Vancouver-based adoption agency All God’s Children International is opening a home for young women in Colombia who grew up in institutions.
The home in Bogota, Colombia will provide transitional housing and support services for 24 women attending college. It opens Saturday.
All God’s Children first went to Colombia in 2012 to help orphaned children and saw that “without the love of a family, or guidance from a mentor, prospects are very bleak for children who age out of institutions,” the Christian-based organization said in a news release. These young adults may become homeless or become victims of sex trafficking, substance abuse or attempt suicide.
“We feel so blessed to see this dream, the Dream Home, come into fruition,” Hollen Frazier, president of All God’s Children, said in the news release. “In the short term, our goals with this home are to improve academic achievement and self-esteem for youth, empower them to learn important life skills, and help them to achieve personal and spiritual growth. Over the long term, we hope to create a new generation of leaders in Colombia. By improving employment opportunities and better integrating youth who have grown up in institutions into society, we can break the cycle of the orphan and prevent some of the negative outcomes that are all too common for young adults who have grown up in the system.”
