Since 1958, Hogares Club Michin (HCM) has been a safe haven for almost 1000 young boys and girls who forced to make their homes living on the streets of Bogotá.  To this end, the organization runs several programs to provide this needy population with the essential food, shelter, clothing, education, and emotional support necessary to help them rise above their disadvantageous situations and become productive contributing members of society.  

Children who have been abandoned or abused find a safe nurturing environment in one of Hogares Club Michin’s five homes throughout the Santa Maria del Lago neighborhood of Bogotá. The homes take in children from ages two through eighteen. Aside from providing them with a place to live, play, and grow, HCM provides parental training to their families (if they are present) in order to better orient them towards effectively caring for their child.  The hope is that one day the child will be able to safely return to his or her family.

If these children return to their families, they are closely monitored by the institutions’ staff.  While helpful, these steps are not enough to ensure continued success. Thus, begins the second phase: “Education Support Program”, which gives scholarships to enable children to complete their schooling despite their families’ limited economic resources. The support HCM gives allows the children to afford tuition, uniforms, and supplies.

Hogares Club Michin tries not only to remedy the lives of children already living on the street,  but simultaneously undertakes the prevention of further youngsters in similar situations from ending up with no other option. HCM does this through its program “Community Prevention Program,” which provides children in poor communities with a place to go after school to enjoy sports and cultural activities, receive nutritional support, tutoring, and assistance with their homework. Children are able to flourish in this stimulating environment while provided with an alternative to life on the street.

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