Our Affiliated Site: Iglesia Bautista de Metrópolis in Carolina, Puerto Rico

facts about Iglesia Bautista de Metrópolis:

  • Grades Served: 4th-11th grade students
  • Facility Description: The church building is a large structure with an auditorium, classrooms, and kitchen facility. The church yard is fenced and gated, allowing the children who attend the church, as well as those in the surrounding community, to have a safe place to play.
  • Education: The children attend local schools, which start each day at 8:00 a.m. and end at 3:00 p.m.
  • Extracurricular Activities: The children participate in after school activities such as arts and crafts, and some after school instruction, including assistance with homework, which is provided as needed and as available.
  • Nutrition: Children receive snacks at the church during the day.
  • Basic Needs: As with all of our affiliated sites, our volunteer coordinators determine the individual needs of each sponsored child, and those basic needs are provided to them on a regular basis. Items include but are not limited to clothing, shoes, bedding for the home, hygiene items, medications, eyeglasses, and school supplies — all which help them overcome the barriers they face coming from impoverished households.

Puerto Rico is an island, approximately 110 miles long by 35 miles wide with a population of roughly 3 million people. The weather in Puerto Rico averages around 80 degrees throughout most of the year, with the lowest temperature occasionally reaching 60 degrees. Despite the natural beauty of the area – lush tropical forests and crystal-clear waters – Puerto Rico is often the target of damaging storms, and its inhabitants are subject to abject poverty. A census report from 2019 found that as many as 43% of all Puerto Ricans live in poverty due to extremely high unemployment and lack of a governmental system that can provide for them. Sadly, 57% of children in Puerto Rico live in difficult situations without proper nutrition and lack the most basic of needs.

Organizations like our affiliated site, Iglesia Bautista de Metrópolis, are working to improve life for children and their families. Iglesia Bautista de Metropólis is an American Baptist church located in the municipality of Carolina, approximately 15 miles from San Juan, the historic capital city of Puerto Rico. The church, as well as its sister congregation, Misión Bautista Cristo Restaura, is community based. The staff and congregants are known for their outreach and generosity to the communities where they are located. Thanks to Children Incorporated sponsors, we are able to provide education and nutritional support to children living in poverty in the surrounding areas, giving them the opportunity to rise above the difficult socio-economic situation from which they come.