It may sound strange, but our donors have spoiled us a little. When we started the project to replace the windows in the orphanage in Cochabamba, we had no doubt that it would be a success. The love shown to the girls in Bolivia remains strong, and their lives have changed dramatically for the better – and it is all thanks to you, dear friends. Thank you!
In the heart of Bolivia, in Cochabamba, at an altitude of over 2,500 metres above sea level, stands the Saint Francis Home for Girls. Under the care of the Sisters of the Sacred Heart, it is home to children whose lives have been marked by suffering from an early age: daughters of teenage mothers, orphans, victims of sexual violence, including rape, girls taken away from families unable to provide them with safety. They often arrive at the Home as one-year-old toddlers and leave as educated adult women.
One of the biggest challenges of everyday life is the Bolivian winter. From June onwards, temperatures here drop to as low as 0 °C, and there is no central heating in the Home. The old wooden windows, over 30 years old, were draughty and let in the cold and moisture. Replacing them was no longer something to just dream of – it became a matter of necessity, an investment in health, safety and decent living conditions.
That is how the “Give Warmth” project was born. Thanks to the support of the Dehonian Donors, funds were raised to purchase and install modern double-glazed windows. Today, the Home is warmer, quieter, and safer. The number of infections has also decreased, and the children can sleep peacefully without shivering from the cold.
Sister Anna Kurysz SSCJ, director of the orphanage in Cochabamba, addressed words of gratitude to the donors from Poland:
Honourable Donors,
Hogar de Niñas San Francisco is first and foremost a home for the 60 girls who live here. Over the years, this place has become a family home for them. The orphanage has been operating for over 30 years and has become a refuge for many girls. Some of them came to live with us when they were one or two years old.
After so many years, the house is in need of serious repairs, not just repairing the holes that appear as a result of frequent earthquakes. It has always been difficult for us to survive the winter, since temperatures drop to zero and our modest, very thin windows and cracked frames could not keep the heat inside the house. We put on tracksuits and hats to sleep, and even then it is difficult to fall asleep when it is so cold.
This is how the “Give Warmth” project was born. It entailed removing the old windows and installing new ones made of plastic – a material resistant to strong sunlight and rain. The replacement process was very slow – out of concern for the health of all the children and sisters, it was carried out gradually. However, the work has now been successfully completed.
We would like to express our heartfelt gratitude to each and every donor for every zloty donated to this cause. We would certainly never have been able to raise the necessary amount of money on our own, because daily expenses, frequent price increases, and the lack of support from the Bolivian state make it a struggle to address all needs and not send anyone out onto the street due to a lack of funds…
Your donations have both a material and spiritual significance for us, because each one is a “green light” that shows us that you care about our lives. Once again, we thank you from the bottom of our hearts and pray for each of you during our daily rosary prayers in our home chapel.
With the gift of prayer +
Sister Anna
In the 2025-2026 period, the total amount of aid amounted to PLN 148,865 – this also includes funds for repainting the children's rooms. The remaining money will be allocated to the day-to-day running of the orphanage as part of the Adoption of Love project.
