the child center

Our partnership with child development center Misión Emanuel in Chía, Colombia, and Lifeway Church in Derry, New Hampshire, was established in 2019. Chía is a suburb of Bogotá, located 17 miles outside the city, and has a population of 126,000.

As with much of Colombia, Chía was impacted by the armed conflict with Colombian guerrillas in the mid-1990s that led to an emotionally and financially broken young adult generation that struggles to raise healthy families who can break away from a culture of abuse, abandonment, and violence. Parents work long hours and children spend too much time at home alone. 

When Misión Emanuel began, a dedicated church member started caring for the children at her home. During the pandemic, a new church is being built with space for the center. Through this partnership and through child sponsorships, the children receive daily meals, homework help, enriching activities, and spiritual teachings. Children are learning to develop a healthy view of God, themselves, and others, and they are learning to use their talents and potential to bring God's love back to their homes, their community, and their future families.           

As a sponsor, you and your family have an opportunity to interact with your sponsored child and develop a long-lasting, meaningful relationship. You get the opportunity to learn about a different culture and experience firsthand how acts of kindness can impact lives in another country as well as here at home.