Despite the beautiful landscapes and bustling cities, Argentina has experienced significant political instability and turmoil, especially within the past century. In 2002, Argentina’s economy completely collapsed. As a result, nearly half of the country’s population fell into poverty. According to a recent UNICEF report, 6.3 million children under 18 are living in poverty. Unfortunately, the many challenges that low income families are faced with also become major risk factors for child labor, abuse and abandonment.
According to another report conducted by the United Nations Development Program, Argentina also has an extremely high teen pregnancy rate compared with other countries with comparable socio-economic statistics. With few resources and access to social support, these young mothers are at a higher risk of abandoning their children. Furthermore, the country has dealt with a three decade long battle with a HIV/ AIDS epidemic. Deaths by HIV/AIDS along with other issues such as violence and trafficking have also contributed to the orphan crisis in Argentina.
Quinta Betel is a children’s home located at the beautiful foothills of the Andes Mountain Range in Mendoza, Argentina. It is currently home to the country’s most vulnerable children. Quinta Betel was founded in 1999 and since then, they have more than doubled in the number of children served and building capacity. This year, they have officially been in the business of caring for orphans for the 21 years.
Quinta Betel is a home run by local people who understand the complex needs of the children within their diverse cultural context. In addition to providing a safe home, and access to healthcare and education, Quinta Betel makes it a priority to teach the children about the love of Christ and works hard to ensure that each child has the opportunity to grow in their faith.
Serving Orphans Worldwide travels to every orphanage we partner with to ensure needs are legitimate and 100% of funds distributed goes to the livelihood of the children.