Tierra Santa Home Current Programs

Our vision is to provide all the children with a safe, loving and supportive home, meet their basic as well as educational needs, and offer opportunities for an independent, self sufficient, and fulfilled future.

Tierra Santa Home provides a vital service to the underprivileged in its community. The Home has been supported by regular funding from international sources, enhanced by occasional monetary and material contributions by individuals and institutions. However, it has proven increasingly difficult to sustain a reasonable standard of living for the children on the current budget.

In order to meet the needs of the children and the community, the Home needs to expand its financial base. To accomplish the Home's goals, the following maintenance and human resource needs, as well as capital improvement projects in process, have been identified:

Nonperishable food

Goal: To provide three nutritious meals a day for 120 children in the Home and 25-35 drop in toddlers at the feeding center every day.

700 pounds of rice, 700 pounds of Beans, 700 pounds of flour, 36 gallons of dried milk, several gallons of cooking oil, several pounds of dried meat per month.

Clothing and Personal Hygiene

Goal: To provide for adequate clothing and personal hygiene of all the children.

Clothing, particularly for girls, and shoes of all sizes for children ages 1 to 18.
Chewable multi-vitamins.
Personal hygiene items such as toothbrushes, toothpaste, etc.

Health Services

Goal: To provide for adequate medical needs of all the children and prevent spread of contagious diseases including illnesses brought about by unclean water.

Regular visits by pediatricians and dentists.
Spanish speaking counselors to assist with the psychological needs of the children.

Educational Enrichments

Goal: To enhance the educational experience of the children.

Scholarships towards educational expenses including university tuition.
Teachers' training, particularly at the elementary level.
Curriculum enhancement and enrichment grade 1-12.
Organized recreational, and enrichment programs English as second language tutors.

Administrative needs

Goal: To formally evaluate the academic achievement and the learning goals of the children:

A trained bilingual school administrator.

Vocational Center

Goal: To provide both the boys and the girls with needed skills for a self-sufficient future. The center will be located on the newly purchased property and will offer several programs including:

Beauty school
Appliance technician
Auto mechanics
Electrician
Carpentry

Income Producing and Skill Building Ventures

Goal: To plan and implement business and income producing ventures in order to generate an ongoing source of income for the Home, as well as to provide skill building opportunities for the children.

A "variety store" for the Infant Feeding Center. This store will sell small items and provide needed services for the community (i.e. copying and word processing). Income from this venture will be divided as follows: 50% to the Center, 40% to grow the business, and 10% to the supervisor of the center, Alba, as an incentive. (Alba is 26 years old, and is the returning graduate of the Home.)

A bakery at the Home. This bakery sells baked goods to the community. The net income from the bakery is distributed as follows: 50% to the Home, 40% to grow the business, and 10% to a trust fund available to all the participating children. Funds from this trust may be used to start micro businesses for each of the children. The bakery hopes to expand to larger ovens and produce larger cakes to sell.

Funds to Support General Expenses

Goal: To provide adequate funding for the support of everyday operation of the school. Estimated Budget: $50/month/child.

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