Latin American YMCAs
On the last day of camp, a counselor consoles a Venezuelan youth.
Two thousand homeless Venezuelan children attend a YMCA summer camp. It's the first time that many of them are off the streets of Caracas where they live.
In Bogota, Colombia, the YMCA launches an urban action program to help street "gamins" break the cycle of begging to survive.
Near Mexico City, the YMCA reaches out to the rural area of Tepoztlán with its comprehensive scholarship program to bring education to the children, teenagers and young adults living in the surrounded areas of the YMCA Camp “Camohmila”.
In Quito, Ecuador, the YMCA established the first kindergarten, the first feeding program, vocational training classes, youth leadership programs and a mothers' center to teach health, nutrition and natal care.
The YMCA of Peru helps 150 farming families near Huancayo by sponsoring a tractor for their use.
These examples tell the history of the YMCA among the Spanish-speaking people in our hemisphere. The first YMCA in Mexico was founded in 1891. The first YMCA in South America was organized in 1893 in Brazil. Today, over half a million young people benefit from the services provided by YMCAs in Central and South America.
In addition to the recreation and youth development activities it offers, YMCA World Service has made important differences in the lives of young people in these regions. YMCA programs have often led the way in fighting poverty, illiteracy and disease. Typical efforts to help young people have included milk distribution, literacy classes and dental clinics, as well as many types of leadership, civic engagement and vocational training courses.
These youth and community development programs were created to serve all those in need. YMCA World Service continues this strong commitment to human service today.