More than that, though, we give these kids new dreams. Dreams that, if they work hard and follow our teachings, will take them far beyond the cramped spaces and dark places they’ve known.
Casa de Sueños was founded over ten years ago by a woman who grew up in the tenements of Medellin. Lorena Vasquez recalls her childhood days as poor, alone, locked up for her safety, and afraid. Things happened there that she would prefer not to remember.
But Lorena was determined to create a better life. In Lorena’s own words: “My resolve was clear: I would never again find myself trapped in a tenement.”
She worked hard, earned a university scholarship, studied accounting, and emerged as a Public Accountant. Lorena went on to become a director of a large program, supervising over 100 employees and having over 500 children in her charge.
Despite her success and accomplishments, Lorena felt God had a different plan for her. She dreamed of creating a high-quality program for children and young women that would help break the cycle of poverty that overwhelms the city of Medellin.
So she founded Casa de Sueños and, for two years, developed, tested, and revised two programs to help the children of the tenements.
The Childhood Program of Casa de Sueños accepts kids from the tenements (”inquilinatos”) who are between 6 and 12 years old.
In this program, the children:
The Helping Hand Program of Casa de Sueños accepts young women between the ages of 16 and 22 who have experienced drug abuse, sexual abuse, and sexual violence.
In this program, the young women:
Both of our programs have been awarded prestigious international awards from the Konecta Foundation in Madrid. Not only that, the city of Medellin has recognized Casa de Sueños with the highest rating for any charitable foundation in Medellin.
Even a small donation will make this story come true for one child more .
