In Cochabamba, Bolivia, the Sisters of the Congregation of the Servants of the Sacred Heart of Jesus run the orphanage called Hogar de Niñas San Francisco. The house is prepared for 52 children, although currently 56 girls live there, aged 5 to 24, who are orphans or have experienced neglect, violence and even sexual abuse.

We try to welcome every child who knocks on our door - even if it means closing a warehouse or reading room - then we move the books to another place and open another room for children..

When a girl comes to this orphanage, the first step is to provide her with care and psychological help. Due to the death of loved ones, abandonment or rape, the child is in total disarray, which manifests itself in depression, withdrawal, rebellion and aggression. Macho culture is still alive and well in South America. Male domination in its extreme form leads to social consent for girls to be abused by their father or uncle.

Cultures Quechua and Aymara are very demanding. Unfortunately, children raised in these cultures are mistreated, beaten and humiliated. That's why we want to show young girls that there is another dimension to life. We try to show them that you can be the only wife and mother, because there is a lot of polygamy in Bolivia. We have to deal with moral problems, unwanted and abandoned children, sexually abused children, raped girls - Bolivia has become the right country for our mission

– explains Sister Anna Kurysz, director of the orphanage in Cochabamba.

Cochabamba is a large city in the central part of the country, located approximately 2,600 m above sea level. The high mountain climate makes living conditions difficult, especially in winter (from May to the end of August), when temperatures range from 0˚C in the morning to 30˚C during the day. There is no central heating at Saint Francis Home for Girls and electric heaters are not used due to high electricity cost. That is why the children and sisters often get cold.

Saint Francis Home for Girls, as a "private" work of the Congregation of the Servants of the Sacred Heart of Jesus, does not receive any state subsidies. The sisters themselves provide the girls with housing, food, medical care, school materials, education, and additional activities to support them with learning difficulties. The only source of money for maintaining the house are funds generated by the sisters' Congregation in Poland and additionally private donors

We are sure that together with you we will be able to help Bolivian girls to believe in people again. We are counting on you and your big hearts!

HOW TO JOIN „ADOPTION OF LOVE”:

• We have set the minimum donation amount for "adoptive parents" at 12 $/€ per month for a period of at least 12 months. Bigger amounts depend only on your generosity and financial capabilities. Adoption is a collective one. Maintaining one child costs around 200 $/€ per month (the orphanage does not receive any support from the state). The adoptive parent receives a letter and photo from the "adopted" child three times a year. Those who want to take on regular payments, please include this in the transfer title: Adoption of Love - permanent declaration.

• However, in the case of larger donations, we do not use a mathematical formula, e.g. 36$ / 12$ = "adoption" of 3 children, because we donate the money to support the entire orphanage. In other words: the children who write letters to us are representatives of the entire orphanage in Cochabamba towards the donors.

• It is not necessary to make transfers monthly. Donations can be made quarterly, semi-annually, or even for the entire year in advance. Anyone who decides to make less frequent transfers of help, please write in the transfer title: Adoption of Love - permanent declaration + number of months.

• We will also be grateful for one-time donations for girls from Cochabamba. In this case, please write „For children from Cochabamba” in the transfer title. If we receive a donation of 144 $/€ or more, we treat this case as "adoption" (12 months x 12 $/€ = 144 $/€). That's why we send the child's photo and correspondence. However, this is not a commitment to continue "adoption" in the next year.

Bank account numbers for money transfers are:

For $: PL 52 1600 1462 1847 3641 5000 0009; SWIFT: PPAB PLPK
For €: PL 41 1600 1462 1847 3641 5000 0013; SWIFT: PPAB PLPK
For others: IBAN: PL 79 1600 1462 1847 3641 5000 0008; SWIFT: PPAB PLPK