There are places that not only educate, but also heal, transform and generate hope. heal, transform and generate hope.. Ciudad de los Niños, a work of the Augustinian Recollects in Costa Ricais one of those places. There, fraternity and faith are translated into education, accompaniment and constant presence.. Those who arrive not only find a shelter or a school: they find a home where they can believe again..
Costa Rica | Wednesday, June 11, 2023 | Redacción Oficina de Comunicación.
A safe space to start over
“Here at Ciudad de los Niños we want young people to have a safe space where they can develop and achieve the dream with which they arrive,” he said.Eduardo ChávezEduardo Chavez, one of those responsible for the mission.
Most of the young people who come to Ciudad de los Niños do so from situations of extreme vulnerability: economic, emotional and social deprivation. They are offered a solid solid academic and technical training, but also an emotional, family and spiritualbut also an emotional, family and spiritual environment that welcomes them and encourages them to dream.
An educational model that transforms
“Here we don’t just train students, we train people,” she explains.Claudia GómezClaudia Gómez, a member of the teaching staff.
Ciudad de los Niños is committed to a comprehensive integral educationThe program includes classes, workshops, sports, artistic and recreational activities, as well as listening, support and affection. As clearly expressed by Hannia Cortésthe team’s coordinator, puts it clearly:
“Here we build dreams, we transform lives, we are light for our kids. And we don’t just change their lives: we change the lives of their families and communities. Because when they leave, they become agents of change.”
The family they didn’t have
One of the richness of this project is its model of residential modelwhere young people live accompanied by trainers. Noelia SolanoNoelia Solano, a member of the reception team, explains it clearly:
“When we go to the kids’ homes, the moms tell us that when they enter Ciudad de los Niños…they won the lottery.”
In this shared living model, children experience for the first time something very much like a home, with rules, affection and healing bonds.with rules, affection and healing bonds. Living together, as young Deyner Martínez Deyner Martínezis exciting because every day is a different world.
To be, rather than to say
“To be an Augustinian Recollect here is that: to be close”, he explains with simplicity. Friar Ednando Ribeiro.
Far from big speeches, religious live their vocation with presence and fraternity, sharing joys and sorrows, celebrations and setbacks. The key is to accompanying, listening and believing in themas also expressed by Ivana Zuniga:
“Listening to them, not closing doors for them, always being there for them … because they come with a very marked history.”
To educate is to leave a mark
“Here we change lives. Here we leave our mark,” she sums up with conviction.Claudia Gómez.
At Ciudad de los Niños, every word of encouragement, every gesture of affection, every opportunity offered, becomes a seed for the future.. For many young people, this work is the only opportunity to live with dignity, to discover their value, to rebuild their history.
A home where hope begins
Ciudad de los Niños is not a welfare project. It is a house where God makes himself present in the smallest thingswhere fraternity is made flesh and where the Gospel is preached without words, with presence. It is the living face of Augustinian charity in Costa Rica today.