Orphanage

Gael 

 7 Years Old     

Gael loves dancing and singing and is funny, sweet and can be very mischievous.

Gael’s mother was addicted to drugs and abandoned Gael when he was just months old. The family hasn’t heard from her in years. Gael’s grandfather took over responsibility of him, painting houses and other odd jobs to provide for him. However, when he became widowed, he didn’t know how he would care for Gael as he needed to continue working to pay the bills and there was no one available to watch Gael. He came to us desperate for help, not looking just for someone to care for Gael, but someone that would give him time. Here at Emmanuel, it is our honor to do just that. Gael has all his needs taken care of and is given lots of time by a team that is dedicated to him while his grandfather is able to continue working to provide what he can. He still enjoys picking up Gael each Friday so that they can continue to have special grandpa/grandson time. With your support of Gael, we are privileged to be able to provide this stable home for him, this refuge for his family, and much hope for the future.

 Ailine

7 years old

Ailine likes pretending and TV and is energetic, affectionate and very girly.

Ailine remembers the tragic night her mother was murdered. Her parents had been partying with friends at the house when the girls (Andrea, 9yo; Ailine, 7yo; Jenifer, 5yo) remember their father pour a white powder into their mother’s drink. It wasn’t long before she fell to the floor and began foaming at the mouth. Their father ran out of the house never to be seen again. Ailine’s older sister helped her mother off the bathroom floor onto a bed while an ambulance was called, but it would be too late. Suddenly their aunt became responsible for the girls but struggled to care for them along with another family member that is sick as she worked long hours to try and pay for all of the family’s needs. Desperate for help, she brought Ailine and her sisters to Emmanuel where they are healing and receive everything they need while their aunt continues to do what she can to support them. With your support of Ailine, we are privileged to sustain this family during this difficult season.

Adrian

7 Years Old

Adrian likes crafts and art and is obedient, silly, sweet, playful

Adrian’s mother Carmen is very responsible and dedicated, and her two boys (Israel, 8yo; Adrian, 4yo) are her life. She came from southern Mexico and moved to Juarez to look for better job opportunities. It wasn’t long before she fell in love with a man and was soon married. She gave birth to her first son Israel, but while pregnant with Adrian, she discovered that her husband had been fathering an entirely different family in another state for many years. Devastated, Carmen left him and found a job to begin raising her boys alone. She could only afford to live in a shack that had no running water and they had to walk to use a community bathroom. She seemed to be lucky to have a family member to watch her boys while she worked only to discover that this person was abusing her children. Emmanuel was her last hope. With your support of Adrian, we are privileged to provide them a home while Carmen continues to become self-sufficient, looking forward to each weekend spent with her boys.

Laura

6 years old

 Laura loves reading books and is calm, smiley and friendly.

Laura’s mother separated from her husband because he refused to work to help support the family and was abusive. As soon as Laura’s little brother was born (Diego, 5yo), her mother decided to leave and try to support her children with the help of her mother. As Laura and Diego’s grandmother watched them, their mother would work in a factory making hardly enough to feed her children. Then her mother, who was helping by watching the children, met someone and left the city to get remarried. Keeping very little contact with their father, Laura and Diego’s mother had no other family to help support her and watch her children as she worked. Before CPS would have taken her children away, she fortunately found Emmanuel and brought Laura and Diego into our care. With your support of Laura, we are privileged to be her and Diego’s extended family in this time of need while their mother continues to become self-sufficient and enjoys having her children each weekend.

Angel  

7 years old

Angel likes playing with toys and is happy, extroverted and a friend to everyone.

