Open Arms is a 501(c)3, non-profit organization that provides no-cost childcare to the most vulnerable and in need families in Mexico. Our hope and prayer is to keep families together by providing children with a safe refuge during the day while their parents or guardians are at work. Our goal is to keep children out of orphanages and off the streets, and bring them into the loving arms of Jesus. The care and assistance we provide for these families extends beyond just basic well-being. It encompasses all facets of a productive lifestyle, including academic, religious, and life education.
Our work includes a children's center to care for children while their parents are at work, an after-school Junior High program, Youth ministry, mandatory parenting classes, and medical and dental outreach. Additionaly, we have planted churches at each campus with its many ministries, men’s, women’s, youth, young adults, marriage ministry, evangelism, community outreach, and many more. All are focused around preaching the gospel and keeping families together.
In Mexico, we are battling a global poverty-driven orphan crisis. By some estimates throughout the world, there are 153 million boys and girls without families. Many orphans in Mexico are “economic” or “poverty” orphans. They have parents, but their parents are unable to care for them financially
With the dramatic decline of the peso, families are not able to survive on one salary alone. In many families, the father is absent which leaves mothers vulnerable as they try to raise their children without support. Many mothers and families are forced to leave their children home alone or on the streets while they work long and tiring hours. These children are left to fend for themselves and their siblings. They attempt to survive each day on their own while their parents work to provide their most basic needs of food and shelter. Older siblings are forfeited their education to stay at home and take care of their younger brothers and sisters, while their parents go to work.
While the children are left at home, they are tragically left vulnerable to predators and traffickers. Almost all of our children at Open Arms come with a history of trauma. Many have suffered physical and sexual abuse, neglect, hunger, illness, abandonment, and exposure to illegal drug use and it’s many reprocussions.
Many families are faced with the heart wrenching decision to voluntary drop off their children at an orphanage because there are no daycare options or help available to help keep their family together. This is where we come in. God has called us to open our arms to these families and fight to keep their families together.
Our hope and prayer is to keep families together by providing them with a safe refuge during the day. Our goal is to keep children out of orphanages and off the streets, and bring them into the loving and open arms of Jesus Christ. We are called to do the preventative work. We want to fight for families before they are separated into orphanages, or because of trafficking, or by addiction.
We believe God has ordained the family and we believe families are worth fighting for. We know that the children we fight for are the future leaders and change-makers of Mexico and they have the potential to completely shift the trajectory of this country. We believe and know that God has a great and beautiful plan of hope for what many have called hopeless. We will not stop fighting and proclaiming the goodness of God until we see that plan come to pass.
