Returning to Cabo San Lucas - December 2012

From the time I left Cabo San Lucas in April 2012, I  wanted to return.  I made the initial contacts with Casa Hogar Cabo and Los Niños del Capitán and I wanted to go back to work with some projects for the children.  After posting my first blogs, I have been delighted to hear from quite a few people who desired to volunteer while vacationing in Cabo San Lucas and have contacted me through this blog.  I would encourage anyone who has connected with Casa Hogar Cabo or Los Ninos del Capitan through this blog, please email me to share your experiences so other readers traveling to Cabo might be encouraged to do the same.  

It uncomfortable to step into a place of service in a different community and country, but the joy of the experience is immeasurable.  By sharing my experiences with you and giving the details you need to make connections, it is my hope that you will also be able to experience the joy of looking into the face of a child who smiles so big from your hugs and attention.  The joy that I take away from my involvement with the children is indescribable. 

Casa Hogar Cabo – An orphanage for boys age 7 to 18

One of my goals for my trip in December was to teach some brief trauma techniques to a few psychologists who work with traumatized children in Cabo San Lucas in different capacities.  Over the course of my week, I spent three days teaching them how to resolve Post-Traumatic Stress with children using brief therapeutic techniques.  It has been a tremendously satisfying experience to reach beyond culture and language differences and communicate from our hearts.  I was challenged to find a way to teach with fewer words and have been inspired by their desire and passion to help children.  It's great if you have a skill that you can share, but it isn't a requirement.

We did it!  No more nightmares.

With my first visit to Casa Hogar Cabo in April, and the time I spent on this last trip in December of 2012, I have gotten to know how loving and caring the staff is at Casa Hogar Cabo.  From the women who cook for the children, to the director, Chris Mills, the manager Omar Venegas, the psychologist Manuel Zavala, and the rest of the staff, these boys are being guided, cared for, and nurtured from a place of deep love.  It was so much fun to see how the staff has created a big family at Casa Hogar, which is not the case in so many other orphanages.  

I couldn’t help but smile when I watched one of the youngest boys come to Dr. Zavala for attention and how he gathered the child up in his arms, took time to hug him, talk to him and engage in a fatherly teasing way.  In a conversation with Dr. Zavala he explained, “I have only one daughter, but why would I need any more children?  Every boy at Casa Hogar needs a father and they ARE my boys.” 

Casa Hogar Cabo is well established in the community and supported financially through donations and fundraising.  If you would like to assist the orphanage, the one support they do need are people who will scholarship a boy through a private high school, which will insure their success in life.  The costs is about $150 U.S. a month, as the school offers the orphanage a significantly reduced tuition.  Only the boys who do well in school and get the best grades can apply for help to private schooling.  If you would like to help in this capacity or visit the orphanage, contact:

Chris Mills, Director

email:  chris@casahogarcabo.com

Office phone:  624 123-1285

Casa Hogar Cabo

Since my first visit, many improvements have been made:  the bathrooms have been remodeled, the soccer field has been resurfaced, and commerical washing machines have been installed.  Items the boys are always in need of if you desire to drop supplies off are:

white polo shirts for school (age 7-16)

dark slacks for school

backpacks

any type of school supplies such as notebooks, notebook paper, pencils, pens, spiral notebooks, etc.