Our Affiliated Site: The Santa Clotilde Home in Santa Cruz, Bolivia

 

facts about the Santa Clotilde Home:

  • Ages Served: 3–18 years of age
  • Education: Children here attend local public schools but also receive vocational training at the Home in such areas as sewing, needlework, crafts and baking so that they will become self-sufficient adults.
  • Academic Year: Typically begins in early February and ends in early December. Students enjoy summer break from mid-December through the end of January and a two-week winter break in July.
  • Operation: Dedicated nuns have kept the orphanage going with a small subsidy from Bolivia’s Child Welfare Department (equivalent to $2/day per girl) and occasional local gifts. Children Incorporated’s sponsorship program is vital to the home and has even enabled its expansion over the years.
  • Nutrition and Health: Children receive three meals a day and receive care from staff (a doctor, social worker and psychologist are all available as needed), as well as access to a local dental clinic.
  • Community Outreach: The nuns at Santa Clotilde strive to instill in the girls a sense of solidarity, putting them in contact with others in need in the community — poor children, families in need and the elderly who live alone — through volunteer projects. The nuns also provide nutritional assistance to local boys and girls through a rural school located in the nearby village of Kora Kora.

The small, landlocked nation of Bolivia comprises rugged Andes Mountains and vast, high-altitude plateaus to the west (including a portion of Lake Titicaca, the largest high-altitude lake in the world) and lush, lowland plains of Amazon jungle to the east. Despite its wealth of natural beauty and resources, Bolivia bears the scars of centuries of conflict, beginning with the Spanish conquistadors and followed by almost 200 years of wars and internal military coups. Political and economic instability have brought about considerable poverty, resulting in widespread malnutrition, crime and disease. Sucre, Bolivia’s constitutional capital, retains much of the remnants of Spanish colonialism, including many buildings erected by the conquistadors and the second-oldest university in Latin America. However, it is no exception to the poverty that plagues the rest of the nation.

Founded in the late 19th century, the Santa Clotilde Home has long served as a safe haven for destitute and orphaned girls of Sucre. The nuns who operate the home provide the girls with accommodations, nutritious meals and skills training. Thanks to the nuns’ dedication and the assistance of Children Incorporated sponsors, these children now lead pleasant and wholesome lives. Their immediate basic needs are met, allowing them the opportunity to rise above the difficult circumstances from which they come.