Seven-year-old Natividad Sánchez Ventura is the youngest of ten children, and their daily life is predictably chaotic. After school, Natividad and her siblings return home where their mother is either cooking or washing clothes. Their father uses this time to make house calls as an electrician.

Until recently, this routine posed a challenge for their family: What kind of safe and secure activity can the children do in the afternoon?

Everything changed the day the family received the invitation from the Mayor’s Office in San Marcos for their children to attend free swimming lessons at the Cutacuzcat Recreational Center.

The swimming coach, Wilson Galán, says that the sport came naturally to Natividad and her siblings. “Their results took me by surprise because in two months they had already mastered all the styles pretty well,” he says. The children have now accumulated a collection of 47 medals they have won in different local and national competitions.

Sport and recreational activities are just one part of a comprehensive violence prevention strategy in the municipality, for which UNICEF is working closely with the San Marcos Mayor’s Office. The strategy includes child protection and development components, as well as educational workshops that teach children and parents about non-violence and strengthening family ties.

Read the full article about encouraging youth development through sport by UNICEF.