"I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full."
John 10:10

Antonio's Story

Antonio is a very chatty, smart boy who had a pretty rough start in life. His mother died when he was quite small, the grief of which tore him apart. However, his father remarried and began working far away from the city. Rather than go with him, Antonio ran away to the streets.

"I walked on the streets without knowing where I was going"

However, help was at hand. In the dark places that had become home for Antonio, he met a street educator, who invited him to come and attend a Toybox-supported project. There he made friends, had a place to stay and found comfort in the family-style life that was offered to him. The other children in the project call him 'El Pajarito' - the little bird, simply because he is very chatty and finds it difficult to stay quiet!

Antonio says: "My favorite subject is computers; now that we have several computers I want to be the best student of my class and I want to study to be a lawyer. I am very grateful for the support that we receive and I wish that someday we are able to help other children who don´t have anything”.

• Pray for Antonio - that he will continue to grow into a strong, healthy, chatty boy with a passion for justice.
• Pray for Antonio's father and step-mother - that on day they will be able to be a family again.
• Pray for children still living on the streets - that they will be able to find hope and support as Antonio has done, and that they may be able to have a bright future, away from the dark corners of cities across Latin America.

Chile Earthquake

You have probably heard about the huge earthquake that hit Chile on the 27th of February. The death toll has now risen to 723 with many thousands more missing or left homeless.

While the rescue effort goes on, armed looters and rioters have hit the streets of the city, Concepcion and other towns. They are targeting shops, supermarkets and rescue convoys. Many of them are armed and the Chilean government have had to introduce troops to try and keep them under control. These looters are adding an air of menace to an already tragic situation which is in dire need of our prayers and support.

The children of Chile are also under threat. Children are always among the most vulnerable when natural disasters strike, and an earthquake of this size – with widespread destruction of homes, schools and infrastructure - will put thousands at risk.

• Pray for the looting of cities to stop and for peace and order to be restored
• Pray for the estimated 1 million people who have been left homeless by the tragedy
• Pray for relatives of people who have died and for those who are still missing to be reunited with their families – pray in particular for children to be reunited with their families.

Guatemala Street Teams at 'Las Minas'

Guatemala City is a place of wide variety - of rich, tall buildings where commerce and wealth drive the daily persuit of greatness, and of such poverty stricken areas of ill-health and despair that the juxtaposition of the two together seems almost impossible.

This is why the Red Alert street teams are so vital. They go out to those forgotten places to bring a little bit of light and fun when times are dark. One of these places is 'Las Minas' - the mines. Read an eyewitness account of an afternoon there.

For the children there, life is very challenging. Many don't go to school, whilst others wander the area without supervision or care. But through the visits of the street teams, the children are able to join in games, feel special and spend time being children without the pressures of gang membership and street-life weighing on them.

• Pray for the street teams going to 'Las Minas' - pray for wisdom, patience and an abundance of love and care as they meet these children every week.
• Pray for the families of the children there, that they feel supported and built-up by the visiting teams.
• Pray for the mothers groups and the sessions that they attend with the team - pray that those times may be times of learning and mutual support.

Give Thanks...

for the 1GOAL campaign - Send my Friend to School

The gift of learning is one of the greatest abilities that God has given each one of us. Unfortunately many children around the world are unable to go to school and reach their full potential in this area. 72 million children worldwide are out of school, 4 million of whom are in Latin America. Many of these children live and work on the streets.

Send my Friend to School is an initiative that aims to change this situation. It is calling for every child to have access to primary education by 2015. The campaign is focussing on a renewed global commitment to send every child to school. Toybox is inviting schools to take part by holding a day of action and learning.

• Give thanks for Toybox’s involvement with the campaign and pray it will benefit the street children we work with.
• Pray for the overall campaign to be a success, for lots of schools to get involved in holding a day of action, and for teachers and students to respond in joining the call.
• Pray that world leaders will respond to the requests that are being made and give more funds for education.

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