Biography

Carlos Toledo dedicates his life to saving Guatemala’s youth. A 1991 winner of the Reebok Human Rights Award, Carlos runs Nuestros Derechos which provides children and young adults living on the streets with basic but critical essentials for living—food, clothing, legal help and shelter. Through the organization, Carlos is dedicated to helping children who call the streets home and who can only hope for day-to-day survival. Orphaned by civil strife or abandoned by parents too poor to feed themselves, more than 10,000 Guatemalan children suffer cruelty and hardship. Carlos provides them with both refuge and hope for the future. The 30 children he can house at any given time receive basic necessities and also learn skills necessary for gainful employment and reintegration into society. 

In addition to providing food to Guatemala City's street children, AND's shelter provides medical and legal referrals to approximately 30 at-risk youth. The two schools run by AND offer flexible hours for older teens working to help support themselves. Working with the judicial system, AND has influenced the criminal justice system to shift to a rehabilitative system providing programs that foster self-esteem, teach vocational skills, and prepare youth for a better life.