RELAF (Latin American Foster Care Network, for the Right to community and family- based care for children and adolescents) has promoted and supported the work of NGOs and governments to make the right of every child to live in a family and a community a reality since 2003. Its objective is to strengthen the network of regional stakeholders and influence the decisions of government authorities of all the branches and policy-makers to: contribute to the de-institutionalization of children and promoting foster care as a form of alternative care, and to prevent the separation of children from their families of origin. Its actions have an effect in the whole region, and it has carried out training and technical cooperation activities “on the field” for hundreds of NGOs and governments in 31 cities of 15 countries. It also elaborates pieces of research on the subject and has held international conferences (2007, 2009 y 2010) that had the participation of nearby 2000 attendants from 23 countries, and almost 100 exhibitions.
