Where we Work
Impacting the lives of vulnerable children
Ecuador
Guayaquil, Salias
Over half of the population in rural Ecuador lives below the poverty line. Lack of education is one of the main causes, and the financial burden of proper schooling makes it less accessible to most families. Additionally, many families rely on child labor to make ends meet, and in rural areas only 10% of children attend high school. Once children begin working, they rarely complete enough schooling to help them rise above poverty. In 2023, Unity 4 Orphans extended our ESL program and holistic interventions to help Ecuadorian children thrive and grow.
Learn more about our ESL program in Ecuador
El Salvador
San Salvador
Access to a good education in El Salvador is limited to children born to wealthy families. The prominence of child labor leads to almost half of children withdrawing from school in the transition from elementary to secondary school. Additionally, a change in political leadership within the country contributed to mass incarceration of Salvadorian adults, which has left children lacking parental figures in their home. Starting in 2024, U4O partnered with a team to provide ESL instruction to children experiencing poverty in San Salvador.
Mexico
Tijuana, Punta Mita and Ensenada
Mexico has one of the highest levels of income inequality in the world. This means that life for a child born in poverty is far from abundant in many communities in Mexico. Beginning in 2016, Unity 4 Orphans began partnering with private orphanages in Tijuana by organizing Service Trips and meeting physical needs. Our service in Tijuana, and in other states in Mexico, has evolved over the years. Today, we partner with four different organizations each utilizing various models of serving vulnerable children. Our local partners are able to identify needs in their communities and provide excellent services to care for the orphan and strengthen families experiencing poverty.
Weekend tutoring and nutrition program in Mexico
Nicaragua
Masaya, Miramar and Popoyo
Nicaragua is the poorest country in Central America. Life can be especially difficult for young women in Nicaragua with 35% of them ending up married, usually due to pregnancy, before they turn 19 years old. Starting in 2017, Unity 4 Orphans began building an ESL program in a small coastal village with few job opportunities. The program has grown in the number of children who it serves and impacted the community by providing counseling and job opportunities. Additionally, program graduates have attended university and earned high income jobs due to their English proficiency. Beginning in 2023, our ESL program began serving a new coastal community, doubling the number of children served by experienced teachers passionate about the role education plays in breaking the cycle of poverty. In 2023, U4O partnered with a local organization providing food to children and families living in a garbage dump experiencing severe food insecurity through our Nutrition 4 Change program.
Learn more about our ESL program in Nicaragua
Panama
According to UNICEF, 30% of children in Panama live in poverty. They lack access to social services, and their public education system is among the worst in Latin America. What little resources Panama has have been redirected to addressing the country’s influx of migrant families from South America and Haiti. Since 2023, U4O has been providing ESL instruction, education resources, healthy meals and other holistic support to local children to help them grow and thrive.
United States
San Diego
Even in the wealthiest cities, there are still vulnerable children for a variety of reasons, including significant income disparity. Unfortunately, the needs of those children may go unmet because individuals assume that governmental assistance is sufficient. Children experiencing poverty in San Diego are at a higher risk of struggling academically, experiencing teen pregnancy and suffering from food insecurity. Since Unity 4 Orphans calls San Diego home, we partner with local organizations who provide academic support and healing from trauma.
Faq
Are the programs in each location the same?
Each location has a primary focus, but all programs are delivered in some capacity at each location to ensure delivery of our holistic care. For example, our Punta Mita location focuses on Nutrition 4 Change, but we do also offer ESL classes. Similarly, Tijuana is home to our Play 4 Change initiative, but counseling and educational intervention are also offered to children.
How does Unity 4 Orphans select communities in each location?
We work with trusted friends, supporters, and ministry partners with in-country connections, benefitting from their relational capital, as well as with like-minded organizations and ministry leaders who share our vision and can partner with our mission.
Can I travel to Latin America to visit the children?
Unity 4 Orphans does not organize regular trips for donors to travel to Latin America to visit the children who we serve. However, there are occasional opportunities to experience what Unity 4 Orphans is doing on the ground through a Vision Trip or a church partnership trip to Tijuana, Mexico. If this is of interest to you, please email [email protected].
How does Unity 4 Orphans decide where to work?
Unity 4 Orphans is committed to expanding our holistic model for serving vulnerable children around the world. Since our organization’s inception, Joe Brandi, has been networking with like-minded individuals, organizations and churches. Those relationships develop into partnerships when there is already work being done to strengthen families and children through education, healing, nutrition, play and shelter. Our heart is to coach and fund organizations and individuals with a heart and calling to serve children in need in alignment of our program model.