Children of Camden: Where Are They Now?

Diane Sawyer has an update on Ivan, Billy Joe and Moochie.

ByABC News
November 1, 2007, 11:35 AM

Nov. 5, 2007— -- Nine months ago, "20/20" profiled three small citizens of Camden, N.J., one of the poorest and most dangerous communities in the nation. We chose three kids -- Ivan, Billy Joe and Moochie -- to follow because they're fighting so hard to get up and out of poverty.

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Ivan, Billy Joe and Moochie's stories represent those of 12.8 million other children living below the poverty line in the U.S. When we began following them two years ago, 4-year-old Ivan Stevens was homeless, living with his mother and brother in an illegal boarding house. All three slept together on one chair. Ivan told us he wanted to be Superman and find his family a house. He said, "When I see a house, then I get it." We went with Ivan to his first day of kindergarten -- he knew how to count to three, but had trouble when he was asked how many meals he eats a day.

We also met 17-year-old Billy Joe Marrerro, who was struggling to finish his senior year in high school and be the first in his family to get a high school diploma. He shared a three-bedroom house with his father, his four brothers, his sister and her two daughters. Electricity, heat and food were scarce. Billy slept on the floor in the living room and dreamed of being an actor or a musician. He sang us a song he wrote, "Father of the Century" as a tribute to his dad.

And then there was 6-year-old Moochie Rodriguez, who took us on a tour of her Camden playground, littered with needles and drug paraphernalia. "I need to go to college so I can get a job," she said. "And I'm going to graduate all the schools I go to. And I'll never quit." We watched as we saw her world at home crashing. First, she walked her brother to the juvenile detention center to serve time for attempted burglary, and then she said goodbye to her dad as he went into rehab for the fourth time.

Many of you reached out to these three children after the program aired. We will tell you how their lives have changed in the last nine months and introduce you to new children, still a tiny fraction of the many they represent who are struggling for basic needs, safety, and education in Camden and elsewhere in the nation.

In addition, New Jersey Governor Jon Corzine sat down with Diane Sawyer and our Camden kids to discuss what's gone wrong and what needs to be done to address the problems of the city.

Watch the story Friday on "20/20" at 10 p.m. EDT.