When the Center Is Everywhere: Building a Community Network of Safe Spaces in Maracaibo, Venezuela (2026)

In Maracaibo, Venezuela, Save the Children applied frugal innovation principles to transform a planned single safe space into “Mundo Feliz” — a multicentric network of five existing community spaces coordinated under one shared child protection model. Rather than building new infrastructure, the team used participatory mapping with children and community leaders to identify and connect spaces already trusted and used by children, investing in skills, relationships, and simple tools instead of construction. The result is a striking example of doing more with less: a self-sustaining, community-owned protection network that continues operating more than a year after project closure — with no new buildings, and no ongoing external funding.