In the heart of Bolivia, at an altitude of more than 2,500 meters above sea level, stands a house. Modest on the outside, but for the more than 200 girls who have found refuge there over the years, it has been - and continues to be - a true home.

They are the daughters of teenage mothers, children of drug traffickers, orphans, survivors of sexual violence - including rape - or girls whose parents simply couldn’t care for them. These are the life stories of the 60 current residents of the St. Francis Home for Girls, run by the Sisters of the Sacred Heart in Cochabamba.

Some arrive at Hogar de Niñas San Francisco as toddlers, barely a year old. Many stay until they become young women - with an education, a profession, and the confidence to live on their own. It is a place of safety for children without parents, for those who had to grow up too soon, and for those still searching for love, care, and stability.

In Cochabamba, winter begins in June. Mornings are freezing, with temperatures dropping to 0°C - and inside the house, it’s often not much warmer. There is no central heating in the building, so the girls cope by sleeping in sweatpants, jackets, hats, and bundling themselves up in blankets.

Colds, infections, and general weakness are common during this time. The cold seeps in through old, leaky wooden windows - now over 30 years old - that date back to the very beginning of the home. They no longer provide any insulation, and replacing them is no longer a luxury but a necessity - one that directly affects the girls’ health and daily well-being.

The sisters and the girls dream of having new double-glazed windows that will help keep the heat inside and improve the comfort of daily life, especially during the colder months. As Sister Anna Kurysz, SSCJ, the director of the home, writes:

With no heating in the house, we walk around all the time in sweaters and jackets and sleep in sweatpants, because it’s hard to fall asleep when you’re shivering from the cold. We dream of new double-glazed windows to help keep the children warmer during the winter and autumn, so they don’t get so cold.

The cost of replacing one window is €217. In total, we need to raise €26,047.

Help us replace the old windows and give the girls the gift of warmth.

Bank account numbers for money transfers are:

For $: PL 52 1600 1462 1847 3641 5000 0009; SWIFT: PPAB PLPK
For €: PL 41 1600 1462 1847 3641 5000 0013; SWIFT: PPAB PLPK
For others: IBAN: PL 79 1600 1462 1847 3641 5000 0008; SWIFT: PPAB PLPK