U4O’s First College Student

A top priority at Unity 4 Orphans is empowering orphaned and vulnerable children through education, and equipping them for success in their learning environments that will carry over into their futures. We are incredibly proud and encouraged by the achievements of Jose Manuel Sosa, whom we have helped send to Law School at Universidad Nueva Baja in Rosarito, Mexico. 

Jose Manuel was only eighteen months old when he began living at Casa Hogar Orphanage in Tijuana, the first child that particular Casa Hogar had taken in. His younger siblings, sister Carol and brother Jahir, were also admitted to the orphanage in the years that followed. Today, Jose Manuel is 21 years old, Jahir is 18, and Carol is 17. Jose Manuel has set a consistent positive example for not only his siblings, but also for the rest of the children at Casa Hogar. His testimony serves to encourage all of the children living there that each of them deserves an education and opportunity to improve their life. 

Two years ago, Jose Manuel began his university studies in Law and he plans to graduate in 2022 and continue with higher education. Jose Manuel funds his education with his own personal savings, earned from his job at a furniture import company, as well as a merit-based scholarship, and is supplemented by Unity 4 Orphans donations. 

Jose Manuel’s experiences and achievements have inspired him to complete his education, earn a law degree, and eventually open his own Casa Hogar. He will, no doubt, be well-equipped to create and foster an environment that serves each child in a multitude of ways. Jose Manuel emphasizes the importance of providing each child with respect, privacy, and protection, knowing that the children are often suffering from the psychological repercussions of abandonment. 

This concept is foundational to U4O’s approach to service trips that offer consistency in relationships that help build secure attachment styles, enabling each child to re-navigate a life beyond childhood. These connections cause the children to internalize the belief that people exist in the world who care enough about them to return and help.

“I respect Joe because I feel he really cares about us. He took me and the older boys to the beach to learn how to surf, to eat tacos and talk and laugh.”
– Jose Manuel”

In discussing his personal story, Jose Manuel also emphasized the importance of English fluency. Unity 4 Orphans strives to come alongside the children in this vital aspect, providing each one with the ability to learn English, helping to break the cycle of poverty through education and a gateway to future employment opportunities.

Jose Manuel continues to serve as an inspiration as we continue our work through purpose-driven programs, spreading our mission’s message to reach the hearts of people around the world who desire to affect meaningful change in the lives of orphaned and abandoned children.