Refugio del Corazón de María
What we know
More of a refuge than an orphanage, they offer support, love and education to abandoned children. There is no room in the current facility for housing so the children must return each night to wherever they call "home." Many times it is to grandparents who are too old and poor to take care of them and other times it is to drug addicted parents who are never home or who abuse them.

The refuge opened its doors in October of 1998 in Obregon, Mexico. In the beginning they were serving 7 children. Mrs. Maria de Los Angeles Vivian de Vlvza, with the help of Father Fidel Ortega, began gathering neglected and abused children from the streets of their neighborhood. They offered them breakfast, lunch, and dinner in a small room of the local church. They also began to educate the children with the help of retired teachers. As the number of needy children grew, Maria and Father Fidel asked advice from Father Luis Garcia. He worked with the children of the streets in Mexico City. He offered to come to Obregon and help them learn how to understand children who were coming from such terrible backgrounds.

As they grew and their story was told, people began to donate money to the cause. More and more children learned of the refuge and their need for more space prompted them to use the donated funds to purchase their own facility. The total facility is 60 ft. x 50 ft. This includes a very small outside play area, three classrooms, a kitchen, a living room, a bathroom, and a storage room. Clearly this is not a suitable facility to assist sixty children, but for now it is all they have.
They provide food, clothes, and classes. Retired teachers come to teach with the help of nuns who run the facility. Psychology students from the local college come to offer their assistance to the children. All work at the refuge is voluntary. Luckily there is a pediatrician who comes to serve the children for free.
There are two classrooms, one for the younger kids and one for the older kids. They are very small and to open the door of the older kid’s classroom one child has to stand up and move his chair. The younger children’s class room is more like a patio. One whole side is only a screen. They have to deal with all the weather. As far as an outside area for activities, they hardly have room for everyone to stand.

First and foremost they are trying to keep their heads afloat by keeping up with their utility bills and grocery bills. They have to buy uniforms for the children and all basic school supplies. They are in need of first aid items and basic toiletries for the children. The kitchen consists of only one or two cupboards and an old gas stove. They dream of being able to construct a new facility that will allow the children to stay there full time where they are safe.