When the programme started in the underdeveloped areas of Guatemala, it was to support children who rarely got a chance to develop their potential because of the weak public education system and the lack of opportunities available to them and their families (due to poverty, chronic malnutrition, lack of education and the exploitative informal economy). As a result, many children drop out of school too soon and find themselves caught in the web of organised crime which infests their neighbourhoods. Alternatively, if they reject the drug dealer’s promise of a “wonderful life”, they end up working in informal, unstable and woefully underpaid jobs, unable to provide better opportunities to their own future children, thus perpetuating the problem and creating a vicious circle.
As the programme was implemented and positive impacts became more and more visible, it became clear that this integrated educational model, focused on unchaining the dreams, unleashing the potential and creating options for underprivileged youth is the key to a child´s development. The objective is to empower these children to become active citizens and act as agents of change for their communities, making the world a better place.