In 34 cities across six countries, Covenant House cares for young people overcoming  homelessness, survivors of human trafficking, and unaccompanied migrant youth with unconditional love, absolute respect, and relentless support. We have been at work in Latin America since 1981, and the children and adolescents we care for in the region are 12-18 years old. At our sites in seven cities in Guatemala, Honduras, Mexico, and Nicaragua we offer shelter, food, medical and mental health care, substance use treatment, educational support, vocational training, and legal aid. In addition to these direct services, we scale our impact and create systemic change in the region through public education and prevention programs, legislative advocacy, and human rights monitoring and activism. In Honduras, Mexico, and Nicaragua, we are known as Casa Alianza, and in Guatemala as La Alianza.

Covenant House believes every young person deserves a safe place to sleep and hope for the future, regardless of national boundaries. In Latin America, young girls and women face extraordinary challenges, including poverty, violence, and abuse in contexts rife with political instability, broken education systems, and lack of economic opportunities. These threats lead young women to live on the streets or to flee their own country, urgently seeking safety and opportunity. Struggling to survive on their own, these young women are extremely vulnerable to exploitation and trafficking. When they have nowhere else to turn for the safety and hope they deserve, Covenant House is there.

At Covenant House, we are committed to providing the essential safety and support these young girls and women need to thrive. Providing access to inclusive and equitable educational opportunities is a cornerstone of what we do, and we have developed a number of programs that meet individual community needs. Our site staff and Covenant House International leadership have worked together to create custom solutions that work for these women, and provide them both the services and opportunities that serve the individual challenges they face. Last year we enrolled 500 youth in formal educational programs and 350 young people into vocational education programs.

In Guatemala our sites serve an area with increased vulnerability to human traffickers because of frequent migration through Guatemala City, San Juan del Obispo, and Coatepeque. Our main shelters are located in Guatemala City and San Juan del Obispo, but in Coatepeque we provide legal services – connecting young people to local service providers, providing preventative services and education on rights, and discerning whether a young person should be moved to one of our residences in Guatemala City (girls) or San Juan del Obispo (boys).  Our courageous staff is connected to a network of providers in their region to address issues of human trafficking and sexual violence in supporting survivors. While in our care, these young girls and women have access to all of our critical care, services, and numerous educational opportunities. Since the pandemic, staff have taken on larger tutoring roles and created in-house technology solutions for remote learning—enhancements which continue to benefit youth even as schools have reopened.

Read the full article about Covenant House at Global Washington.