PARTNER Highlight

CASA BERNABE, GUATEMALA

Casa Bernabe, or The House of Barnabas, is a school and residential care center serving children from Guatemala City and surrounding areas. Many of these children have suffered life-altering trauma including losing their parents. When these children come to Casa Bernabe, they receive food, shelter, medical care (if needed), and a quality, Christian education.

Thanks to the ongoing partnership with Cross International, Casa Bernabe has a special transitional living program for ages 13-18. The staff recognized that children with such challenging backgrounds often struggled to make the transition from the sheltered, safe world of Casa Bernabe to life on their own once they age out at 18.

The transitional living program helps prepare kids for a successful adult life through one-on-one counseling, vocational training, and by helping them develop a plan de vida or life plan. Casa Bernabe vocational training programs include carpentry, cooking and baking, cosmetology, and barber school. Throughout their teenage years, Casa Bernabe staff coach each student as they create and refine their plan de vida. This process helps each young person discover who they are in Christ as well as urging them toward a successful future.