Angel’s father was physically abusive to him and his family, and his mother Ramona decided to separate from her husband for the family’s safety and wellbeing. Ramona’s parents were nearby but were elderly and sickly, unable to support their daughter during this difficult time of becoming a single mother in a city that offers very little assistance. Ramona was able to find a job to begin providing for her children alone, but it hardly paid for the needs and required long hours forcing her to leave little Angel alone with only his two young sisters. When no one else was able to help her continue on, she fortunately found Emmanuel and was relieved to learn that her children could have all their needs met during the week while still being able to spend weekends with her when she didn’t work. With your support of Angel, we are privileged to be able to be his and his siblings’ (Jaqueline, 12yo; Judith, 6yo) extended family during this difficult time and look forward with them to a brighter future.

Yuridia

10 years old

 Yuridia likes coloring and art and is extroverted, smiley, affectionate and talkative.

Yuridia’s mother fail ill and so her grandmother began caring for her and her other grandchildren. She is a very responsible, hard working, and brave woman that survived cancer and has made her children and grandchildren her life. She had to leave her husband because he was addicted to alcohol and would constantly abuse her physically. She had to begin working to help provide for her grandchildren and support her daughter while she was sick, but there was no one to watch Yuridia while she worked. She was afraid of what would happen to her family until she found Emmanuel where Yuridia could have a safe, stable home where all her needs were taken care of and she could continue providing what she could and supporting her sick daughter. Sadly, her daughter, Yuridia’s mother, died not having proper medical care. With your support of Yuridia, we are privileged to be able to provide this home for her and this refuge for her family where we look forward with them to the future with much hope.

Armando

11 years old

Armando likes sports and soccer and is smart, helpful but mischievous.

Armando and his sister Karely were removed from their mother after the disappearance of their younger sister Joselyn. She had been taken by an ex-boyfriend and was found a week later naked, dirty, and starved in the mountains of Juarez. CPS gave Armando and Karely into our care while their mother underwent a series of steps to regain custody. Joselyn was traumatized to the point she wouldn’t speak for months and received therapy before being able to rejoin Armando and Karely at Emmanuel. Armando became a very protective older brother to his sisters while Joselyn healed and eventually became one of the most talkative and outgoing children we have in the home. Their mother eventually regained custody, but Armando (11yo) and his sisters (Karely, 10yo; Joselyn, 9yo) missed Emmanuel so much that their mother voluntarily brought them back to us to stay along with her younger children (Fernanda, 7yo; Gerardo, 6yo). It is a joy to be able to provide a refuge for Armando and his family.

Edith

9 years old

 Edith loves reading and her little sister and is respectful, orderly, quiet and sweet.

Trouble started for Edith and her sister (Marcela, 7yo) when their father would disappear for days at a time giving no explanation to their mother Karla other than that he had a stressful day. When he was home, he was physically and emotionally abusive towards Karla. It was obvious he was being unfaithful when one day he decided to never come back, completely abandoning his family. Karla never held a job as she was dedicated to caring for her children. However, when she saw there was nothing to feed her girls, she suddenly found herself needing to work without anyone to watch her children at home. This is when she found Emmanuel. Karla is able to work and give what she can while her girls are given the care they need during the week. When not working, Karla helps at Emmanuel in the kitchen and watching the other girls and adores spending time with her own Edith and Marcela. We have seen great accomplishments in her life and are privileged to have Edith and her sister a part of our family.

Fabian

9 years old

 Fabian loves drawing and art en is affectionate, sweet and very friendly.

Fabian’s mother became a very young widow when her husband was murdered and she was left with no one else to help with her two young children. She was forced to leave Fabian at home alone in charge of his little sister (Keller, 7yo) while she worked long hours and made hardly enough to provide for them. She would do her best to get her children ready in the morning to be okay alone, but CPS found out and threatened to remove her children from her if she continued leaving them alone. She was a very young and scared mother, newly single, only wanting to provide for her children but not knowing how in a city with so few options for mothers in her situation. Fortunately, she found Emmanuel and was relieved to learn that Fabian and Keller could stay with us during the week while she continued working to give what she could and still see them on the weekends. With your support of Fabian, we are privileged to provide what this family needs along with much hope for the future.

Mia

5 years old

Mia loves playing with dolls and is talkative, hyper, obedient and always shares.

