SAVING STREET KIDS IN CENTRAL AMERICA

By Buddy T

“Duncan Dyason is the head of Street Kids Direct and has, for 18 years now, set up a radio show called Radio Christmas. This is for charity, and all donations go out to support street kids in South America. Duncan is particularly doing this as he had a very troubled childhood, and he wants to change that for all the kids who are less privileged.

In 1992, Duncan moved to Guatemala City, Guatemala, to work with the estimated 5,000 children who were living on the streets of the city.  Duncan Dyason was awarded an MBE by Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II in 2017 for his 25 years of work with street children in Guatemala.  The award was presented by the then Prince Charles at Buckingham Palace.

Duncan said, “As a troubled teen and child, I dedicate my life to helping other such people”. This shows that he has had experience in these troubled waters, and he can relate to these children in South America.

Duncan’s job is to go around in South America to assist street kids and to take them off the streets so they can have a new life. One example of Duncan’s great work is that a few years ago, he met a girl who had been on the streets since she was 7 or 8, and Duncan managed to find her on a mattress with all her brothers and sisters fighting to stay alive with nothing. He then managed to help this girl and her family and start a new life for them in a much safer place. Later on in her life, Duncan received a phone call about the same girl, by now a young woman, speaking at a conference about the rights of women! He felt like this was his proudest moment and showed what hard work can achieve.

But why do children end up in these terrible situations? 80% of street kids are boys, and they are often on the streets as a result of abuse, drugs or being abandoned at the young age of 6 or 7. Many of them, unfortunately, have no other choice and see the streets as a safer place. Moreover, they can also end up here if they have run away from their family, as they are abusive and neglectful of them.

As a result of this work, Duncan has met many people along the way, for instance, he said, “King Charles has even invited me to Buckingham Palace! I love the breadth of people that I meet in this job.”  This goes to show that Duncan is a superhero in his job and has now been invited by King Charles to Buckingham Palace! Duncan later described himself as “transformed”.

I myself have worked on Radio Christmas and have helped raise a lot of money for this charity. The Radio Christmas team made this really fun for me and allowed me to speak about the charity and pick Christmas music to play on live radio! It’s a great experience, and anyone can do it! The Beacon has had a long relationship with Duncan and Radio Christmas and has helped raise money and supported Duncan throughout this. If you would like to make a donation or be on the radio, then see the links below.

https://streetkidsdirect.org.uk/

https://radiochristmas.co.uk/

Finally, Duncan says, “It’s not just about the money, it’s about thinking”. This shows that the charity work that he is doing is also about putting yourself in their shoes to see what they are doing. By doing this, we can be more aware of what is really happening, as sometimes awareness is more powerful than money. This charity work can help change the world’s mindset on homeless people and can make people more sympathetic and want to try to help.“