Fundacion Canguro

Kangaroo Foundation was established in 2016 to improve the first 90 days of life for babies who, due to various circumstances, must remain at the Pereira Rossell Hospital Center (CHPR), the country's largest maternity hospital. These newborns are deprived of the care of their biological families, either temporarily or permanently. The biological family has lost custody of the newborn, who is awaiting a judicial decision. The reasons for the suspension of custody are related to substance abuse, homelessness, gender-based violence, psychiatric disorders, among others. The Foundation aims to provide better conditions for the growth and development of newborns, based on the benefits of nurtu... read more Kangaroo Foundation was established in 2016 to improve the first 90 days of life for babies who, due to various circumstances, must remain at the Pereira Rossell Hospital Center (CHPR), the country's largest maternity hospital. These newborns are deprived of the care of their biological families, either temporarily or permanently. The biological family has lost custody of the newborn, who is awaiting a judicial decision. The reasons for the suspension of custody are related to substance abuse, homelessness, gender-based violence, psychiatric disorders, among others. The Foundation aims to provide better conditions for the growth and development of newborns, based on the benefits of nurturing emotional care. Numerous studies have shown that emotional nurturing is essential for a newborn's present and future development. Babies who receive love and are warmly welcomed into the world during their first months of life are better able to manage stress, reduce fear and overstimulation thresholds, and increase their sociability, confidence, and courage by feeling supported and cared for. The intervention proposed by Kangaroo Foundation has a direct impact on the country's most vulnerable newborns. Of the nearly 5,000 births that take place at CHPR each year, approximately 3% are social patients who pass through the Foundation, receiving love and care from their very first day of life. Before the Foundation existed, these newborns remained hospitalized despite having been medically discharged, living in a hospital environment and facing the risk of contracting illnesses. At Kangaroo Foundation, they are cared for in a warm and nurturing environment by more than 400 volunteers, with the technical support of a team of psychomotor specialists who assess them and provide developmental stimulation guidelines.