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La Paz Children's Home Goes Online
54 children in La Paz are hoping you and your computer will come visit them. Boys and Girls Town of La Paz (Ciudad de Los Ninos y Ninas) is going online this week with a new Web site that aims to raise awareness about the organization and the children.
The new Web site covers every aspect of daily life at the childrens home and has lots of photos to illustrate our kids' lives.
Www.lapazchildrenshome.org tells a story of a great organization that for 56 years has gathered, fed, clothed, educated and cared for the children that nobody seems to want. Our children come from all over the city and all over Baja. Some are homeless, some are recommended by rural parish priests and some are brought to the orphanage by parents or families who can no longer care for them. They range in age from 5 to 22 (the organization supports the children through college if they so choose). But all of them have found a loving home and family at Boys and Girls Town.
Every child here gets an education, and every child is taught values of honesty, respect and equality that will see him or her into a happy and productive adulthood. There's plenty of laughter and fun here too. The kids are kids, after all. If you come visit, don't let them sucker you into a soccer match...they'll trash you!
Boys and Girls Town is guided by the "Natividad of María" missionaries and the steady hand of Father Fernando Quezada Covarrubias who has been the organization's Rector for 12 of the past 17 years. His wisdom and deep desire to better the children's lives with love, respect and education has given the orphanage much-needed stability and a brighter future for the kids.
Unlike many children's homes both in the States and abroad, Boys and Girls Town has established a business which provides as much as 50% of our annual budget. This is the Imprenta or Print Shop. While many of our machines are old and in disrepair, our staff manages to put out an excellent product at a good price and the shop takes in business from all over the city. The shop also allows those older children who want to learn printing as a trade, to get some great hands on experience. Along with the proceeds from the Print Shop, we depend on donations from local businesses, charitable organizations, government and citizens.
But of course, even that is not enough. Like any big household, there is always something here that needs to be done. Boys and Girls Town has no shortage of projects that need doing in order to make it a better, safer, happier place to grow up.
Among the many projects is the roof of the Print and Mechanical shops. This roof has taken a beating over the years and is now dangerously weakened by general deterioration and rust. There are even some gaping holes. This not only threatens those who work in the shops, but also threatens to damage the presses, which would in turn drastically limit our income. The estimate to fix it is far beyond our means, of course. And so it goes. Hurricane season will be upon us in no time and we can only hope that we will fare well. You can read all about it at www.lapazchildrenshome.org/printshop.html
Right now we are beginning what we call the 100 x 100 Campaign. We are looking for 100 people to donate $100 to help us repair the kitchen. The stoves, refrigerators and other equipment are desperately in need of replacement and repair. Find out more at www.lapazchildrenshome.org/events.html
There are many other projects and needs at Boys and Girls Town - small, medium and large. You can find out more at www.lapazchildrenshome.org
We are hoping our new Web site will bring introduce us to the wider community and bring us many new friends. We invite you to stop by the site and learn more about us, and if you're in La Paz, stop by and visit - we're at the corner of 5 de Febrero and Revolucion. We'd like to get to know you better too.
If you visit our Web site, take a look at our kids. Their faces tell the story of what we do here. They have more than just a roof, food, clothes and a bed. They have a home where they are loved.
Click here to visit the Ciudad de Los Ninos Website
Publisher's Note: The BajaInsider provides free publicity for charitable events which support causes to which the publishers are sympathetic. We do not investigate the validity of our contributing charities and encourage our readers to check out any institution before making significant contributions. We also wish great success to all charities with sincere motivation.