Design Ignites Change - Projects

School of Visual Arts

In Bogotá, Colombia as in many parts of the world, there are children begging on the streets. Many beg because they are being exploited or see it as the only solution to their economic problems. Out of pity or guilt, citizens give money to these children, aggravating the problem instead of helping. ¡Sí Colaboro! (I'll help) is a campaign that educates citizens on why they should not give money and offers a tangible alternative that offers immediate and long-term assistance by directing them to the ¡Sí Colaboro! non-profit resource center. The resource center serves as a link between existing organizations, the children and their families.

Laura Arango
Website
lauraarango@mac.com

Impact! Design for Social Change

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September 15, 2010

Would you give money to your own child if you knew...

...food, an education, shelter and hope.

Some Bogotá residents already carry a food item in their car to hand out. They would place an informational sticker about ¡Sí Colaboro! on it before handing it to the child.

Mobilized teams from the ¡Sí Colaboro! resource center ride on motorcycles carrying tools to engage street children and distribute information which will help them.

A bus stop poster emphasizes saying the words "Sí Colaboro" to a street child to reinforce the name of the organization as a place for help.

A citizen often gives money to a street child out of a sense of guilt or empathy. How do you provide an alternative that meets the needs of both the children and the citizens desire to help? How do we make children and their families aware of the help that already exists and get them to take advantage of these resources?

Create a resource center for street children and their families that matches them up with existing service organizations. Have a mobilized team that reaches out to these children to bring information directly to them. Design a campaign for citizens encouraging them to give food with an informational sticker on it.

Si Colaboro!

School of Visual Arts

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