“I-I’ve never had hot food like this before. . . when I finish my plate, am I allowed to have more?” His big brown eyes looked up at his caregiver, his shy question floating between them.
“Of course you can have more!” Martiza, his caregiver and “house mom,” said, putting her arm gently on his shoulder. “Here, you can eat until you feel full every day, and there is always going to be enough.”
Before coming to stay at a partnering children’s home, Alejandro* grew up on the streets of one of the poorer neighborhoods in Monterrey. Alejandro’s time was his own, with only a distant uncle to occasionally look after him. His access to physical needs and safety were limited. Several other boys from the same neighborhood lived at a partnering children’s home and when staff did home visits, Alejandro started asking questions.
“He was always curious when we made visits, so we started bringing extra snacks with us for him,” shared a staff member. After making a connection with them, Alejandro asked the big question – “can I come live at the home, too?”
Staff did their due diligence, asking about Alejandro’s situation and realized he was relatively alone, surviving on his own. Everyone who was involved agreed the best place for the young boy would be the partnering children’s home. He had no prior education, and staff homeschooled him for several months to get him caught up academically.
Alejandro has grown leaps and bounds – both literally and figuratively. He is learning new words everyday, taking on science, math, and history lessons, eating his fill, looking healthier, and is the first to welcome new visitors or children to the home. This emotional growth, alone, is the power of consistent, family-style care, and the result of his felt-safety.
His young life is in transformation as he learns the power of asking for what he needs, trusting he will be cared for, and becoming the young man God created. Advocacy, sponsorship, and faithful prayer make stories of change like Alejendro’s possible.