord Marshall annouced that British Airways would donate an additional $270,000 to UNICEF supported-projects to educate all children in the city. From 1997 to 2003, UNICEF Mexico has received a total of $1.55 million from the ‘Change for Good’ programme.

The centrepiece of Sir Roger’s visit was an event held at the National Art Museum where Lord Marshall presented the funds, bringing the total donations made by British Airways to UNICEF Mexico to $1.82 million. The event was followed by the opening of an art exhibit featuring artworks by children who participated in a 'Learning Through Art' project supported by the ‘Change for Good’ alliance.

Over 14,000 children and adolescents work on the streets and public spaces of Mexico City. Some of these children live at home or maintain connections with parents and family. Others have cut ties with their families and communities, and the streets are their only home.

Children here work and live on the streets as a result of extreme poverty, violence within their families and communities, and limited access to the education system. It is estimated that 64,500 children between five and 14 years of age are not enrolled in school in Mexico City.

“Child labour is unacceptable; it is an obstacle to the education of all children and adolescents,” said UNICEF Mexico Representative, Yoriko Yasukawa, at a press conference on the partnership in Mexico City last week.

“Children who have to work to support their families miss out on the opportunity to complete their education and therefore to have a better job and a better quality of life. The challenge for the future is to guarantee universal access to a quality basic education and to ensure that these efforts have a decisive impact on children’s lives,” he added.

Agents of change

The six non-governmental organizations (NGOs) supported by the ‘Change for Good’ partnership have the common objective of providing support for the children who work or live on the streets of Mexico City.

These NGO’s are: the Centre for Children Working at the Central de Abasto (CAMT), the Interdisciplinary Centre for Social Development (CIDES), the Give and Love Foundation (DAYA), Spaces for Integral Development (EDIAC), the Rebirth Foundation (FRAILES) and Learning Through Art.

Sir Roger visited the organizations last week, spending time with members and learning about the significant roles these organizations play in the lives of thousands of Mexico City’s children.

A decade of help and hope

Over the next two years, the partnership, in conjunction with the NGO’s, will focus on improving access to and the quality of education to provide children who have dropped out of school or who work during school hours the opportunity to gain a formal education.

Their work will also focus on combating abuse, violence and discrimination in primary and secondary schools. A specific project dealing with these issues will be implemented in 2,000 schools throughout the city in association with the Mexican government.

Over the last 10 years, ‘Change for Good’ has supported populations with many different needs, including indigenous migrant children and their families, children at risk of commercial sexual exploitation, children who work, children with drug addictions and pregnant teenagers and young mothers.

For years, UNICEF and the international airline industry have teamed up to give travellers a convenient way to help the world's children. Through the global 'Change for Good' programme, millions of people have donated their unused foreign coins and notes to support UNICEF. To date, the programme has raised more than US$31 million.