Evaluation of the Impact of the Salesian Presence on the Street

This research project focuses on evaluating the effectiveness of the “Preventive presence on the street” strategy implemented by the Salesian Project Ecuador between 2013 and 2016. The fundamental purpose is to determine the real impact of this intervention on reducing or preventing the vulnerability and street involvement of children and adolescents (NNA) they serve, attending to nearly 4500 cases annually across 25 Reference Centers in seven cities. The identified problem is the lack of clear determination regarding the effectiveness of the work carried out in achieving its main intention: preventing the increase of NNA on the streets or those dropping out of school. To address this, a descriptive-explanatory methodology with a qualitative and inductive approach will be employed. Key activities include documentary review of reports generated by the centers, field visits to map the intervention routes, and primary data collection through surveys, interviews, and focus groups with the NNA and their families to understand their experience before, during, and after the process. The expected outcome is to systematize experiences, reflect on practices, and recognize the positive or negative results achieved by the participants, providing feedback to the involved stakeholders.<br/><br/><b>Goal</b>: <br/>The main objective is to identify the impact of the work of the Ecuador Chicos de la Calle Project on the intervention line “Preventive presence on the street” during the 2013-2016 period. This will be achieved by determining the factors that influenced the change, or lack thereof, in the vulnerability conditions of the children and adolescents who were beneficiaries of their educational-pastoral proposal.<br/><br/><b>Research lines</b>: <br/>Development, territory, environment and interculturality