ABANSA
(Asociación Benefactora de Ayuda al Niño Sin Asistencia)

We are a charity association for the assistance of abandoned children established in December 1985, with headquarters located in the city of Caracas. We are a Christian Organization focused on being an efficient alternative in the prevention of juvenile delinquency and maladaptation of tomorrow’s grown ups, providing assistance to orphans, abandoned children, children living under precarious circumstances or needing special attention. The Association was created understanding the importance of such assistance as cities grow and with it the number o people living in extreme poverty grufully increasing the number of abandoned, mistreated and sexually abused children.

Telephone number: (58 212) 2847539.

Bank account: Banesco Cuenta Corriente 389-107-3940

President: Elda Quiroz de Lizcano.

Vice-president: Hugo Castro.

What do we do?

We keep “family homes” for such children where physiologically trained personnel are in charge to provide a “home” for such children to help them overcome their often terrible individual faiths, for which they are not responsible, and become useful adults tomorrow, based on and integral assistance, taking into consideration the psychological, emotional, and Christian aspects of education as well as adequate schooling and medical assistance when needed.

Vision: Past, present, and future

Only a few months after its constitution in 1985, ABANSA was able to open its first “home” in Caracas with a capacity to shelter 12 children. Immediately demand for additional such “homes” increased to such an extent that every effort was made to increase their number.

With much effort, little by little, more “homes” were established in other parts of the country and the program could be expanded also increasing the initial team of collaborators, professionals and other volunteers which made it possible, over approximately last 9 years, to attend 160 children living in “My Shelter” homes where our basic objective to protect them, providing them with a “Home”, guiding them towards a Christian and useful life and adulthood was successfully achieved.

Today we maintain 7 such “family homes” where at present, we raise 102 children from ages ranging form as young as one month to 18 years with approximately 40 adults working for the association on a permanent basis with different educational backgrounds but all having in common a Christian vocation to help these children. We are rising a rural school en Ureña, frontier with Colombia.

ABANSA is recognized Association by government entities such as CNDNA (Consejo Nacional de Derechos del Niño y del Adolescente), FIPAN (Foundation for the Integral attention of childhood) and Venezuelan NGO’S (No Government Organization), coordinators, and are also well known to the different Venezuelan religious communities who supply some collaboration.

To offer the indicated assistance ABANSA has developed and working in 7 different areas:

A reception and development center was created in Caracas with a capacity for 12 children. Here children are studied, evaluated and checked on their legal backgrounds to get a general overview an send them to an appropriate “family home” best suited for them. We have one in Caracas.

Treatment Centers (still only in project)

“Family homes”, each with a capacity to attend 12-14 children, in charge of “substitute parent” and two “substitute aunts”

A farm home for teenage boys, ages 10 to 16, already exists in the outskirts of the city of Valencia.

Christian nurseries/daily Care centers for children of working mothers (still only in project).

“Spring complex” to assist the elders who can then become “substitute Grandparents” for these children which would work two-ways, give love to these children and fill their own lives with a gratifying activity.

Christian school for rural area and people don’t know to reed or write.

Main goals, among others, are:

Helps as many children as possible over the shortest period of time.

Offers a model for integral attention for the abandoned child.

Teach and train volunteers to work with such children.

Expand to other Latin American countries who wish to adopt our model.

Prevention of existing problem of juvenile delinquency affecting our entire society, by taking abandoned children and teenagers off the streets.

Offer integral assistance to abandoned children, orphans and children living in irregular situations, in need of help today not to become the delinquent of tomorrow, based on sound psychological and Christian standards.