What Makes Us Unique
Friends of the Orphans supports a network of nine Nuestros Pequeños Hermanos (NPH, Spanish for "Our Little Brothers and Sisters") homes and their outreach programs in Latin America and the Caribbean. Together, we transform the lives of orphaned, abandoned and disadvantaged children by creating families for life through values of unconditional love, shared responsibility and education. This enables children to grow into caring and productive members of their communities.
As a supporter, you become part of the Friends/NPH family and have the opportunity to become personally connected to the children of NPH in a variety of ways, such as sponsoring a child, visiting a home and attending regional Friends of the Orphans events. By making a difference in the lives of the children, your life can be enhanced as well.
NPH is quite unique in the approach they take to raising children. The children do not come and go or receive care from a distance. Instead, they receive direct physical, emotional and spiritual support on a long-term basis. See below to learn about their philosophies, homes and outreach programs.
• Program Philosophies
• Homes
• Outreach Programs
Children at NPH homes are not available for adoption. Instead, they are welcomed with their brothers and sisters into the larger NPH family. This gives the children a sense of belonging and security in knowing they have a place to live and will always have a home and family.
Children are raised lovingly to share their possessions with others, be responsible for their actions and work hard in school.
All children are given a quality education and have the opportunity to pursue a trade or a university degree.
Every child has a daily chore, such as dusting, mopping, cooking or farming. This teaches them responsibility and they find pride in helping their family in this way.
All children give back a year or more of service to NPH. Through this act of gratitude, each graduate shares the responsibility of raising the family.
When children leave NPH, they are prepared to be productive, self-sufficient and caring members of their own communities.
Learn more about the children
Top
The NPH homes are located near cities, making services and supplies easily accessible. At the same time, the homes are relatively isolated and have extensive grounds. This provides safety and security to children who never may have experienced either.
Permanent homes in Bolivia and Peru, and the new home in Nicaragua are under construction.
Each home strives to be self-sustaining. In Honduras, for example, the farm produces 1,500 fresh eggs and 80 gallons of milk each day, meeting the needs of all who live there.
All of the permanent homes have:
Living spaces
Kitchens and dining halls
Chapels
Clinics
Schools
Workshops where children can learn trades such as carpentry and
welding
Learn more about the homes
Top
Each year, the NPH homes serve more than 30,000 people in their surrounding communities through various outreach programs. For example:
All Homes
Collect and distribute supplies to
people in need after emergencies and natural disasters,
such as floods and earthquakes.
Dominican Republic
Builds latrines in nearby residential areas.
Provides food, shoes and other supplies to the poor.
Haiti
Hôpital Saint Damien – Chateaublond in Port-au-Prince serves the
poor in this impoverished nation. Each year, more than 20,000
patients are seen in the clinic.
The 250-bed hospital provides long-term care for critically ill
children. It is one of only two pediatric hospitals in all of Haiti,
the biggest difference being that at Saint Damien, medical
care is free.
There is an illness prevention and curative program as well as HIV
counseling and testing for expectant mothers.
A clinic and school offers health care and education to children from
the slums.
Learn more about the programs in Haiti
Honduras
Casa de Los Angeles provides a home for children with disabilities.
Casa Eva welcomes elderly adults who have no family to care for
them.
Casa Pasionista is a home for adults living with HIV/AIDS. It
is located on the Ranch property and is supported by NPH.
The external clinic provides medical and dental services to people in
the local area.
A surgery center opened in March 2008. Minor outpatient procedures
can now be performed on site. Eye exams are also available.
Mexico
The Milpillas Garbage Dump near Miacatlán, Mexico, is home to over
100 families. Each day, children from this area are bussed out of
the dump to the orphanage where they are offered educational
programs, fed, bathed and provided
much-needed medical care.
Top