Provide care for 25 battered girls in Argentina

Hello Friends of the Hogar San José!

These last three months have been quite active at the Hogar.

We are very grateful that Candela, one of our 14 year old girls was adopted by Adriana, one of our care takers. They had  developed a very nice relationship over the years, and finally, the Argentine judicial system approved of the adoption. Candela still visits the home and continues attending the same school, but she goes home to her new family every day!

We had some volunteers who managed to get some placards and shelving for all the girls, as well as a corporation that donated the paint (Thank you Club Med!). Each of the girls was able to choose their favorite colours to paint the area around their bed and their new furniture! And both the volunteers and the girls shared the painting job!

At this point, 23 girls live at the home. All 23 are doing therapy (we had to get private psychologists since the public system does not provide individual therapy). It is a big expense but it is very important for the girls to heal their past family stories (most of them have been sexually exploited by their parents, not just abandoned). 

Next month we are celebrating the 15th birthday of 4 of the girls with a big party (in Argentina, when girls turn 15, its party time!). Generous donors have contributed with the catering, lending us a good venue, dresses, decoration, etc. And the excitement at the home is very noticeable. It is wonderful to watch the girls looking forward to their big day!

Summer is fast approaching and finantially speaking it is a difficult time of the year. Most of our benefactors and friends go away on holidays, and two of our funding sources diminish considerably (the kiosk that we run at the neighboring school, and the vintage clothing sale). That is why we are currently doing a raffle that helps us cover salaries for the summer. Each raffle is just under 2 US dollars and has 30 great prizes (fridge, tablets, microwave, electric kettle, etc) . In the past our friends that live abroad have helped us buying raffle tickets and if they win a prize they donate it to the girls caretakers, that do a marvelous job. We invite you to to the same, by making a one time donation of a few raffles.  

If you are in Argentina, we invite you to come visit us!

Thank you again for your ongoing support.

María Reynolds

Hello Friends of the Hogar San José!

The girls are doing well, studying hard and making friends at school. This year one girl was adopted and 11 girls were able to go live with a relative. Solcito celebrated her birthday (see picture) and our girls went to visit the city of Buenos Aires. 

Many of them are doing extra curricular activities (soccer, dancing, art classes) which helps them recover their self esteem and meet other children. Thanks to the generosity of our supporters, all of our girls are undergoing therapy to start healing their very difficult past experiences.

We are moving ahead with the fixing up at the Hogar, and pictures speak more than a thousand words! The girls bathroom is finished, 1 of our hot air heating unit is already working and the rest of the units are purchased but we still need the funds to finish the installation.

On Thursday July 18th, for every donation starting at 100 US$ or over, Global Giving is matching the funds. This means that donations go a long way! Your support means a lot to the girls at the Hogar San José. 

If you are in Buenos Aires, we invite you to come share a meal with the girls. 

Thank you for your ongoing support!

Sincerely,

María Reynolds 

Links:

• Clarins article describing the difficulties the Hogar is facing