Children need the love of a family, even if they don’t have one. In Guatemala, children face even more uncertainty due to adoptions being closed in 2008. Today, there are more than 5,000 orphaned and abandoned children living in orphanages throughout Guatemala. Just when these vulnerable children need family the most, they are often turned over to state-run orphanages, which are overcrowded, understaffed and provide little care or nurturing.
But there is hope, thanks to hogares.
Hogares are small, privately run homes that are licensed to care for orphaned and abandoned children in Guatemala. Like a family home, these hogares are staffed with experienced childcare workers who give children love, care, protection and stability.
Wide Horizons For Children partners with two exceptional hogares. Hogar de niños Fátima, founded in 2002, is home to 40 children ages 0-18 years. Hogar Luz De Maria, founded in 2004, is home to 41 children ages 0-10 years.
These hogares are redefining the concept of orphanages. They offer loving environments where children can thrive and heal from earlier traumas. When children enter the hogares, they are welcomed into a nurturing family, which is crucial to becoming happy, healthy and productive members of their communities. They stay as long as they need care.
Hogar Fátima and Luz de Maria have each cared for more than 1,000 children.
