Integral Care for 120 Children and Youth, Caracas

Hogar Bambi Venezuela is a point of reference on the national level in Venezuela, providing protection and love to at-risk children who are victims of abandonment, mistreatment, abuse, and/or lack the proper conditions required for their growth and development.

We ensure that all resident children and youth are cared for, protected and that their rights are restored. Our overarching framework is the integral well-being of all of the children who come to, stay at and leave Hogar Bambi Venezuela.

We receive all children regardless of their age, gender, place of origin, health condition or disability. We work hard to provide our children and adolescents with afection and the most comprehensive and high-quality care based on their individual needs.

In the context of political and economic instability in Venzuela, which disproportionately affects the country’s most vulnerable, Hogar Bambi is very grateful for the support, participation and commitment of its many individual and institutional donors.   With the support of our donors, we have been able to maintain our quality standards, guaranteeing that each child has an individual intervention plan. At the same time, Hogar Bambi is continously strengthening its institutional capacity and refining its strategies so that it can best care for the children and youth it serves.

A Testimonial  

We tell the story of Oscar, a 7 year old boy who arrived to Hogar Bambi with great difficulties. He had never attended school or received any formal education and only recognized the vowels. With the assistance of a learning specialist, a daily intervention plan was developed, alllowing him to reach 80% of age appropriate academic level in three months. As a result, he was able to enroll in school.

Recent Accomplishments of Note

• For the 2014 – 2015 school year, 54 young residents of Hogar Bambi were enrolled in the formal education system. 47 children and youth advanced to the next grade level and 7 new students were enrolled for the first time.
• We continued ongoing linkages with the Child and Adolescent Protection System in order move the development of our programs forward.
• We coordinated with different organizations that support the educational activities of our three houses.
• With have institutional partnerships that facilitate school placement for the population served.
• As a leading organization in the area of child and adolescent protection, we provide advice and support to other organizations in the public and private spheres.
• With the support of interns and students doing their volunteer service, Hogar Bambi strengthened its capacity and service delivery in the areas of Social Work, Psychology and Education, among others.

At Hogar Bambi we constantly strive to improve the holistic care we provide to the children and adolescents under our care. To achieve this, we focus on several fundamental development areas. Key among those is education and ensuring children remain within the formal education system.

With the start of the 2014-2015 school year this past September we saw an increase in the number of children and adolescents under our care enrolled in schools. All 47 beneficiaries from the previous school year successfully advanced to the next grade level and another seven were enrolled, bringing the total up to 54.

Education plays a key role in breaking the cycle of poverty affecting many children in Venezuela. Because of this, at Hogar Bambi we are dedicated to providing a comprehensive and integrated approach to schooling that will have a lasting, and meaningful, effect.

We work with a team of university students that volunteer their time to provide tutoring services and help instill positive values. Our staff of teachers and psychologists track educational development and provide one-on-one assistance to students. We also focus on sporting, cultural, and recreational activities to round out the educational experience.

Our focus is not solely on academics. We work with the children and adolescents to encourage personal growth and improved decision making so they can take a more active roll in ensuring a better living standard for themselves. It is this way that they will gain the tools to overcome the socioeconomic hurdles they face at home and in their communities.

In recent months, Hogar Bambi Venezuela (HBV) has been particularly busy with efforts to support the educational development of its children and youth. 47 children and youth attend schools located in close proximity to Hogar Bambi, all of whom were promoted to the next grade level at the start of the current academic year.

HBV conducts a baseline assessment to determine each child’s academic abilities and individual needs and tracks progress against this over time. In addition to school attendance, the children and youth who live at Hogar Bambi Venezuela receive educational reinforcement on reading and writing, mathematics and critical thinking skills at HBV during their out-of-school hours.

An ongoing challenge is getting children to their age-appropriate grade level. They often fall behind due to grade repetition and/or because they did not attend school for a period of time prior to coming to live at HBV. Through the support of generous donors, the children has access to libraries, supervised internet access and enrichment materials. In addition, HBV facilitates support from university students who implement educational reinforcement projects.

Hogar Bambi Venezuela coordinates with other public and private institutions that provide personal and educational support outside of the school setting. This includes specialized educational support, psychological services, vocational training courses, capacity building workshops and occupational assessment/job placement programs. Children and youth also participate in a range of extra-curricular activities such as swimming, karate, gymnastics, basketball, volleyball and soccer.