San Ignacio de Loyola

Orphanage for Boys, Bolivia

San Ignacio de Loyola

San Ignacio de Loyola was an orphanage for 38 boys aged 9 to 18 just outside the city of Cochabamba, Bolivia. It was built by Jesuit monks in 1997, but 12 years later, after the alleged abuse, the monks abandoned both the place and the boys.

When Future4Children visited the orphanage for the first time in 2011, the place was in shambles. The boys were suffering as they did not have proper clothes, shoes, not even soap. There was only one caretaker during the day, – nobody at night.

San Ignacio de Loyola

What We Did

Future4Children upgraded both the buildings and the grounds, providing the boys with basic necessities such as clothing, shoes and toiletries. In addition, we did several undertakings to improve the lives of the boys, further their education and install certain life skills.

The projects included:

  • Computer lab, including six computers, a printer and an IT teacher.
  • Agriculture, for the boys to grow and enjoy their own food.
  • Animal husbandry, with cows, pigs, llamas, rabbits, hens and ducks.
  • Music, with a choice of instruments and music lessons. Together the boys formed an orchestra and even gave local performances.
  • Scholarships for the boys who were accepted to university or further studies

In a very short time, San Ignacio was filled with smiling boys full of self-esteem, hope and purpose. And every single boy improved his grades in school.

In 2016 the Bolivian government, unfortunately, decided to close down all orphanages in the region. Future4Children took an active part in finding foster homes and education solutions for those of the boys the government allowed us to help.

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