What Makes Unity 4 Orphans’ Partner Network Unique?
Summer travels to Latin America give the U4O team opportunities to meet new and connect with existing partners committed to providing vulnerable children with education, counseling, and nutrition.
If you’re following Joe’s travels on social media, you can see why we value our partnership with Juntos Podemos in Curundu, Panama. The programs they provide to children and youth experiencing poverty, lack of education, and violence in their communities exemplify the kind of holistic support Unity 4 Orphans is so passionate about.
Expanding U4O’s Latin America Partner Network
Caitlin is joining Joe and our Nicaraguan Team in El Salvador, the location of our newest partnership. This converging of partners from multiple countries is a first in our organization’s 14-year history, an opportunity to collaborate and reach our shared goals.
We want to [help disadvantaged youth] fulfill their dreams. I’m on the ground to get these stories and see what can happen with different people partnering [with U4O] for Education 4 Change.
–Joe Brandi, Founder and Mission Director
A cohesive team is vital to the success of any organization. Our partners are local nonprofits or churches committed to each child’s holistic transformation including ESL, tutoring, and counseling programs. As U4O continues to grow we look to the standards set by longtime partnerships, while also seeking to expand our vision.
New Partnerships are Being Forged to Support Vulnerable Children
A major focus of the team’s 2024 summer travels is to properly assess the interest and infrastructure of new partnerships. The seeds of our newest partnership, in El Salvador, were sown years ago when Joe met a local pastor and leader of Christian Surfers. The vision to bring our programs to Salvadoran children came full circle this year when we hired our first program teacher, Becky.
Teaching is something that I’m passionate about; my dad is a teacher and my brother and sister have also taught. It’s something that runs in my family. My goal is to give the kids the opportunity to fight for better lives. They have seen all the bad in El Salvador and by teaching them English we’re helping them see something better.
–Becky, El Salvador Partner
Investing time and energy into developing new partnerships like the one in El Salvador helps identify educated individuals in church leadership and involved congregation members. These people must value education, discipleship, and counseling, and be willing to execute our program model in a time- and cost-efficient manner.
U4O’s Holistic Program Set Helps Lift Children Out of Poverty
Like most of the places where we serve, El Salvador’s education system is limited, and rampant crime and poverty can rob children, especially those in lower-income families, of the privilege of regularly attending school. Many children must work to help their families and the need is great for consistent adult relationships to encourage and guide them. Our in-country partners collaborate with us as they build up the character of kids enrolled in our programs.
The kids we work with are living in very hard places. Due to the government cracking down on gangs and violence, up to 75% of them have a family member in jail. Most children have to work to help support their families and spend half their days at school, the other half earning income.
–Becky, El Salvador Partner
Through Shelter 4 Change, we can make improvements to help facilitate established ministries. This can include structural improvements, access to clean water, and equipment such as computers. We need collaborators we can count on to seek out, assess, and give status reports regarding everything from available facilities to educators and curriculum.
Casting a Vision for the Future of Unity 4 Orphans
Our partners see running and serving vulnerable children as their ministry, and have additional resources so they don’t solely rely on U4O. They work in impoverished communities and are passionate about providing value by executing our beneficial programs to uplift local children.
There isn’t a word to properly communicate how grateful the US-based U4O team is for our in-country partners. They’re doing the most important work – showing up week in and week out for vulnerable children, ensuring the children and teenagers have consistent adults in their lives.
–Caitlin Snyder, Executive Director
Ministry is full of challenges and often unpredictable, so we highly value community leaders who are kind and gracious, and can both laugh together as well as be focused and serious. We value each other’s perspectives and enjoy learning from each other’s experiences. Our in-country partners know how to be hospitable and can easily explain and share our mission with others, helping create a unified front for our supporters and the children we serve in all locations.