We Connect & ServeFoundation

Aldea Choacorral, San Lucas Sacatepéquez

The house that raised 1,050 kids still isn't theirs.

Hogar Luz de María has been taking in children since 2004. Dinora Palacios started it, and for years it rented the same building. Brad and Miran have now bought that building, so the home is finally secure. We help keep the shelves stocked, and we're helping pay the building off.

Help buy the home What we do there
2004The year Dinora Palacios opened the doors
45Children it can care for at once
0–7The ages they take in
1,050+Children cared for since it opened

In their own words

“Somos una asociación no gubernamental, sin fines de lucro, comprometida con la niñez que ha sido vulnerada en sus derechos humanos, brindándoles abrigo, protección y atención integral.”

“We're a non-governmental, non-profit association committed to children whose human rights have been violated, giving them shelter, protection, and complete care.”

Hogar de Niños Luz de María

Our part in it

We show up with what runs out.

Beds and stoves are what we're known for in Yalú. At the orphanage the need looks different. A house with dozens of small children in it burns through the ordinary things faster than donations replace them.

So that's what we bring, and we bring it on the trips we're already making.

  • Food for a kitchen feeding up to 45 kids a day.
  • Diapers, because a lot of these children are still babies.
  • Household supplies the home goes through every month.
  • A hand toward the building, which is the bigger fight described below.

The building

They bought the home. Now they're paying it off.

For years the home rented this building, four thousand dollars a month that never stopped and never became anything. Brad and Miran bought it and put it in their name, so that rent is gone for good and the place can finally be repaired and improved.

Full purchase price$800,000
Already paid$400,000
Still to raise, within four years$400,000

Owning it ends the rent and lets them finally repair and improve the place. Half the price is already paid. The last $400,000 is the part still open, and there are four years to cover it.

You won't find photos of the children here.

The home asks that the kids' faces stay protected, and we'd rather show none than post blurred-out faces of children who can't consent. When the home clears specific photos for public use, they'll go here.

Our sub-goal

Help pay off the last $400,000.

The building cost $800,000. Half is already paid. This fund goes straight at the $400,000 still owed.

The day-to-day care of the children stays with the Guatemalan team who've run Hogar Luz de María since 2004. Brad and Miran took on the building so the home would stop pouring money into rent. This fund helps finish paying it off.

Give here and your gift goes to the building fund, on top of the food and supplies we already carry in. Beds and stoves for families in Yalú stay on the main donate page, and the two don't get mixed.

Note for review: Brad, we've written this to say you and Miran bought the building (in your name), $800,000 total with $400,000 paid and $400,000 left over four years, and set the meter at the halfway mark. Confirm this is exactly how you want the ownership stated publicly.

The building fund

Every dollar here goes toward buying the home.

Raised so far: $400,000Our goal: $800,000
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Your gift$0
Pick an amount to begin.

Mockup note: this becomes a secure Givebutter checkout with its own building-fund campaign, so the orphanage total tracks separately from beds and stoves.

Secure checkout. 501(c)(3) status pending, so gifts aren't tax-deductible yet.

Lend a hand

Come help build and remodel the home.

Money isn't the only way in. There's real work to do on the building, and hands on the ground go a long way. If you're a contractor, know your way around a remodel, or just want to show up and help however you can, tell us. We'll reach out about the next trip.

No trade required. Willingness counts for a lot.

Sign up to help

We'll follow up about how you can pitch in.

Straight answers

Before you give to this one.

Does We Connect and Serve run the orphanage?

No. Hogar de Niños Luz de María is its own Guatemalan association, founded by Dinora Palacios in April 2004. We're a partner. We supply food, diapers and household goods, and now that Brad and Miran have bought the building, we're raising money to help pay off what's left.

Where does my gift on this page go?

To the building fund for Hogar Luz de María, kept separate from the bed and stove fund. If you'd rather fund a bed or a stove for a family in Yalú, use the main donate page instead.

Why buy the building instead of renting?

Rent was $4,000 a month that never stopped and never became anything, and renting meant they couldn't repair or improve the place. Buying it ended both problems at once.

Can I give to the orphanage directly?

Yes, and we'd encourage it. Hogar Luz de María takes donations through its own site. Giving here means your gift travels with our team and lands as part of the partner share.

Is this gift tax-deductible?

Not yet. Our 501(c)(3) status is still in progress, so we can't issue a tax receipt. We'll say so plainly until that changes.

Want to see the home for yourself?
Hogar Luz de María keeps its own site, in Spanish, with their history and their own donation page.

Visit hogarluzdemaria.org