Development That Puts Children First

Planet Aid uses the proceeds it generates by selling used clothing to support smallholder farmers, strengthen education, increase HIV/AIDS prevention, and create community development. An example of one type of development model supported by Planet Aid is the Child Aid Program. Child Aid is implemented by members of Humana People to People in many countries. Planet Aid has been supporting Child Aid projects in Belize, Brazil, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Ecuador, India, South Africa, Zambia, and Zimbabwe.

Child Aid seeks to create safe and supportive living conditions for children and their families across all sectors of a community. It embraces a "people centered" approach that empowers participants to become agents of change. The formation of Village Action Groups (VAGs) comprise a core part of the program and are a key mobilizing force. Each VAG is comprised of 35-40 families.

The VAGs tailor project activities to meet the needs of the communities. For example, the Child Aid project in the Equateur province of the Democratic Republic of the Congo involved 65 villages in 2010 that focused on reducing the rate of hygiene and water-related infections and deaths. The project succeeded in establishing many new potable water supplies and community hand-washing facilities. In Milagro, Ecuador, 800 Child Aid families focused on improving nutrition and established household vegetable gardens. In Toledo, Belize, Child Aid mobilized local youth to engage in community clean-up campaigns and HIV/AIDS awareness.

At the same time in these and other countries, Child Aid projects have been building preschools, offering adult literacy and maternal health classes, organizing youth clubs, planting fruit trees, and building playgrounds. For more information about the programs Planet Aid supports see www.planetaid.org and click on "Planet Aid Post."