Mia’s mother Veronica is very young but very responsible and fights everyday for her daughter. She had dated Mia’s father for seven years, but when she told him that he was going to be a father, he went to work the next day and never came home. Veronica looked for him for days, weeks, months, but never heard from him again. He seemed to have disappeared and completely abandoned Veronica and his child. Veronica gave birth to Mia, which means “mine” in Spanish. She was Veronica’s world and she worked very hard to provide for her, but as she worked, she had no one to help watch Mia. This is when she discovered Emmanuel where Mia could have all her needs provided for in a loving and stable environment while Veronica continued working and moving towards becoming self-sufficient. With your support of Mia, we are privileged to offer this home for her and this extended family for Veronica as we look together with her with much hope for the future.

Gerardo

6 years old

Gerardo loves art and drawing and is sweet, affectionate and everyone’s best friend.

Gerardo’s story begins with the story of his older sister Joselyn. Joselyn was kidnapped by her mother’s ex-boyfriend and was found a week later naked, dirty, and starved in the mountains of Juarez with an old man. CPS removed Joselyn along with two other siblings from their mother while she underwent a series of steps to regain custody. The two oldest siblings were assigned to Emmanuel, but Joselyn was traumatized to the point of not speaking for months and had to undergo extensive therapy before being able to rejoin her siblings at Emmanuel. In our care, Joselyn gradually healed to became one of the most talkative children we have in the home. Their mother eventually regained custody, but the three children (Armando, 11yo; Karely, 10yo; Joselyn, 9yo) missed Emmanuel so much that their mother voluntarily brought them back to us to stay along with her younger children which included Gerardo and his sister (Fernanda, 7yo). It is a joy to be able to provide a refuge for Gerardo and his family.

Evelyn

8 years old

 Evelyn likes crafts and art and is obedient, calm, organized and orderly.

Evelyn’s mother Mrs. Zúñiga fought for 7 years to give her daughters a home complete with a mother and a father despite the fact that her husband would constantly hit her. The abuse, however, became too much to bear and she sought professional help. Her husband seemed to become a different man and it appeared she would have the life she had always wanted to offer her children. However, her husband suddenly came home one day with another wife and a newborn child. To make things more painful, Mrs. Zúñiga was also pregnant, and she left her husband that same day to never see him again. He wants nothing to do with the children and has a warrant for failure to pay child support. Mrs. Zúñiga’s father stepped in to offer his pension, but he sadly passed away leaving the money to his wife and Mrs. Zúñiga and her daughters without a home. While Mrs. Zúñiga works hard to give what she can, Emmanuel is honored to be the home that Evelyn and her sister (Vianeth, 7yo) need.

Israel

8 years old

Israel loves soccer and his little brother and is obedient, calm, respectful and helpful.

Israel’s mother Carmen is very responsible and dedicated, and her two boys (Israel, 8yo; Adrian, 4yo) are her life. She came from southern Mexico and moved to Juarez to look for better job opportunities. It wasn’t long before she fell in love with a man and was soon married. She gave birth to her first son Israel, but while pregnant with Adrian, she discovered that her husband had been fathering an entirely different family in another state for many years. Devastated, Carmen left him and found a job to begin raising her boys alone. She could only afford to live in a shack that had no running water and they had to walk to use a community bathroom. She seemed to be lucky to have a family member to watch her boys while she worked only to discover that this person was abusing her children. Emmanuel was her last hope. With your support of Israel, we are privileged to provide them a home while Carmen continues to become self-sufficient, looking forward to each weekend spent with her boys.

Jorge

4 years old

Jorge likes drawing and wrestling and is very lovable, gives lots of hugs and energetic.

