OUR children

At EL REFUGIO Children´s Home there are orphans and abandoned children, as well as boys and girls who cannot grow up with their families due to a special risk situation.

Many of our girls and boys were abused in various ways, others ran away from their homes and lived on the streets. Some were forced to beg for money and food in the street. In most cases, extreme poverty and drug or alcohol abuse made it necessary for the state to rescue these children.

All our children are referred to us by the Honduran Children and Family Institute IHNFA and the San Pedro Sula Juvenile Court. Usually, children are between the ages of five and 10 when coming to the home since we want to provide them a positive long-term development in a caring, loving environment. Government social workers regularly visit our home to make sure the children are treated adequately. In order to maintain and strengthen the family bonds, selected family members can visit the children at EL REFUGIO every Sunday afternoon. In very special cases children can spend some holidays with their families or relatives and friends.

Some of our children have been with us since the Home´s foundation in 1994. While the majority of our children come from the greater San Pedro Sula area, some come from as far as Trujillo (250 miles east of San Pedro Sula).

Currently, there are 15 groups of siblings at EL REFUGIO, which is a great advantage for them. The older children usually look after the younger ones, and not just their brothers and sisters. In general, our children are very affectionate and friendly. They have a very obvious need for attention and affection that our staff and volunteers strive to fill.

There are exactly as many boys as girls at the home. The average age of all children is 13. From the total of 70 children, 40 go to elementary school located on our premises and 27 go to Junior High and High School in Choloma, some 5 miles from EL REFUGIO. Our elementary school is also open to students from the village.