The preventative and symptomatic approaches to educating street children in Recife, Brazil : an assessment of best practice

Abstract

According to UNICEF, there are over 100 million street children worldwide. Out of the 130 million school-aged children not enrolled in school around the world, street children are likely to make up the majority of them. Brazil is home to one of the highest populations of street children, with a high concentration in the North-eastern capital of Recife. Several NGO and government programs have emerged that provide street children with an education. The two primary approaches to educating street children in Recife can be categorized as the Symptomatic approach, as employed by NGO's, and the Preventative approach, through Bolsa Familia. The research question sought in this thesis is which approach is the most promising for providing street children with an education in Recife. The argument of this thesis is that the Preventative approach is more promising due to its sustainability and through addressing the root cause of street children; poverty.