Niñez en Familia works with children who live in poverty in unsafe, unhygienic, illegal, or inhumane conditions (inquilinatos) or who have been internally displaced due to violence, conflict, or poverty. 

The worst housing conditions are located in the "El Centro" area of Medellin. Many accommodations have 2-10 people per room and have ventilation, sanitation, safety, and overcrowding problems. Conditions are so poor that they cannot pass government inspection and are therefore illegal housing, making help even harder to come by. Yet individuals and families remain in these deplorable conditions because their alternative is homelessness, an even more dangerous option.

Many families lives in accommodations shared with many other people; their one small room becomes the only place where a family cooks, cleans, sleeps, eats, plays, studies, and completes chores.

Our program relocates children and their families from unsafe, low-opportunity neighborhoods to safehouses and provides two meals every day. Our center also serves as a base for educational support, enrichment, and play through daily before- and after-school  programming activities. Throughout the process, we equip parents in parenting tools, education, and work opportunities to empower them to empower their children, effecting long-term change.

The Una Mano en el Camino project works with young women who have been abused and are at risk of sexual exploitation, abuse, trafficking, mistreatment, abandonment and extreme poverty. 98 young women have been given a second chance at a fulfilling life through Una Mano en el Camino already. 

They all have begun the long and difficult rehabilitation process and are ready to start a new life. Sueños y Huellas accompanies them and provides the support they need to succeed.

Many do not know how to lead their own life and are in still in danger from those who abused them. We make sure that they are never along and give them hope. We empower them to fulfill their dreams by continuing or finishing their studies, starting careers, healing their physical or psychological wounds, improving their relationship with their families, and preparing them to live on their own.  

We lend them a helping hand on their road to transformation, supporting them one step at-a-time. 

The Embera Bead Project works with the Embera indigenous community in Medellin. A large number of Embera people have fled armed conflict by guerillas, paramilitaries, and trafficking groups in their villages in Western Colombia. 

They arrived in Medellín in the hopes of finding sanctuary in the city but are now living as internally displaced persons in the city. Many suffer from disenfranchisement, poverty, homelessness,  and exploitation.

This project seeks to break the cycle of poverty by providing jewelry workshops and a fair-trade market where Embera individuals can make a fair  wage for their art, preserve their culture, support their families, and attend development classes where they can learn new skills to better their quality of life.

We are currently searching for a dedicated space where we can offer childcare support and extended educational programs.