Our Affiliated Site: Casa Hogar Santa Inés in Mexico City, Mexico

 

facts about Casa Hogar Santa Inés:

  • Ages served: Girls ages 3-11 (kindergarten through primary school) live in the Home during the week and return to their families on the weekends. All of the girls in attendance are either orphans or without one parent but must have a full-time family member as a guardian to attend the home.
  • Facility description: The brightly painted and well-kept Home offers a comfortable and safe place for children to grow and learn with ample space for outdoor and indoor activities. The Home has a cafeteria, dormitories, a library, and a computer lab, as well as an art room and media room.
  • Academic year: The girls attend one of two local schools – the younger girls attend a public school and the older girls attend a private school. School typically begins in mid-August and students enjoy summer vacation for two months starting in June. There is also a two-week winter break in December.
  • Counseling: Due to some of the trauma that the girls have faced living in poverty, the home provides weekly psychological counseling and monitors their well-being continuously.
  • Healthcare: A local dentist visits the Home once a week, and the girls’ health is regularly monitored by the Sisters.
  • Meals: The home serves nutritious meals for the five days a week in which they are in attendance at the Home.

 

Today, Mexico is the world’s tenth most populous nation — and largest Spanish-speaking country by population — with a growing, diversified economy and a relatively stable democratic government. However, despite the country’s wealth of culture, history, natural resources and beauty, many natives and immigrants are plagued by impoverished living conditions. Crime and murder rates in the country are high, and corruption and drug cartel activity are constant sources of concern despite efforts to eliminate them.

Mexico City is no exception to these maladies. Nearly four million people in Mexico City live in abject poverty with little or no help from the government with basic needs. Thankfully, for some young girls in the Coyoacán neighborhood of Mexico City and surrounding areas, our affiliated site, Casa Hogar Santa Inés, offers a much-needed refuge from dire circumstances. Girls in attendance are cared for and supervised by Sisters of the Franciscan Order of the Immaculate Conception, where they receive assistance and encouragement in a loving environment.