HOGAR'S KIDS

Armando
This 13-year old comes to Hogar Infantil from a remote village in the hills outside of Ocuilapa, Chiapas. His loving but very poor family is of Tzotzil decent, a local indigenous group, and Armando proudly speaks both his native Tzotzil and Spanish. As Armando finished elementary school in his village, he knew he wanted to continue on to secundaria and his parents very much wanted the same for him. But, their location made this a tremendous challenge.   more...

Julia
“I came to live at Hogar Infantil almost 9 years ago with my older brother and sister. I was 4 years old. We had lived in a nearby village in a one-room home with no furniture except two beds. My Mom got sick with cancer and couldn’t care for us, and our Dad was always drunk and not much of a caregiver. He squandered away any money people gave us for our mother on whisky, and he began looking for ways to make money, even at the expense of our well-being.  But, Hogar Infantil’s director at the time heard about us from another family from our village who had a child living there.  more...

The Triplets
The three boys, age seven and their older brother, age eight have been through a great deal of pain for their few years. In 2005 their mother was killed and they were left to live with their father, who died one year later of AIDS. Their grandparents took them in and have tried their best to care for them, but their grandfather’s drinking problem and their grandmother’s tiresome work schedule created a home environment that was not stable.  more...

Miguel
Miguel is a boy who came to Hogar Infantil in 2005. He hails from the state of Quintana Roo in the Yucatan Peninsula. He lived in Ciudad De Playa and later moved with his father to Chetumal where they lived with his step-mother. One day his father went off to work and never returned. Miguel was left alone with a woman who showed him no love. Instead she mistreated and beat him often. Miguel longed for a better home and love.  more...

Lucia
“My parents divorced when I was very young and it was hard for either of them to provide for me and my 11 brothers and sisters. When I was nine years old, my father brought me to Hogar Infantil so I could have a chance to continue my schooling. Five years ago my younger sister came to live here, too – she is in middle school, and I love being with her every day. I see my family when I go to my hometown about an hour away from here, or sometimes my father comes to visit and volunteers to do a little grounds maintenance for Hogar.  more...

Rosana and Pedro
Meet Hogar Infantil’s newest brother-sister pair, coming from nearby Ocozocoautla. Rosana is 7 years old and in the second grade, and Pedro is 5 years old and in kindergarten. Their father left their mother, and she had no choice but to look for a job to support their three children. She ended up getting a job as a dental assistant with Hogar’s very own graduate, Dr. René. It was obvious to him that she was working hard to make ends meet but having a difficult time of it. He suggested to her that she inquire at Hogar to see if they would take in her two oldest children, Rosana and Pedro.  more...

Disclaimer:  For the children's protection and privacy, actual names and pictures are not used in these stories. Some of the stories are in the children's own words.