Latin America

The situation of children in Latin America and the Caribbean in numbers

95% of our children in care are in institutions and NOT in families, waiting on average 4.5 years. And MANY more are living exposed and vulnerable within their own homes, but have nowhere to go, for lack of safe families to care for them.

CHILDREN IN INSTITUTIONS
240,000 children grow up in residential care centers 10% are under 3 YEARS OLD

CHILD POVERTY
46,2% of children aged 0-14 in Latin America live in poverty. These children mostly live in remote rural areas, and increasingly in peri-urban settings.

DOMESTIC VIOLENCE
63% of children under 15 years old experience violent discipline at home (psychological or physical)

7.9 MILLION migrants under 18 in the Americas. There is an increasing number of vulnerable children moving on their own often ¬eeing from poverty and violence in their homes or communities

EARLY CHILDHOOD EDUCATION

  • Almost 12 million children and adolescents are outside the education system
  • Over 8 million children under 14 have a disability and are at risk of being excluded
  • 1 out of 20 children under 5 is left home alone or under the care of a child under 10 years

The solution is clear:

  • Children at-risk of separation need family strengthening
  • Children removed from their homes need temporary loving foster families while their case proceeds
  • Children separated from their families need reunification whenever possible and safe
  • Children who can’t go home to their own family need permanency with a local adoptive family
  • Youth aging out of children’s homes need families/mentors to love and support them

Latin America WO works to: 

  • End the institutionalization of children through lobby and advocacy campaigns
  • Strengthen crises families to prevent family-child separation and support Foster and Adoptive families through training and support programs
  • Engage churches to support families and promote adoption
  • Building new national movements in the region

"Source: UNICEF, Humanium, SOS Children's Villages International".

RECURSOS PARA IGLESIAS EN ESPAÑOL

Countries with National Initiatives

Brazil Without Orphans

There are many good stories from Brazil, many stories of reunification that were successful and many stories of adoption that were also successful. I think that one of the greatest things that we have reached in Brazil is that, sooner, we are really starting, officially starting the movement, the WWO movement in Brazil and we are gathering a group of important leaders from many different organizations that are making a great impact in their regions and even in the nation. We are very excited about that.

Paraguay Protects Families

Paraguay is one of the poorest nations in the Americas. Nearly 40 % of the population faces a life in poverty. Due to this, it is difficult for families to raise children in good living conditions. Many Paraguayan children face great hardships as they go through life. Statistics show that 15%, or one in four children in Paraguay between the ages of 10 and 17, work to help their families survive. Many children from low-income families either decide to leave their homes to work and live in the streets. This situation causes children to be separated from their families.

Regional Stories

Children with Disabilities Are Worth Your Investment

Children with disabilities are estimated to make up one-third of all orphans and children living in foster care around the world. (Christian Alliance for Orphans). Many of these children have one living parent but have been placed in an institution, often due to a lack of resources to care for a child with disabilities.
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Explosion of Leaders Answering the Call to End Orphanhood in Latin America

WWO Latin America is riding the wave of increased participation and rapid growth after having 257 participants from 21 counties in the Region attend the Roadmap Forum which was held in May this year. Maria de la Zabala (Pachi), WWO Regional Ambassador for Latin America, is astounded by the growth in the region in the last two years.
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Prayers and Hope Groups Making a Difference on Front Lines in Ukraine!

WWO Hope groups are impacting lives in 19 countries around the world now. What started as an outreach to Ukrainian women displaced by the Russian invasion of their country in 2022, soon spread to the Hope group team training and mentoring 300 program managers and facilitators. In turn, those leaders have implemented Hope Groups for 4,097 caregivers, who care for an estimated 9,006 children.
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Want Better Relationships? Change the Way You Think!

One of the critical steps to ending orphanhood is to build healthy family relationships. Sometimes this task is easier said than done. Most families have their fair share of misunderstandings and difficulties because humans are involved, and we are imperfect. Yet deep within us, God has put a desire for connection.
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The Power of Connection Transforms Lives!

WWO believes in the power of gathering as a community, whether online or in person. Last month's WWO Roadmap Forum featured a combination of in-person gatherings with virtual participation. India successfully brought together over 120 women in person, not only to learn but also to be refreshed.
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