Give a Home to a Child in need from Cartagena

Hello friends of GlobalGiving, it is with love and respect that we would like to share with you everything that our Fundación Dones de Misericordia has been doing to rescue children from street life in the city of Cartagena. Below please refer to the progress we have made:

We would like to thank in a very special way each one of the people who with their big hearts have contributed with their donations to guarantee the quality of life to all the children who have been rescued from the streets. On behalf of each one of them thank you for making their dream of having a family come true because they together create the home they never had.

We would like to share with you that in the last months our children have developed various skills, among them those of making crafts such as key chains made in different materials. With the sale of each keychain, they learn to be useful and disciplined thus saving each profit for their education and leaving a nice memory in those who take these beautiful accessories that represent different animals. 

LIFE STORY 

Elias is a 17-year-old who came to the streets and experienced its loneliness. His obsession with video gaming machines led him repeatedly to steal money that his mother earned with much sacrifice and to such an extent that one day he left her without having any money to feed her family and then he ran away from home.

After some time he was found by a special police unit (created to protect children and adolescents) in a state of dehydration which was treated at a health care center. Then, because he did not know where his family was, he was referred to the Fundación Dones de Misericordia where he was taking in and provided a home in which he began a process with the entire multidisciplinary team, improving his behaviors and aggressiveness. The teenager is already studying and with the opportunity to move forward and changing his way of thinking. Elias today thanks to all the people who have made it possible for him to become a man of good faith and understanding. That being in need is not an excuse to choose the wrong path and that the streets are not designed for children to live. He dreams of being able to do for other children what others have done for him.

Hello, Friends of Global Giving.

With love and respect, we would like to share with you everything that our foundation, Fundación Dones de Misericordia, has been doing to rescue children and families from extreme poverty in Cartagena, Colombia, the story of Daniel, and the goal we are hoping to accomplish before the end of the year. 

Below you will find the most current statistics of the impact we are making in the communities we serve:

• 25 children and adolescents’ rights were restored.
• 60% were academically leveled and linked with the school system in agreement with the department of education, educational institution Crisanto Luque; a shared measure with Fundación Aluna.
• 40% of children and adolescents achieved outstanding results in 3rd, 4th, 5th grades
• 95% improved their adaptive behaviors
• 3 cases of psychoactive substance abuse were intervened and rehabilitated
• 90% of families showed improvement in their relationships
• 90% of families were involved in their child’s process.
• 100% recovered nutritionally
• Only 0.5% abandoned the program
• Throughout the year 3068 children and adolescents were rescued and protected, for a total of 1300 impacted families

LIFE STORY DANIEL

Daniel was born on December 13, 2002. Daniel is the second born of five children in his family, supported primarily by his mother, who is separated from his father. With different partners throughout the years, she has had more children, with her current partner. They live in a room (illegally seized land), of a house built with wooden boards, the small area is not suitable for a large family. The family lives with low financial resources, the mother who bears most of the responsibility of the home, seeks livelihood as a street vendor and his stepfather as a bike taxi driver, informal city transport; both of which are unprofitable jobs to meet the basic needs of the family.

Daniel first entered the Dones de Misericordia Foundation in 2016 through the program: Rincón de Los Dones, a Semi-internal program where he managed to complete elementary school in a program of flexible methodology/acceleration of learning; after having finished the protection measure, he returns home. Shortly after he returns to the foundation in 2018, as a part of the boarding program, for the following reasons: street life and violation of the right to education. It is important to highlight that since childhood he has lived in protective institutions.

During his tenure at the foundation, he has stood out for his perseverance, breaking with the pattern of generations not accessing education, which can lead to difficulties in obtaining formal employment, and leadership, being the representative of his peers in the institutional government and constantly guiding them in the exercise of rules of coexistence.

Currently, he is in the sixth grade, his short and long term goals are to finish high school and study graphic design as a professional career.

The 16-year-old is noble-hearted and his desire to succeed has been reflected through his academic performance, artistic talent, and sporting skills.

Daniel is very grateful to the foundation and all of those who support, Fundación Dones de Misericordia, for everything he has been given and he admits that if he had not entered the program he would be on the streets.

A DREAM WE HOPE TO FULFILL FROM THE END OF THIS YEAR

For several years, the House of Gifts has served as our boarding home, to house 28 children from life on the streets. The house has allowed our children to have a safe, educational, and supportive environment where their rights have been restored. The House of Gifts has been in a leasing mode and the owners put the house up for sale. This means that if we don't raise the money to purchase the house, our little ones will have to leave the house that has been their home. We are calling on all of our friends of Global Giving to help us with the purchase of the house where our children have education, nutritional care, healthcare, recreation and most importantly of a family environment. Being able to purchase the house, would grant us the opportunity to fulfill more of our dreams and set new goals; some of which are to, make improvements to the house and to expand the facilities to receive more children who are at risk in the face of the dangers of the street. We have faith that together we can achieve this dream!