What happens when kids leave Casa Bernabé?
The kids who live at Casa Bernabé come from a wide variety of backgrounds and life experiences. There are many reasons why they have had to leave their homes and come to Casa Bernabé. The stories of their past are theirs to tell and ours to protect. But have you ever wondered what happens next when a child leaves Casa Bernabé?
Each year we welcome many new children to Casa Bernabé and we say goodbye to many who have been ordered by the courts to be reintegrated with a member of their biological family who has been declared a safe resource for them. When they leave our campus gate, that's far from the final time our staff sees them or checks on their welfare. We have a specific program dedicated solely to caring for the biological families of our kids: Families United.
Contrary to what many people believe about kids in homes like Casa Bernabé, most of the children in our care do have at least one biological family member still living. Often these family members need just as much support and guidance as their children do. More times than not, they are simply repeating parenting cycles they grew up with in their own homes.
This is where our Families United Team steps in. The team is made up of a psychologist, social worker, nutritionist, and lay pastor. They courageously venture into some of the most dangerous locations in Guatemala, as our children predominantly hail from "red zones," areas characterized by high crime and poverty. They meet with the families in their homes, learning the dynamics of how they live, how they eat, and how they interact with one another. The team's job is to ensure the homes the children return to are safe and to offer families the support they need to break cycles of poverty and abuse so they can care for their kids holistically.
In 2024, our Families United team made 127 home visits. They normally visit each family once or twice per month for approximately one year. In some cases, support is provided for up to three years, depending on the family's needs and the vulnerability of the children.
Our psychologist provides counseling for the family as a whole, helping them overcome their own past trauma. Our social worker is there to provide strategies and ideas for the families to help break cycles of poverty. They also assess the kids' academic levels and help the families enroll in school or navigate other governmental offices and paperwork. The nutritionist assesses the kids' overall health and helps the families learn how to maximize the food they have available to create meals that help the children and adults in the home get the nutrients they need. Our lay pastor provides pastoral care the families desperately need. He prays for them in specific and tangible ways, and when possible, he also connects the families to local churches so the church communities can provide long term support.
In addition to visiting and caring for the families of children who have been reintegrated, our Families United team also visits family members of some of the children who remain at Casa Bernabé. In hopes of an eventual reintegration, the team assesses the living situation, determines the safety of the home, and works with the court system to recommend either staying at Casa Bernabé or reintegrating with family. They often make recommendations to the judges based on their firsthand experience with the kids and families. Our Families United team has built a reputation of integrity and respect over the years that has earned them a place of positive influence in our kids' lives.
Sometimes even with all this support, families continue to stay in abusive or dangerous situations. Sometimes they are unwilling to make the changes necessary to provide safe homes for their children. And sometimes addictions are just too strong to overcome. But even when the situation is not safe for our children to go back to, or when they need to be removed from a reintegrated home situation, the Families United team continues supporting the families. They also facilitate phone calls when appropriate each week between a child and his/her parent, grandparent, or sibling. This helps our kids know that even if “home” isn’t a safe place for them to live, they don’t have to cut all ties with their loved ones.
Our Families United team has endless stories to tell of the adventures and challenges they've faced reaching our kids' families. While the majority of the home visits are within the greater Guatemala City area, sometimes the team has to travel hours away and go on foot to reach remote places. They once had a home visit at the top of a mountain with no road, and the whole team had to hike five hours up and five hours down through creeks, sliding rocks, and barbed wire to reach the family, but they made it. Our kids will likely never know the lengths our staff goes to to fight for them, but they deserve every bit of effort.
A few years ago, many of you generously contributed to help us purchase a truck for our Families United team, and they still use it everyday to reach their family visits. We are so thankful for your support and your prayers, especially for this team that ventures out of the safety of Casa Bernabé to go where they're needed most.
Please pray for these team members to have the wisdom to effectively support the families, conveying genuine care while also addressing difficult truths and encouraging necessary changes. May God's guidance, protection, and provision surround them as they navigate the challenging path of supporting and nurturing these families. May they be vessels of God's love, grace, and transformation, bringing hope and positive change to the lives they touch.
