Casa De Kids

Casa de Kids is working to end cyclical poverty by making possible life skills and education. Empowering the youth to stay in school and to complete higher education prepares them for success in the business world and to attain self sufficiency.

Our goals which we are already achieving, are to provide the disadvantaged youth with life skills, education with the goal of achieving self-sufficiency. Education is the primary key to a viable career. To make the education possible, we help provide essentials such as food, medical care, school fees/uniforms/books, cultural education day trips, counseling, and English as a second language.

Our aim is to assist any young person who needs assistance. Our staff in Oaxaca city can quickly assess a student's circumstances with an application process which is entirely in Spanish. In-person interviews and a home visit are made to evaluate the level of need. We pride ourselves on our quick responsiveness with solutions that might be medical, diet, school funding, housing, or technology such as phone or computer access. Our strategy for funding the program includes informed and inspired donors who receive concise monthly newsletters. Financial reports are available upon request, while the most recent year's figures are also available on Guidestar. Previous newsletters are available on our website: CasadeKids.org Our CdK philosophy of developing the "whole person", includes motivational talks, mentoring/counseling, celebrations of birthdays and graduations, and mini-classes with dinner on topics such as workplace issues and effective communication skills.

We have a responsive team working in Oaxaca city, fluent in Spanish, which utilize many local contacts. We also network with other local non-profit organizations for support such as groceries and classes. Our CdK car allows us to be nimble and travel to accomplish multiple appointments per day, transport goods and staff and students for events.

We have developed a student base of 29 students; 45% are female and 55% are male. This group is comprised of 1 in elementary school, 4 in high school, and 24 in college or university. We have distributed more than 2,500 articles of clothing, provided housing, and all necessities for schooling. We have made possible 6 graduations from high school, college, and university. The graduates are now in the workplace, such as teachers and a veterinarian, one Medical Doctor is in his Residency Program, and an upcoming Lawyer is completing his final examinations. Few if any of these would have graduated without CdK's assistance.

We have conducted 84 group activities which include educational/cultural day trips.

In the near future, we will continue to expand our student and donor base. We also hope to send at least two of our students abroad in a foreign exchange program. Also on the CdK "wish list" is to occupy a multi-use building to serve as our home base for classes, residential quarters, and offices.