This past week we took a 4 day trip to Aguascalientes, México to visit an orphanage called Sweet Refuge (Dulce Refugio). We had an amazing time with the kids and staff!
The orphanage was built by a group of Canadian churches. They are currently constructing the boy's house and various offices on the land. We had the opportunity to talk with the construction crew and the general contractor about the design of the orphanage. It was a blessing to see how organized they are in the design and how they run the orphanage day to day.
We also had the opportunity to have various meetings with the director of the orphanage. We got to talk with her about the various aspects of running an orphanage. She also shared her experiences working with the kids, staff, government, schools, etc. She is very excited for our project and was able to give us some good insights in our planning. She is excited to come over to Guadalajara once we have our orphanage to learn from us.
We also were able to talk with the various staff at the orphanage to get a true feeling of the needs that exist in an orphanage for the kids and staff alike. I had the opportunity to drive with a staff member to pick up the kids from school, so I got to talk to her about how they interact with the schools and teachers and everything education related.
While in Aguascalientes Lorena and I had the opportunity to talk with Anna, a Mexican woman who grew up in the orphanage we visited in Pan de Vida in Queretaro. It was so insightful to talk with her to hear her perspective as a girl growing up in an orphanage to a woman who helps run an orphanage. She was able to speak wisdom into our lives as women going into orphan work. What a blessing to be able to talk to her and express our concerns and questions.
Government Conference with Institutions that work with Children and Youth:
Our team was invited to attend a conference put on by the government for organizations working with children and youth (mostly orphanages). It was really interesting to hear from the panel of orphanage directors at the end of the conference. The directors expressed their concerns and problems that they have with various organizations within the government. I think that it really opened our eyes to what it is going to look like working with the government.
The orphanage was built by a group of Canadian churches. They are currently constructing the boy's house and various offices on the land. We had the opportunity to talk with the construction crew and the general contractor about the design of the orphanage. It was a blessing to see how organized they are in the design and how they run the orphanage day to day.
We also had the opportunity to have various meetings with the director of the orphanage. We got to talk with her about the various aspects of running an orphanage. She also shared her experiences working with the kids, staff, government, schools, etc. She is very excited for our project and was able to give us some good insights in our planning. She is excited to come over to Guadalajara once we have our orphanage to learn from us.
We also were able to talk with the various staff at the orphanage to get a true feeling of the needs that exist in an orphanage for the kids and staff alike. I had the opportunity to drive with a staff member to pick up the kids from school, so I got to talk to her about how they interact with the schools and teachers and everything education related.
While in Aguascalientes Lorena and I had the opportunity to talk with Anna, a Mexican woman who grew up in the orphanage we visited in Pan de Vida in Queretaro. It was so insightful to talk with her to hear her perspective as a girl growing up in an orphanage to a woman who helps run an orphanage. She was able to speak wisdom into our lives as women going into orphan work. What a blessing to be able to talk to her and express our concerns and questions.
