Casa Hogar Santa María Goretti, a home for 40 girls in Carora, Venezuela

The Obra Misionera de Jesús y María devotes all their efforts to supporting those most in need, and one of those places is the Casa Hogar Santa María Goretti, a shelter where homeless young girls and adolescents are looked after and given care and affection for the first time in their lives.

Given the food shortages and hardships Venezuela is currently experiencing, and particularly in Carora, getting hold of products to cover these children’s basic needs is no easy task. They are forced to travel to other towns and even to the border with Colombia in order to find everything they need. Getting toothpaste, shampoo, soap and any other kind of hygiene products is an achievement in itself, to say nothing of finding basic foodstuffs. And when they do find such products, the high prices means they have to try to ensure that what little money they do have covers everything.

Spousal conflict and parental absence or incompetence means  children end up being abandoned and in the majority of cases, brought to this home either directly by their families, by court order or at the behest of other official bodies.

At this home they receive the kind of affection their families never showed them, they learn to live together in a family full of love and to take care of their hygiene and health. They receive intellectual and emotional education and strengthen their self-esteem. Personal growth, health and the happy coexistence of these girls is plain for all to see. They feel that they finally belong somewhere. At the Casa Hogar santa María Goretti 40 young girls feel cared for and protected and have the opportunity to rebuild their lives.