By Kelly Shank –

Safety in our home, comfort from our staff, careful attention to medical and psychological needs, and fierce passion for justice are the foundations of what our children experience when they enter Dorie’s Promise. These are the ideals we strive for but without staff who share our vision we could never provide the high quality care found in our home. We rely on a large network of employees and volunteers to make our home run—everyone from the Special Mothers, cooks, maintenance workers, and office staff in Guatemala to our stateside staff and volunteers who manage our mission teams, finances, and website. A very large village raises our children.

In honor of Labor Day, we want to highlight our Guatemalan office staff.

Although these ladies are rarely seen by trip participants they play a vital role in the lives of our children. This tightly knit group is the force that quietly manages our home. They welcome new children, guard our children’s stories, fight for their rights in court, manage their care, and keep our home running daily. Everything involving our children happens because these women have dedicated themselves to Dorie’s Promise. Combined, their individual talents create a team whose focus is maintaining a home that best meets the needs of each child.

Alejandra Diaz, Director:

Alejandra is the heart of Dorie’s Promise. The love of God and family that she was taught by her parents has guided her career and how she manages our home. The children of Dorie’s Promise have made a profound impact on Alejandra. One of her favorite memories is of accompanying a young girl to her court hearing. The girl was shaking and afraid but when Alejandra reached down to hug her the girl hugged back tightly. In that moment she realized just how important the staff is and the opportunity they have to change the life of each child who enters our home.

Jessica Godoy, Legal Assistant:

Many trip participants will remember Jessica as the bubbly Team Leader who helped organize all of the fun activities with the children at Dorie’s Promise. Like her mother, Jessica was trained as a teacher and she enjoys interacting with our children. After completing her law degree, Jessica became our Legal Assistant and now dedicates her skills to defending the rights of the children in our care. Her passion is our children.

Cecilia Orozco, Psychologist:

Cecilia combines her professional training as an adolescent psychologist and special needs teacher with her genuine passion for our children. She loves to work with each child to find the one word, hug, or smile that makes a difference in their life and brings them joy. She loves working with our team to help our children create goals for their future. Cecilia’s work helps to guide the emotional recovery of our children.

Sigrid Soberanis, Administrative Assistant:

One of the first people that children meet when they come to Dorie’s Promise is Sigrid. Her love of our children is evident every day as she spends time with them. Thanks to her love of organization, she helps keep our office running well, helping everyone else be even more successful. She makes all of our visitors feel welcome and is even trilingual. She would like to see Dorie’s Promise grow so that she can welcome even more children.

Miriam Ajcu, Human Resources:

The children at Dorie’s Promise are Miriam’s favorite part of her job. During Miriam’s first year working in our home she bonded with a baby girl named Valentina. Miriam sees her time with Valentina as a gift because she was able to help care for her until a Guatemalan family adopted her. She hopes that more people will learn about the important work that is being done at Dorie’s Promise. Miriam works with our staff to create a world class team dedicated to our children.

We would like to thank these ladies for their dedication to the mission of Forever Changed International and our children!