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Joe Donroe

Alumnus & Student A98, MD/MPH, 07

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Backpacking through Asia, Africa and Latin America after college, Joe Donroe was struck by the plight of the street children—abandoned, impoverished, addicted and abused. A star athlete at Tufts, Donroe went on to found LimaKids, an innovative, hands-on program that uses organized soccer to help hundreds of themost marginalized children in Peru's capital city gain confidence, self-esteem, trust, self-discipline, and hope.

Tufts People

“We know how to treat the street children’s TB and malnutrition. But arguably the most significant problem for these kids is mental health, and addressing that is much less clear; every single one of them has been abused in some way. Through soccer, they build a shield of self-worth that protects them against depression and anxiety and allows them to imagine a future beyond the orphanage or the street. In the developing world, the problem of street children is nearly universal—and I think we’ve got a pretty good model to help them.”