After such a wonderful visit to Casa Santa Ines in Mexico City, I couldn’t wait for our President and CEO Ron Carter to see our next affiliated site, Santa Julia, which was a four-hour bus ride away in San Miguel de Allende.
Ron, our International Programs Specialist Yefiny, and I arrived in San Miguel in the late afternoon with the plan of meeting with Lily, who works in the administrative offices of Santa Julia, the day after. We were able to get a good night’s rest, and the following morning, Lily picked us up at the hotel in a van that is used to transport the children who live at the home to and from school.
We made the short drive to Santa Julia, hidden in a small neighborhood not far from the center of San Miguel de Allende, tucked away safely behind a large security door and tall concrete walls that surround the property.
Learning about the girls
As we drove, Lily explained to Luis and Yefiny that the government chooses which children live at Santa Julia, and at most, they can host up to 30 girls, who may stay for as little as two days or for as long as until they reach 18 years of age and can legally live on their own. These girls are coming from the most unfortunate circumstances, said Lily, as they are forcibly removed from their parents due to abuse, drug use, or other criminal activity. Many of them won’t ever see their parents again. At the time of our visit, there were only 14 girls at the home, ages 4 to 17 years old, and a few of them had already been there for many years.
After entering through the large gates of the property, we saw a few girls sitting on a bench in the courtyard. Lily explained that because today was the Inauguration Day of the new president in Mexico, the children were not in school and, therefore, were available to visit with us all day! We greeted them warmly and then began to tour the vast facility of Santa Julia.
A tour of Santa Julia
First, Lily took us to see the dorms, separated by age, on each of the three floors of the building. We also saw the kitchen, dining room, art room, library, classrooms, laundry room, and the administrative offices of the staff that work at Santa Julia. All the girls in attendance go to local public schools that are only 10 minutes away by car, and after school and on the weekends, they enjoy activities such as gardening, horticulture, tennis, and classes in baking and cosmetology.
Lily expressed that the staff at Santa Juila felt it was important that the girls find skills they can be excited about early in their development because many of them will be on their own when they reach legal adult age. If they find hobbies they enjoy while growing up at the home, they might be able to use those skills, like cooking and gardening, to find employment later, which is something that will help them immensely with being independent once they leave Santa Julia. Lily explained that she worries about the older girls who don’t have anywhere to go once they leave the home, and she wants them to be as perpared as possible for living on their own and taking care of themselves.
It was a lot to let sink in thinking about how these girls don’t have a family to return to — but, thanks to the care they receive at Santa Julia and the support from their Children Incoproated sponsors; they don’t have anything to worry about while they are growing up. Surrounded by a loving staff and other children who are like sisters to one another, each of these girls can concentrate on learning and just being kids in a loving environment.
After our tour ended, the girls gathered together to say goodbye with a song and then happily got back to playing, reading, or doing homework around the property. We said our goodbyes to Lily as well, who thanked us and our sponsors profusely for everything we are able to do to help these otherwise vulnerable children have a safe upbringing.
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How do I sponsor a child with Children Incorporated?
You can sponsor a child in one of three ways: call our office at 1-800-538-5381 and speak with one of our staff members; email us at sponsorship@children-inc.org; or go online to our sponsorship portal, create an account, and search for a child that is available for sponsorship.