LACT Partners
Daniëlle Children’s Fund
About the partner
Who they are
Daniëlle Children’s Fund works to protect the rights of children and adolescents in Ecuador, strengthening communities, families and systems to prevent violence and ensure children grow up in safe and caring environments.
Overview of our partnership
A partnership rooted in community
We began supporting Daniëlle Children’s Fund in 2024, building a partnership centred on community-led approaches to preventing violence against children and adolescents.
DCF brings nearly two decades of experience in Ecuador, working closely with families, communities and public institutions to strengthen child protection systems. Their initiatives place participation, dialogue and local leadership at the centre, ensuring that responses to violence are grounded in the realities of each community. We are proud to be part of a partnership that is already strengthening collective approaches to care and protection.
Active projects
What we are working on together
Community project for the prevention of violence against children and adolescents in Ecuador
This initiative, launched in 2024 in Pifo, was co-created with over 100 community members, including children, adolescents, families, local leaders and organisations. It aims to prevent the normalisation of violence in homes, schools and the wider community by strengthening relationships, dialogue and collective responsibility.
The project works across multiple levels, from supporting families and creating safe spaces for children and young people, to strengthening community networks and engaging local protection systems. In 2025 alone, over 5,400 people participated directly in project activities, with more than 11,000 people reached indirectly through community initiatives and communications.
At its core, the programme promotes a community-led approach to protection, where prevention is built through trust, participation and shared responsibility. Initiatives such as youth leadership processes, family support spaces, community dialogues and the co-creation of the “Ruta 4P” have strengthened local capacity to prevent and respond to violence.
Read transcript
Close transcript
Onscreen text:
Nestled in a valley of the Ecuadorian Highlands, lies the town of Pifo.
For children and young people in Pifo, getting drugs es easier that getting a sandwich.
Children and adolescents grow up in a context where violence, poverty, and drugs are close at hand.
Young Speaker 1:
“It is easier to get drugs than bread. Because drugs are given to you for free while you have to pay for bread.”
Young Speaker 2:
“I want to be an astronomer, because the sky speaks softly to me and I want to understand every word.”
Onscreen Text:
Despite this harsh reality, these young people choose something extraordinary: they keep dreaming. They keep going. They keep hoping.
Young Speaker 3:
“Our Community Centre is home to a Youth Club.”
Young Speaker 1:
“Where we organise outings, cooking classes and other activities.”
Young Speaker 4:
“It’s a safe place where we can connect and build friendships”
Young Speaker 5:
“I come to spend time in the library”
Young Speaker 3:
What I like about the Community Centre is that I can come here without hesitation, and they will always listen to me.
Onscreen text:
Through the community project, together with children and adolescents, parents, schools, and local leaders, we are creating…
- Safe spaces to have fun and learn
- Sports and creative activities that keep young people away from risks and harm
- Spaces for dialogue where families feel heard and discover new ways of relating
- Leadership programmes where young people discover that their words and actions matter
- Rebuilding trust between communities and institutions
Group of young speakers at the same time:
“We’re community — together!”
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