ABOUT PADRE ALFREDO CHILDREN'S VILLAGE

Padre Alfredo Children's Village is a non-profit charitable organization providing a community service where all funds go to benefit orphaned and abandoned children in Bolivia. It is operated under the protection of the Catholic Church Administration with residence in the city of Santa Cruz de la Sierra, Republic of Bolivia. This enables us to receive donations and charitable support at national and international levels, and ensures the existence of the villages in perpetuity.

Orphans arriving at the Father Alfredo J. Spiessberger Children's Villages are referred to us either by "EX-ONAMFA", a state-sponsored institution for the protection of youth, or by social workers who have duly verified the child's status and have submitted their subsequent report. In some cases, abandoned children from the area are referred to us by the regional social service. In other cases, orphans are brought in by neighbors. At the conclusion of each investigation and evaluation, the children are accepted by the Children's Village.

Our Children's Villages consist of individual family units, each housing a group of 10-12 children of various ages and both sexes. Each house is headed by a House or Family Mother who manages the household independently. All live in harmony like a traditional family with mother and siblings. Siblings of blood are kept together. Our children grow up in the Children's Villages and are being raised at home and in school with strong moral and religious principles.

Once children reach 15 or 16 years old and they have completed middle school, they live in separate boys' and girls' residences. Most of them will go on to study a technical or professional career, and a few will even continue higher education at the University. Each child makes their own career decision based on his or her individual talents and intellect.

Our children remain in the residences until they are able to lead an independent life outside. Once our mission is accomplished, we integrate our youth into the society from which they came as respectable and educated persons.

To quote the founder's (Hermann Gmeiner) words "The Lord will never allow that our children are devoid of their basic needs." This has become quite apparent over all these years - God has provided us with new donors for our children and we are especially thankful for their generous help to maintain our Children's Villages here in the far east of Bolivia.

Father Alfred J. Spiessberger, Founder and Honorary President of the Children's Villages at San Jose de Chiquitos and Santa Cruz, was a close friend of Dr. Hermann Gmeiner (1919-1986), the founder of SOS Children's Village International. To honor Dr. Gmeiner's memory, and in recognition of his great accomplishments, the administration of the Children's Villages continue to adhere to his principles.