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Dialogue & Culture: US-Mex Relations
Hogar Dulce Hogar: A Mexico City Orphanage That Needs Your Help
By Cristina Sosa Noriega, MATT Editorial Staff
Tuesday, October 2, 2007
Within the vast landscape of the western hemisphere’s biggest city is a small orphanage in dire need of help.
Hogar Dulce Hogar (Home Sweet Home) Foundation houses around 70 displaced children, all twelve and under. The children that arrive here come from the streets, battered women’s shelters, temporary shelters for the homeless and shelters for women with terminal illnesses.
Most have been abused. All are at risk.
The orphanage provides shelter, nutritious meals, clothing, education, medical attention and recreational activities for these children, but faces many challenges. Because it cannot accommodate older kids, children are put on the street once they pass age 12. Hogar Dulce Hogar is in the process of trying to build a property for these older children so that they can continue to have a safe refuge off the streets, but this process will require funding that is currently lacking.
Life at Hogar Dulce Hogar
I spoke to Megan Gleason, an American citizen living in Mexico, to learn more about the orphanage. She discovered Hogar Dulce Hogar through the Newcomer’s Club, an organization that supports English-speaking ex-pats living in Mexico City, and which has helped the orphanage extensively.
Gleason chose to volunteer with the babies, given that she herself is the mother of a very young child. At the same time, she began spearheading fundraisers to make sure the children at Dulce Hogar received new school uniforms, since orphans are often stigmatized at school for wearing old hand me downs. The Newcomer’s Club has also planned small field trips for the older children to keep them engaged during the summer months when school is not in session.
Having worked with the children for five months now, Megan has many stories to share. A particularly touching moment came when Gleason brought the baby and toddler group over to her home for a small party. Although just ten miles from the orphanage, for the children it was like being on an entirely different planet. For many, it was the first time they had ever seen grass or played in an inflatable baby pool, and many asked to stay longer.
Ordinarily these children spend their days in a tiny airless room (the same size as a typical American’s master bathroom), surrounded by broken toys. Therefore, these small experiences, which most take for granted, make a huge difference in the lives of the children at Dulce Hogar Dulce.
 Big Challenges
Since Hogar Dulce Hogar is sustained by donations and does not rely on a fixed income, there are times when critical resources are not available. This structure also makes it impossible to pay teachers and caretakers a living wage.
Consequently, one of the orphanage’s biggest challenges is hiring and retaining quality talent to care for the children.
Gleason describes one teacher, Nancy, as wonderful-- very patient and gentle with the babies she cares for-- but fears she will be forced to leave to survive. At Dulce Hogar, teachers are responsible for teaching, feeding, doing laundry, bathing, and taking care of kids. It’s a difficult job with long hours and little pay.
Volunteers Needed
Hogar Dulce Hogar is in critical need of teachers and caretakers--volunteers who want to come spend time with the kids. It especially needs people who can commit to serve a summer session, or a full year. Since the staff and students at the orphanage speak only Spanish, it is also important that volunteers be bilingual.
If you are interested in volunteering, please contact Fabiola Polo Melgarejo, the orphanage’s General Director at 5515-1672 or 5515-8156. Or, for more information, please contact Megan Gleason at meganmackgleason@yahoo.com.
Supplies Needed
The orphanage needs the following supplies:
1) New uniforms and shoes annually.
2) Funds to purchase efficient appliances (washing machines) so the teachers don’t have to spend so much time washing clothing when they should instead be with the kids.
3) New or lightly used Spanish-language children’s books for ages 1-12
If you would like to donate any of these items, or donate funds to purchase supplies, please contact Taina at tainakarru@hotmail.com who heads the charity division of The Newcomers Club, or Megan at meganmackgleason@yahoo.com.
For more information
Hogar Dulce Hogar web site:
http://www.fundacionhogardulcehogar.org/english/index.html
Newcomer’s Club web site:
http://www.newcomers.org.mx/
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