A young man looked around the bathroom he would soon share with three other teen boys in his new home. He looked at his soon-to-be Hope Parents and asked quietly, “Is there any way we could put a shelf on the wall to house our toiletries?” Holistic care ensures children and teens from hard places… Read more
The pain Javier* had mentioned earlier to his Hope mom had intensified. He cradled his cheek in his hand and groaned loudly enough for her to notice. “It’s worse, Javier?” she asked with concern. He nodded slowly. She reached out to fellow staff member, Anna McCambridge, who helps with Back2Back’s medical program. Together, they made… Read more
Katharina turned, surprised, as the girl’s laugh rang into the air. It was a sound she hadn’t heard in a long time from one of the girls in her home. Esther* is now a teen, but when she first came in 2012, she was, as Katharina describes her, a “wild and quite happy girl.” “Esther… Read more
After a year of a global pandemic, Back2Back staff recently welcomed four young ladies back “home” to campus! Schools are slowly opening back up for in-person classes across India, which means children are returning to campus to be with each other and the staff who have become like family over the years. At the beginning… Read more
Jose Luis watched Andres* slowly withdraw into himself. The usually vibrant, social young man grew quieter over the weeks of mandated quarantine. With each new cancellation of something he loved, Andres grew more despondent. Mazatlán was feeling the effects of the virus sweeping globally, leaving adults unemployed and children and teens idle. For Andres, music… Read more
“Jesus said…. Go instead to my brothers and tell them, ‘I am ascending to my Father and your Father, to my God and your God.’” John 20:17 Women were the first witnesses at the resurrection and right away this tells us something about Jesus. He doesn’t look at people how man does. The culture would’ve looked over… Read more
A normally clamorous basketball court sits empty and orange balls sit idle outside the Back2Back Cincinnati Academy downtown. The teens are waiting patiently inside for another type of game – one sitting opposite a safe adult over a cream and brown checkered board. Chess may seem like an unlikely after-homework activity, but it has been… Read more
Self-regulation is a tool every Back2Back Cincinnati staff member is equipped and ready to offer the teens they serve. While the phrase itself may sound complicated, how to reach self-regulation can actually be easy. For the children and teens in Cincinnati, it starts with mints and gum. When a child who is dysregulated chews on… Read more
After many weeks of sheltering in place, Samuel*, an only child in the Strong Families Program, wanted to plan an afternoon with his mom. He envisioned going with her to a place with views of the city and its mountains, and he wanted someone trustworthy to be their “driver” for the evening. Samuel and his… Read more
The Canaan community, across the busy stretch of highway from the Back2Back Haiti campus, has long received the fruits of relief efforts and donations. When the land was first purchased, staff dreamt of a day when they would work alongside families in the community and establish relationships and sustainability. Today, this vision is a reality…. Read more