Challenges to the Mission

When I first learned about Nuestros Pequeños Hermanos, I was powerfully drawn to the vision set forth by the founder, Fr William Wasson. He was convinced (and this was confirmed by the famous psychologist, Erik Fromm, who studied this place in the 1970’s) that his model for an orphanage offered kids a healthy environment to grow and develop into well-adjusted adults. A fundamental pillar of his vision was the insistence that the family in the home be the family for all who live there. To that end, he only accepted children whose mothers had died (realizing that an institution can never “compete” with the relationship of a child to his or her mother). Also, children were only accepted if all of their siblings came as well. Visits from members of the kids’ extended blood-family were very limited. Many kids came here after been passed around from relative to relative after parents’ death, and NPH was intended to be their “last stop.” Children were never sent away except in very rare cases and for the most serious of reasons. During the years of the bloody civil war here, there was no shortage of children whose parents had been murdered. Continued drug trafficking to the United States, and the gang and cartel activity associated with it, means that families continue to be ravaged in a society where 80% of the population lives on less than $2/day.

Yet changes have come to Guatemala, and the reality here is much different now than when Fr. Wasson first devised his program. Some here are unhappy with UNICEF, which certainly does wonderful things in the world. However, I am told that the Guatemalan government, under pressure from UNICEF, has made it impossible for NPH to carry out its mission in full compliance with the vision of its founder. Recent years have seen a dismantling of institutions in the human services sector. The majority of kids here truly are orphans. However, many others were placed here by the government after having been removed from high-risk family home situations. Most of the kids must leave for six weeks or so in the winter for their school vacation and stay with extended family. (Many return somewhat worse for the time away, having regressed to an earlier stage of social or emotional development.) There are regular on-site visits of extended family. In addition, those children (about 70% of the kids) who have parents or extended family meet regularly with a judge to ascertain the possibility of leaving NPH and moving to the home of an extended family member. The constant possibility and regular reality of being sent to live with extended family or returned to parents has made maintaining the image of “family” here a kind of fiction. Maybe that is putting it too strongly; however the fact is that the kids never know which of their NPH brothers and sisters will stay and which will go (last year the turnover was about 20%). One thing that has not changed: the kids are not adopted out. Yet, given the changed nature of the “family” environment here, I cannot help but wonder whether opening up to international adoptions might be worth considering.

The morale of those on our staff who themselves grew up at one of the NPH homes seems challenged by the situation here. They mourn the loss of the way things were as they watch some of the pillars of Fr. Wasson’s model morph into an approach that is less and less recognizable to them. These “Hermanos Mayores” had the kind of large family experience that is simply not available to the kids now. The “pequeños” here now have the option to leave, and that completely changes the atmosphere. My own conversations with the kids confirm that while they are happy in many ways, they feel somewhat isolated from and distrustful of their peers. One Hermano Mayor lamented having heard a number of kids respond to a news reporter who was here doing a story. They talked about the food, the education, the nice campus, the good fortune of having a roof over their heads. But not a single child talked about having an experience of family here. And this was heartbreaking for those who grew up in NPH, for whom the sense of family was the most important gift they received from Fr. Wasson’s model.

The change in the model has also affected fundraising. Much of the support of the homes comes through individual sponsorship of children. (There is no government funding; all comes from individuals or private organizations.) The kids can each have up to ten sponsors, who each donate about $25/month. The sponsorship dollars are pooled, but many sponsors develop meaningful personal relationships with the kids via letters (and even, sometimes, visits). When a child leaves NPH, the sponsorship relationship ends, and the sponsors, who feel understandably “burned,” are unlikely to sponsor another child. 

We at NPH Guatemala are in the process of initiating a program we hope will help develop a greater sense of family among the kids and those on staff. There is evidence of some lingering sense of family in the older kids who remain connected with NPH. The forty or so in Bachillerato who are over 18 years of age are legally free to leave and do what they want with their lives. So are the thirty at the university. Yet they stay, enduring significant limitations to their personal freedom (the rules of the house are pretty strict). Sure, they receive financial support, but it is pretty meager and I have written earlier about the loathsome living conditions (at least in Bachillerato). Clearly, they retain a sense of family and belonging that remains important to them, which is why, I suspect, that they stay. Our hope is that if we can be more intentional about cultivating an increased sense of family among the kids and the staff at the main campus, we might manage to instill at least some vestige of the experience that formed so many for so many years. And while things here can never be what they once were, perhaps we can adapt in such a way that ensures our home will remain recognizable as based on Fr. Wasson’s vision.

The bottom line is that the model I was attracted to and was looking forward to learning more about no longer exists, at least not in its “pure” form. That does not mean that I am unhappy with my decision to come here. If anything, the kids have a greater need since now they are at even greater risk- since the model with the proven success formula has had to be partially dismantled.