Jorge’s mom is going through a difficult time as well as her children. She decided to separate from her husband of 10 years because he is an alcoholic and very violent. Jorge and his family suffered for several years until Jorge’s mother sought legal help. Due to these appointments, she lost her job, which left the family in an even worse situation. She had nothing to feed her children and was forced to leave them alone while she looked for work. Not being successful in obtaining child support and neither being successful in obtaining a job as the debt piled up, she came to Emmanuel for help. We are privileged to have Jorge and his older sister and brother (Diana, 7yo; Esteban, 6yo) in our home as their mother makes progress in becoming self-sufficient and able to provide for her family as a single mother. With your sponsorship of Jorge, we are honored to be able to carry him and his family through this difficult time.

Dennise

11 years old

Dennise likes reading books and is obedient, sweet, smiley and friendly.

Dennise does not know her father and was living with her mother and grandmother in a small house with ten other people. Her mother was sick with kidney problems and her grandmother was the only one able to work making hardly enough by selling burritos. The situation was chaotic and so Dennise’s mother decided to move out on her own to try to give her daughter a better life. She met a man and things began to become more stable, but when she found out she was pregnant and told the father, he left her and never came back. She started ironing clothes and cleaning houses in order to provide for her children, but there was no one to watch Dennise while she worked. She was relieved when she found Emmanuel where Dennise could stay and have all her needs met while she continued working and moving forward as a single mother. With your support of Dennise, we are privileged to be able to provide this home and stable environment for her as we look forward to a more promising future.

Kevin

12 years old

Kevin likes sports and soccer and is friendly, shy, quiet, obedient and giving.

Kevin’s father was suddenly thrown in jail for reasons still unknown to the family, and his mother had to start working to provide for Kevin and his siblings alone. She worked long hours for hardly enough to provide for their needs while Kevin’s grandmother would take care of the children. When the grandmother fail ill and could no longer watch the children, Kevin’s mother had no one else to help her. She needed to work to feed her children but also needed to be home to watch them. The father will be released from jail soon, and Kevin’s mother is scared that he will come looking for them to cause trouble. However, she is at peace that her children are now at Emmanuel (Kevin, 12yo; Karen, 11yo) in a secure place where they can be happy and have all their needs met. She is so thankful for Emmanuel that she gives back by giving her time to care for the girls in the home. With your support of Kevin, we are privileged to offer this refuge to him and his family.

Osvaldo

5 years old

Osvaldo loves to play with play-doh and is smiley, sweet, obedient and playful.

Just a couple of years ago, Osvaldo enjoyed having an ordinary family being able to live with both his mom and dad. Then, like what has torn apart so many families in a city that struggles to find hope, Osvaldo’s father turned to drugs and alcohol and many problems began for Osvaldo and his family. His dad turned violent and took the little money they had to pay for his addiction. Upon seeing the damage that was being caused to her children, Osvaldo’s mother made the decision to separate from her husband and try to provide for her family herself with the help of her mother. Their difficulties continued, however, as Osvaldo’s mother could only earn less than $25 a week at a factory and her mother fail ill. During the most difficult time of her life, she came to us with Osvaldo and his brothers and sisters (Irving, 12yo; Kevin, 10yo; Wendy, 9yo; Sarai, 8yo). With your sponsorship of Osvaldo, we have the honor of being his extended family during this time of great need.

Frida

11 years old

Frida loves sports and being outside, she is friendly, outgoing and sweet.

Frida’s mother abandoned her shortly after giving birth so that she could escape with another man, not caring what became of Frida or her former family. This left Frida’s father alone to raise her and her older sister. Ever since, he has worked countless jobs and pursued countless opportunities in order to provide the needs of his children. During some of the most difficult times, Frida, her sister, and her father lived out of a van. Frida’s father moved the family to Juarez in the hope of finding better job opportunities to provide more stability for Frida and her sister. This is when he found Emmanuel where Frida can have a stable home and all of her needs met while he continues to do what he can to provide a better life for his daughters. He works long hours as a waiter, earning little but always giving everything he has to his daughters. With your support of Frida, we are privileged to provide her and her family a stable home and refuge with much hope for the future.