Fundacion Ninos con Valor
Ninos con Valor, which means Children with Value, is a Bolivian non-profit organization based in the city of Cochabamba. Our organization works to improve the quality of life for disadvantaged and impoverished children and youth. This includes working with children who have been orphaned, abandoned, or removed from violent situation. It also includes working with children who face discrimination and marginalization, such as children living on the streets and the population of children and youth living with HIV/AIDS.
We are motivated by the belief that each and every child, regardless of his or her background or upbringing, deserves an equal opportunity at a happy, healthy and hopeful life. Although poverty and injustice may forever remain a part of our world, we strive daily to bring about healing, growth and justice for the individuals with whom we work.
Bolivia
Our mission is to meet the physical, emotional and spiritual needs of children with difficult and often traumatic pasts, empowering them to move beyond their circumstances, realize their full potential and pass on the values and skills learned to other children in need.
Ninos con Valor works from the foundational belief that every child is a unique creation of God with innate value, having rights and deserving respect. While we desire to help as many children as we can in the most effective way possible, we also believe in the power of the ripple effect, believing that improving the life of even just one child can begin an infinite succession of positive changes in the future. In addition to the basic belief of the intrinsic worth of all human beings, we incorporate the following precepts in all of our endeavors:
* Respect and Justice- We partner with both governmental and non-governmental organizations to advocate for change, education, and services for those without a voice to plead their cause. We are specifically working to combat the discrimination that is so prevalent against those living with HIV/AIDS.
* Integration with family and society- We believe that the best place for a child is in a healthy safe family. Whenever possible we work with birth families to restore the family unit, and will work with adoption agencies to find adoptive families when appropriate. There is also much discrimination against children living in orphanages, children's homes or on the streets, often being treated as if they were at fault and deserved to be in their current situations. This is even more pronounced when these children also live with the stigma surrounding having HIV/AIDS. We are working to change the perceptions people have about people living with HIV/AIDS through education and relationship building, also through job creation programs for HIV-positive single mothers to show they can be contributing members of society.
* Provision of needs- While it is important to ensure that each child's basic needs are met, we also recognize the importance of meeting their emotional and spiritual needs. These children come to us with histories of abuses of all kinds- physical, emotional, and sexual. While often times their bodies bear the physical scars of these abuses, we see the evidences of their scarred spirits and psyches as well, and want to provide healing for the scars seen and unseen.
* Potential- In addition to traditional education, we also feel it important to provide opportunities for these children to explore and grow their gifts and talents. Whether it be music, arts, sports, or something entirely unique, we work with other organizations and institutions to enable these children to reach their full potential.
* Love- The most important thing that the vast majority of our children lack is the knowledge that someone loves them unconditionally. In all that we do, we do as a response to God's love for us and the desire to demonstrate that love to others, that they too might, not only know, but feel that they are loved for who they are.
* Education- We ensure that all the children under our care have access to appropriate education and vocational training. We are also planning to open a daycare and kindergarten for children living with HIV/AIDS, as many times they are refused acceptance to other centers. We also want to provide these children a safe, clean, healthy environment where they will have the best opportunity to learn and grow.
