our history
In the mid 1980s in the middle of the Sudanese civil war and Ethiopian famine, Peter Dalglish encountered the street kids of Khartoum who had fled rural war and hunger for the relative security of the city. Without parents and adults they were fending for themselves, always just ahead of the militias and police. Peter saw their resilience and innate street smarts and launched the Street Kids International Bicycle Couriers with borrowed bicycles, new t-shirts and a few mail delivery contracts from local businesses.
The kids earned money and attended Street Kids International’s informal school at night. In 1988, Dalglish returned to Canada where he established Street Kids International, an organization that sought to create other skill-building opportunities for the world’s street youth. From its beginnings, Street Kids International worked with street kids by first recognizing their own promise to support themselves and lead healthy, fulfilling lives.
milestones and achievements.
2008 Street Kids establishes multi-year partnership with Save the Children U.S. for programming in the Middle East and Near Asia.
2008 Street Kids International U.K. launched.
2008 Street Kids International celebrates 20th anniversary in Toronto, bringing founder Peter Dalglish together with donors, supporters and staff.
2007 Street Kids International recognized by CIDA and the Canadian Manufacturers and Exporters for its Outstanding Performance.
2007 Street Kids International selected as a finalist for the Conrad N. Hilton Humanitarian Prize.
2007 Street Kids establishes three year partnership with ECCO that will see the delivery of the street work program to youth in Kenya and Poland.
2007 Street Kids launches Streetjibe, a three-year pilot project addressing poverty in York Region.
2005 Street Banking Toolkit is developed with partners in Latin America, to teach youth methods of funding and saving.
2004 Street Kids International reaches more than 300,000 youth in Russia with its Street Health Program.
2003 Street Kids’ launches IMPRINT, a global education program for Canadian high school students.
2003 Street Business Toolkit programming expands to countries in Africa and Central Asia.
2002 Street Kids International holds roundtable at United Nations Special Session on Children.
2001 Speed’s Choice animation about street youth entrepreneurship premieres.
2000 Street Business Toolkit launches in Latin America.
1999 Street Health program is launched in Central Asia with the support of Open Society Institute – George Soros’ foundation.
1997 Pilot micro-enterprise program proves successful with street youth in Zambia.
1995 Goldtooth animation about street youth and drug use premieres, and wins top award honours at animation film festival the following year.
1990 Street Kids International and Zambia Red Cross partner to create Zambia’s first street youth drop-in centre, providing work and training opportunities to street youth of Lusaka.
1989 Karate Kids animation about sexual health premieres. It would go on to win the Peter F. Drucker Award for Non-Profit Innovation in 1993. By 1994 it would be available in 100 countries and 26 languages.
1988 Street Kids International established in Toronto.
1987 Street Kids International Bicycle Courier Service launched in Khartoum, Sudan.
StreetKids International, an international charity based in Canada and the UK, strives to help street youth worldwide develop business skills and health knowledge to better their lives.
last update:
June 30, 2009 10:57 AM
