A Chance In Life

Boys' & Girls' Towns of Ethiopia was inaugurated in 2015 to create new possibilities for children in one of the poorest countries in the world. A Chance In Life works with local partners to support the lives of over 300 children.

Our partner programs care for 200 orphans and vulnerable children and provide 100 high school girls with an education that would otherwise be inaccessible to them.

Boys' & Girls' Towns of India provides a chance in life to extremely poor girls and boys living the states of Kerala, Tamil Nadu and Gujarat. These areas are home to many tribal communities, most of which live well below the poverty line. Many children in these communities do not have access to basic necessities or an education. Often, they are taken to institutions for a better life.

Boys' & Girls' Towns of India provides a home, an education and the opportunity to develop as self-confident and responsible leaders to over 600 of these children.

Boys' & Girls' Towns of Guatemala is comprised of four programs located in Guatemala City and Cuilapa. In collaboration with our local partners, we serve over 150 children and ensure the orphans and impoverished youth of these cities receive an education. At one of our programs for young men, their favorite part of their Town is the vocational training courses. They receive training in welding, mechanical repair, carpentry, electricity and baking.

Boys' & Girls' Towns of Colombia provides over 250 children in Medellín and Bogotá with access to an education, including workshops in art and athletics. Most of these children come from extremely poor families who are unable to pay for their children's schooling. Our youth are offered technical training in electricity, automotive mechanics and welding. As part of their education, our program partners help them develop their full professional potential and respond in empowered and creative ways to the demands of society.

Boys' & Girls' Towns of Peru supports just over 250 children coming from backgrounds of extreme poverty. Our Towns in Nuevo Chimbote offer schooling and family outreach programs to ensure a healthy home environment, and provide a safe and inclusive environment where children can grow and thrive academically and culturally.

Boys' & Girls' Towns of Bolivia serves 95 children in the city of Cochabamba. Children and young adults receive academic support, supplemental scholarships for vocational training and personal development through workshops. Our Town provides family outreach programs to promote the importance of education for their children. (In Bolivia, children may legally begin working at the age of ten.) The success and community of this Town is strengthened not only by the resources it offers, but by its tradition of older students mentoring and encouraging younger students who have recently joined.

A Chance In Life supports a special project in Kampala, Uganda to provide teenage girls and young single mothers with vocational training in cosmetology.

The project gives free technical training to ten young women in hair dressing, makeup, pedicures and manicures. These high-demand skills help the girls find employment and cover their basic needs.

Our partnership with this project was established in 2019.

A Chance In Life supports a special project in the State of Chihuahua, Mexico, where the community deals with extreme poverty rates, especially among indigenous Tarahumara and Tepehuanes communities. The program provides food, lodging, clothing, education and care to orphaned boys between the age of 3 and 18.

After 76 years of successfully creating and running innovative international programming, A Chance In Life launched its first US-based programs in winter 2020. In partnership with other community-based organizations, including the New York Center for Interpersonal Development and United Activities Unlimited, and the city of New York, A Chance In Life is committed to providing high-quality programming to youth ages 12-24 of every race, ethnicity, gender expression, sexual orientation, ability, economic status and religion throughout New York City.

​Using the success of our Towns abroad as a foundation, The Village on Staten Island will offer A Chance In Life’s twist on the traditional Drop-in Youth Center. Elements of self-government will be incorporated into day-to-day activities, including youth-led teams. By specifically addressing the almost 20% of young people who are disconnected from school and employment, A Chance In Life can help prepare those individuals for a more promising, successful, and self-sufficient future.

Programs include, but are not limited to: tutoring, ESL courses, college readiness training, recreational activities, meal packages, legal counseling, psychological support, financial literacy training, GED test prep and leadership development training.​