Every year, approximately 2,000 young adults age out of Colombia’s child welfare system with no support. This means 2,000 young adults enter adulthood without any foundational assistance to reaching their educational, career, spiritual, or personal goals. They are left to figure the world out horribly alone, without anyone to guide them to the life they desire. Many fall into poverty, gang violence, prostitution, or drug use, just trying to survive using the only means they have.
This is why we are so thrilled to announce the opening of the AGCI & the Tim Tebow Foundation House of Hope in Bogotá, Colombia!
In partnership with the Tim Tebow Foundation, this home will give young women who have aged out of Colombia’s child welfare system a safe place to pursue their college education, learn how to be healthy adults, and unlock the dreams they once felt were out of reach.
By having a stable, safe place to call home, these young women can not only experience deep, transformational healing, but they are also given the security to study, work, and finally know the feeling of having a place to call home.
The Need for the House of Hope Colombia
Youth in Colombia’s child welfare system have experienced years of loss and trauma, including physical and sexual abuse, neglect, and institutionalization. With no sense of belonging, identify, or self-worth, these youth are at-risk of a lifetime of health, relationship, and behavioral challenges.
Half of the youth who leave the child welfare system will end up homeless or living on the street, and nearly 98% of sex trafficking victims had previous involvement in child welfare services. Tragically, these same youth are 12 times more likely to attempt suicide and are 60% more likely than their peers to struggle with debilitating substance abuse throughout their lifetime. Over the days, weeks, months, and years living in an institution, these children become young adults who believe the lies that they have no voice, don’t matter, and are not worthy of love.
At AGCI, we believe every child deserves to be loved and cared for. Instead of aging out of institutional care and being left to navigate adulthood alone, the House of Hope in Colombia provides a safe place for young women to live, learn, and find true healing, so they can break the cycle of trauma, grow in their independence, and prepare for their future.
The residents receive full-time residency in a connected, family-style home, college tuition, career counseling, financial coaching, personalized counseling services with our team of mental health professionals, balanced meals, transportation to and from university, holistic medical care, a professional mentor, ongoing tutoring services, and much more. Ultimately, the trauma-informed staff nurtures and challenges each resident as they heal from the past and discover their identity in Christ so that when they graduate from the home, they not only have a college degree but are prepared to be fully independent and ready to live on their own.
We are grateful for our partnership with the Tim Tebow Foundation and for all of you who helped get this home ready. Join us as we praise God for this opportunity to continue to serve those in need and pray for the young women who live in this home both now and for years to come.
