Orphanage Finds Charity in Mexico Takes More Than Good Intentions and Cash The Texas Tribune
go to original June 9, 2014

At Los Ojos de Dios, an orphanage, 40 children who were abruptly removed were being returned. (Ivan Pierre/The Texas Tribune)

CIUDAD JUÁREZ — When 40 children with special needs were removed from an orphanage here last month, officials at the facility said that employees looked on helplessly, unable to get a clear reason.

After several meetings with Chihuahua’s child welfare and social services agency, the orphanage learned that miscommunication and a lack of checks and balances were to blame. The children are now being returned to the Los Ojos de Dios orphanage, and officials at the facility are using the experience to teach similar charities about the challenges of operating in Mexico. What happened to them, they said, could happen to others.

“It takes time, and it takes a lot of learning,” said Patricia Silis, the director of the Texas-based orphanage, whose nonprofit status is recognized in both countries. “What happened was just a part of the process.”

When funding plummeted, the orphanage had no contingency plan, and the Chihuahua state government did not offer any guidance on how to keep the children’s center running.

“We didn’t have enough knowledge, but I would not discourage anyone” from working in Mexico, Ms. Silis said. The country ranks near the bottom worldwide in charitable contributions per capita, and any philanthropy is crucial to helping the needy.

Oscar Cantú, the president of the Los Ojos de Dios board of directors, said that as a result of the incident, a coalition of private and public officials was being formed to create guidelines to prevent future mistakes.

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