What we do

Casa Hogar La Gloria is a home for children who need one.  We provide not only food and shelter but medical care, quality education, religious formation, and social development.  Most important, the orphans and children who are placed in our care for reasons of abuse, neglect, or abandonment find security and a loving home at Casa Hogar.  Thousands of children have been cared for at Casa Hogar over the years.  We survive on donations, and receive no government support.

The children are placed in our home by DIF – the Mexican social services agency – which maintains legal custody of the children and some oversight of our operations but does not provide any funding.  Some of the children are eventually adopted by Mexican families or re-united with families, or moved by DIF to another facility, but many stay at the Casa Hogar as they grow up.  

Children of pre-school age through the 6th grade attend schools appropriate to their needs.  The orphanage provides them with uniforms, books and supplies.  Teachers assist the children with homework and tutoring after school and on weekends at our campus.

The children participate in enrichment activities including soccer, basketball and music lessons.  We organize field trips for the children to local attractions such as parks, beaches, movie theaters, and museums.  Holidays are a big event at the orphanage, culminating with the Our Lady of Guadalupe celebration in early December.  

The children receive individual and group psychological care from external professionals as needed, and participate in workshops focusing on personal safety, hygiene, and other living challenges.  Psychological and psychiatric counseling are provided at the facility and, in some cases, off site.  Where appropriate, family visits and extended family contacts are encouraged to foster family reunification.

Our full-time staff nurse provides daily medical attention and organizes doctor’s appointments for the children, and the children receive routine and preventive health care.

The children attend Mass at our local Catholic Church on Sundays and occasionally in our on-site chapel when an Augustinian priest visits.  Some of the older children sing in the church choir. The children prepare for receiving the sacraments as they come of age. 

The home is situated on three acres in the La Gloria community of Tijuana, six miles south of the border.  The campus includes a nursery, dorm rooms for boys and girls, kitchen and dining facilities, a classroom, study and counseling rooms, an infirmary, a large chapel and multi-purpose building, and outdoor playground and sports areas.  The facilities may be viewed on Google Earth with the search term “Hogar Infantil La Gloria"

The home is led by a full-time director and a small management team that includes our licensed nurse, who oversees all health-care coordination and contributes to operational decision-making. They are supported by twenty staff members, most of whom serve as caregivers while also carrying out additional duties across the home. A teacher provides homework assistance, tutoring, and academic support. All staff receive ongoing training in child care and regularly complete required coursework and certifications to ensure best practices, safety, and high-quality care for the children.