Poverty and conflict always strikes children, the future of any community, the hardest. In Chihuahua, thousands of families have been torn apart, thousands of homes have been broken, and thousands of children are growing up in less than dignified conditions. As an organization driven by vision, investment, direction, and love, our goal is to positively impact the future by raising a generation of leaders.
When we hear about a child in need, we analyze its particular situation: while every child deserves a quality education and a loving home, we cannot take all of them. “Is this child needy?” is a tough question to answer. By opening our home and hearts to the neediest of the needy, we break a cycle: each child that we embrace is a child that may have otherwise grown up illiterate, impoverished, and without a pious community, but instead is growing up to be one of Chihuahua’s generation of leaders. Once the admittance of a child has been approved by our team, we focus on three areas to address every need of the child:
- We rescue– the first step toward lasting positive change is to remove the child from its traumatic environment and to admit it into our home in Santa Lucía. Upon arrival, each child receives clean clothes and a bed of its own. A doctor will perform a full check-up and our teachers will evaluate the child’s academic knowledge. Then, the new member of our family will be placed in an adequate classroom and the most important work can begin.
- We restore– in our loving and caring home at Santa Lucía, our children find a family that satisfies their basic needs, a private schooling system that goes far beyond academic knowledge, and a safe environment to grow, play and be kids. With the dedication of our staff, truly positive role models, we work through the individual traumatic experiences, learn to look ahead, and work towards a bright future.
- We equip– special moral values instruction, football practice, English classes, crochet, music or dance lessons and a barn yard full of animals are only a few of the unique learning experiences to which our children have access. Thanks to a small army of volunteers and organizations, our children receive the tools to grow up to the responsible, pious and productive citizens through a one of a kind practical education.
Every day at Vida 180, every hour offered by a volunteer, and every dollar contributed makes a difference in the lives of the most vulnerable. Thank you for being part of this grand mission!