After volunteering with his wife (our Director Alejandra) at Dorie’s Promise for many years, Selvyn joined our staff last summer as our Administrative Director. We’d love for you to learn more about him and the amazing impact he has in our home.

When did you start working at Dorie’s Promise and what is your role?

I started in July 2022 as the Administrative Director. I oversee the functioning of our houses both financially and organizationally, bookkeeping, infrastructure, and procedures. One of my primary projects is maintenance of all the houses. I used to work in a government office advising the Ministry of Public Finances.

What motivated you to work at Dorie’s?

Around 2021, I realized there was an administrative need. I wanted to help and began asking God to guide me and here I am.

Besides the administrative work, I’ve known Brayan since he was a young boy and wished to be his mentor. I want to support the kids and help prepare them for adulthood, to empower them.

What finally convinced me was seeing the influence Brayan had on the younger boys who see him as a role model and wish to be like him when they grow up. I feel a need to prepare him with English lessons and schoolwork so he can begin auto mechanic studies. The pandemic slowed this down for Brayan. He has been taking English lessons for six months. I want to help him with his life plan just like I do with my own kids.

What is the greatest challenge you’ve faced so far?

Multiplying oneself. The children demand attention.

Also, not breaking the promise of “we’ll do this tomorrow”.

Teaching limits to the children and consequences of doing right or wrong.

Teaching them that you have different missions. For example, I’ve been teaching music lessons to some of them. Piano, guitar, and singing. This takes time so that’s the greatest challenge.

I also play basketball with them for 30 minutes a day, this activity involves more kids than music which is one-on-one. I make it a habit to have an activity with them every day and talk to them while we’re at it. We talk about God’s word, obedience, rules, and limits. I take every chance I get to teach them something like respect and boundaries.

Harmony. This is a great challenge, but God is working.

Now that we know about the challenges, what is the easiest thing about your job?

I would say stopping what I’m doing and giving the children my full attention. It’s very easy for me to dedicate myself to them.

What do you like best about this new job?

Compared with my old job, the impact I have here is more direct. I’m adding more. Before, I was indirectly benefiting the country because it was more political. And now, the beneficiary is direct and immediate. Now, I can do all the things I’ve been wanting to do at Dorie’s Promise but couldn’t because I didn’t have the time.

You seem to have a lot of expertise, what has been the most useful at Dorie’s Promise?

I am an economist; this allows me to see many ways that we can save money with preventive maintenance like weatherproofing the houses, the cameras, and water cistern maintenance. Also, I have specialized in Project Management like quality standards and user satisfaction. I didn’t see how this would be a good fit for this job, but it is. I oversee the house’s infrastructure, maintenance, procedure manuals, finances, and accounting. It’s useful with gardening, hydraulic systems, water, electricity, and such. It provides an extra to the organization.

What are you most proud of about your work?

My work with Brayan. I’ve known him since he was a young boy. He has been to our house, and we’ve shared a lot. I feel that I’ve been an influence on his lifestyle, even in details such as his appearance. It’s different from the Special Mothers’ influence because it comes from a man. I want to get him to the next level. At church, I used to coach young men, but they were coming from families. Brayan only has me and Abel.

It’s different with the girls but I still get to do something with them. Nayeli is taking piano lessons with me. Ana is singing and studying music theory. Myra was learning guitar but stopped because her university studies are getting more demanding. I learned music when I was young and never imagined how far it would take me. Nayeli is a very talented musician; I believe her talent is promising and hadn’t been discovered before.

Is there anything you would like to add?

Yes. If we want our actions to have an impact and meaning, there must be a sacrifice. I was doing well at my old job, making a good income. I offered this new job to God, as a sacrifice to make an impact on children’s lives. Good things come at a price.

I would like to tell people we are working hard and doing our best to make everything work for the betterment of our children.