Our work
Find out more about the SCWC 2026 in North America.
Learn more about the Street Child Cricket World Cup.
During the Olympics in Rio we hosted Olympic-styled Games for street-connected young people.
We host a variety of programmes to empower the Young People sustainably.
About us
What have we achieved? And how do we measure it? Find out more.
Every child needs a legal identity, protection from violence and education.
The SCU Young Leaders bring about change in their communities and worldwide.
The SCU Ambassadors promote our mission globally.
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Street Child United in North America
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Support our work by becoming a volunteer for an upcoming event.
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We are always happy to answer questions and receive feedback. Reach out!
Support 1.000.000 and 1 street children get legal identity by the World Cup 2026. Join the movement!
At times, the scale of what we’re trying to do feels overwhelming.
We are bringing together street-connected young people from all over the world to play football, and through that, to win their identity rights. It’s a mad, beautiful scheme.
Most of the time, I genuinely believe that the whole world conspires with us to make it happen, that people everywhere are on the side of these young people. That’s been my experience of the Street Child World Cup time and time again.
But occasionally, defeat creeps in. The enormity of it all hits home, and I feel the weight of the responsibility.
Last week marked what would have been my dad’s 93rd birthday. He passed before the Street Child World Cup started, but he is always with me in this work.
He had a Palestinian college friend, John Rocha, who went on to become Mayor of Ramallah – a testament to dad’s global friendships. On his birthday, I found myself sitting on a bench in a graveyard, and through tears, of both love and despair, I told him the whole story. I came away with a sense of peace and relief, reminded that I am not alone in this.
I don’t just believe that the world conspires with us, I’m convinced the universe does too. My dad and my friend Adrian Reith (our first Chair, who also died too young), are part of a great cloud of witnesses, intervening on behalf of these young people in ways I don’t fully understand, but deeply feel.
I’m writing this from Mexico, a country where indigenous heritage runs deep and respect for ancestors is profound. The Day of the Dead is celebrated annually. It reminds us that our ancestors don’t just walk with us, but also act on our behalf when asked.
That resonates strongly right now.
Last week brought pure joy. We hosted UK-based journalists for a five-a-side tournament, alongside a discussion about the Street Child World Cup 2026.
We were joined by our friends from the Mexican Embassy in London, as well as Rashid Abbas from the West Ham United Foundation, who led the warm-up and games.
A big thank you to Griselda, Jessica, and Juan from the Mexican Embassy, who were with us on the pitch, at the reception, all in. Their support continues to be hugely valued and brings light to this journey.
A few weeks ago, my wife messaged to say a delivery had arrived and that our front room was floor-to-ceiling with 17 boxes of kit from Hummel.
On this trip to Mexico, I travelled with extra luggage and managed to pack several boxes into suitcases. Thankfully, none of it was picked up at customs!
This is a very familiar challenge for those of us working in sport for development.
It’s incredibly encouraging to see messages coming in from teams preparing across the world.
Our team leaders’ WhatsApp group is full of inspiring videos from Brazil, Bolivia, Malaysia and Indonesia.
The Bolivia footage stands out. You see huge mountains behind the pitch and realise just how extraordinary the geography is where some teams play. How they find flat ground for a football pitch sometimes feels beyond me.
This morning I spoke to our Brazil team leader. Their pitch sits at the top of an unpacified favela in Complexo do Alemão in Rio. Unpacified means gunfights still break out regularly with no consistent police presence.
A senior UK Embassy staff member here in Mexico mentioned she would be travelling to Rio. I suggested she visit the project. She’ll go with our brilliant project leader Adam Reid and young leader Drika.
She joked, “Don’t tell Suzanne, the Ambassador. I’d never get this through a risk assessment.”
Closing thought
As the clock ticks towards the start of Street Child World Cup 2026 and the pieces fall into place, we’re reminded of our anthem, “I am somebody”. To us it’s not just a strapline, it’s everything.
I can’t wait to share more from Mexico.
John