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OUR LA MISIÓN CAMPUS IS THE FOUNDATION ON WHICH
OPEN ARMS WAS BUILT
This center is an example of how childcare can change a community. When we started, children were left alone while their parents worked, like in most of Mexico. Desperate parents who felt they couldn’t provide basic necessities to their children would give them over to the orphanage in town, hoping for a better life for them. Because La Mision is close to the border, our families benefit from the American tourism in the area. They work very long hours, and most of the parents aren’t home until late into the evenings. Their kids are left alone after school to fend for themselves. When the children are left at home alone, they are vulnerable to countless dangers and tragic circumstances, including being confiscated by the government.
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La Mision is one of our greatest stories of success. We have rescued 9 children in La Mision from the orphanages and returned then to their families, where they belong. Since 2006, we have seen actual change and growth in the community. We have seen kids and their families flourish together. Our families have been putting the tools and guidance we have given them into use, and it has impacted not only them and their children, but the entire community. We have seen kids who would have had to drop out of school complete high school and even go on to graduate from university. Families have stopped bringing their children to orphanages because they know there are other options available to them. Our community is now at the point where they are dreaming bigger and setting higher goals. To change a community, it begins with the families.
