​Life Project for Children

The project is aimed at boys aged 8 to 17 who live on the streets or are in high-risk situations and require rehabilitation.

The profile of the sheltered children and adolescents has changed since the inception of CIMA.

Initially, CIMA exclusively catered to street children who were disconnected from their families due to socioeconomic crises within them and/or physical or moral abuse they experienced. Living on the streets, they were exposed to numerous dangers that compromised their physical and moral integrity and hindered their normal development. Generally, they exhibited severe self-care and self-esteem issues.

​Gradually, this population has been replaced by children in situations of high psychosocial risk. Many of them come from a dysfunctional family nucleus (separated couple) or a fragmented one (unable to identify a fixed home for the child) but still maintain contact with their family.


Generally, children escape parental authority and develop behaviors that put them at psychosocial risk:
Staying on the streets, dropping out of school, joining gangs, gambling problems, internet dependency, and substance abuse. The children are primarily characterized by a rejection of discipline and behavioral issues.
Most of the children come from families that lack the economic resources to meet their needs (limited access to basic health and education services) and struggle to fulfill the dual roles of work and childcare.

Many also grow up in a family environment where patterns of relationship tend toward emotional indifference, irresponsibility in roles and functions, domestic violence, child abuse, and issues with alcohol and other drug consumption.


Children and adolescents who come to CIMA often present psychological traumas that manifest as low self-esteem and behavioral problems (undisciplined behavior, disorderly life, aggressiveness, distrust of adults), health problems (malnutrition, skin problems due to lack of hygiene, venereal diseases), low educational level, and inappropriate behavioral patterns (loss of values).

General Objectives


Provide a foster home for children and adolescents living on the streets or in situations of high psychosocial risk due to family socio-economic crises.

Provide comprehensive care to children and adolescents to meet their basic needs for affection, housing, food, clothing, physical and mental health, and education, with the aim of overcoming their problems.

Facilitate the personal and comprehensive development (physical, emotional, intellectual, moral, and spiritual) of children and adolescents.

Reintegrate children and adolescents into their families, when possible.

Provide follow-up for children and adolescents reintegrated into their families to prevent recurring issues.

Specific Objectives


Integrate children and adolescents into the life of the foster home by involving them in household tasks: cleaning, food preparation, dishwashing, and laundry, among others.


Promote interaction among children and adolescents through sports, recreational, and artistic activities.

Offer children and adolescents the opportunity to participate in their own education by developing occupational learning programs (workshops).
Reintegrate children and adolescents into the education system and provide them with technical training that enables them to become self-sufficient in their adult lives.
Conduct follow-up work with families to help them assume their role and responsibility.