LOOKING FOR A SAFE PLACE
–“I ran away from home at the age of 12 because my mother physically mistreated me and I belonged to a dysfunctional family. I had to support myself through prostitution. At the age of 13 I was pregnant with nowhere to go, nowhere safe for me and my child. I had no one to turn to.” —
This is just one of the many stories of a young adolescent mother, victim of abuse, in conditions of extreme poverty, with no possibility of arising in her life, absolutely devoid of a safe place for herself and her children.
Wars, natural disasters, violence, sexual exploitation, physical abuse and extreme poverty, leave thousands of children deprived of a safe place every day worldwide. No matter what efforts are made to help meet the basic needs of children and to increase the opportunities that help them to reach their full potential, they seem to be insufficient.
For 14 years, we at Grano de Oro, have been close to many stories like the one above. Not able to ignore the growing problem, the owners of the Hotel founded and opened a home for adolescent mothers and their children – CASA LUZ. Since 2003 we have had the possibility to make a difference in the lives of many young mothers and their children and provide them with a safe place for them to grow up as well as to raise their children.
Funded by the hotel and with some help from the government, Casa Luz currently serves a population of 20 adolescent mothers and 22 children. We recently had our first set of twins born in Casa Luz!
We at Grano de Oro are deeply happy and grateful for the opportunity we have to offer these children and adolescents that safe place that we all desire, regardless of our age, but that is undoubtedly transcendental in the life of this vulnerable population. These children and their mothers who could be part of the worrying statistics, today are with us, receiving love, security and hope for their future.
Many more are wandering around…looking for that safe place. We at Casa Luz and Grano de Oro desire to reach many more.
If you would like more information on Casa Luz or on the programs we have put in place, or for information on how you can help and tax free donations contact us by email at [email protected] or visit the Casa Luz website www.casaluz.org
