Soccer, Piano, Gymnastics, and Guitar – Oh My!
With 40 kids, our activity calendar is quite busy. We have kids in multiple activities on most days and find ourselves spending a lot of time in our van. It’s just like your day, with a few more kids. Very early on we decided our kids deserved the best family environment we could provide. The effects of institutionalized care are long-lasting and...
The Privilege of Raising Strong Young Women: Flor
Just over two years ago, Flor and her brother came to Dorie’s Promise. We’ve been impressed repeatedly since then by her strength, poise, and intelligence. Flor is a young woman who will definitely make an impact on the world. Flor and Mateo’s story is slightly different than the others in our home. Prior to joining us, a Guatemalan family had...
Understanding Poverty’s Effects on Families
Many people may be surprised to discover that most of the children at Dorie’s Promise have at least one living biological parent. In reality, we’re a home for orphaned and abandoned children, as well as foster children. Understanding why so many children enter Guatemala’s family court system requires an honest look at poverty’s effects on...
Remembering the Purpose of Our Work
With 40 children in our home, it’s easy to be overwhelmed at times by the immediate needs of our children. Forty children create a lot of dirty clothes, eat a lot of food, and have a lot of homework. Recently, we received a letter from a former resident of Dorie’s Promise and were reminded of how important our work is to the children in our care....
The Joy of Families Reunited
For 19 years, we have cared for the children of Guatemala and helped unite them with loving families. Although our deepest desire is for each child to find a home with a loving family, transitions are both happy and sad. We are joyful for the future our children will have, but sad over the loss we feel in our home. Over the last 2 months, 3 of...
Alejandra’s Vision for the Future
For 14 years, Alejandra Diaz has served the children of Dorie’s Promise and helped shape our vision for orphan care and orphan prevention. Her dedication has created a home where children feel loved and are given support as they heal and thrive. During her tenure, Alejandra has witnessed major changes within our home and the family court system...
A Different Kind of Trip: Company Teams
An unexpected turn of events brought the team from Interstate Batteries back to Dorie’s Promise last November. We enjoy the opportunity to host teams of all varieties, most of which include families or church groups. We were especially excited for the opportunity to experience the dynamic brought by a team of coworkers. A Little History Serving...
The Village behind Dorie’s Promise
At Dorie’s Promise, the African proverb “it takes a village to raise a child” comes to life. During a recent visit, Marcos, one of our staff members, perfectly described what this proverb means in our home. Our village stretches from Guatemala to America and beyond, including thousands of people dedicated to the children of Dorie’s Promise....
Celebrating a Pair of Quinceañeras
As the girls in our home get older, we find ourselves hosting quinceañeras more frequently. Recently, both Jennifer and Ana celebrated their 15th birthdays. For our girls, this is more than just another birthday celebration. We are celebrating their growth as beautiful, strong young women. Jennifer turns 15 Just before Christmas, we celebrated...