We are a family-run Orphanage in Baja, Mexico, near Ensenada, giving abandoned, abused and wounded children a warm Christian home.  For almost forty years, three generations of Espinozas have loved and cared for the kids. The Orphanage was founded as a home for needy children, those who have been deserted, whose families can not feed or clothe them and those who have no family. It is a spiritual home steeped in love. The children are fed with spiritual food as well as the other necessities of life.  Click here to see the Orphanage Brochure PDF. Click here to request the El Sauzal Orphanage DVD or to view it.

 

 

Our mission is to raise the children we care for through three main components – faith, family and a future.  Through faith we can give children the hope and courage they need as they face life.  Through our family setting, we love the kids, demonstrating for them how healthy families work.  And with a focus on the future, we work to give the children the education they need as they prepare to start lives on their own.

 

One of the priorities of this Orphanage is that children receive a complete education to give the children a future out of poverty.  We send the kids to elementary school, provide tutoring to get the kids to grade level, and pay to send them to high school.  When teens want to go on to college or technical school, the Orphanage and sponsors pay for the tuition.

 

Orphanage alumni have become lawyers, teachers, psychologists and social workers.  There are also accountants, bilingual secretaries, and chefs.  Six alumnae are pastors and evangelists.

 

We also are involved in our community of San Antonio de las Minas.  Many of the groups that help our Orphanage do other work in the pueblo. For example, twice a year, a church from California, Placentia Presbyterian, brings down hundreds of tons of beans, rice and flour.  With their group, the local church and our staff, we distribute these staples to more than one hundred families in the community.  This includes two local indigenous communities.  The food sustains these families through lean times.  Also, our Dental Clinic provides service not only to the Orphanage, but the other Orphanage in the pueblo and community members.

 

The Orphanage was founded on June 3, 1967. It was originally located in El Sauzal, a small town outside of Ensenada.   The Orphanage was ultimately moved to Ramon and Magdalena Espinoza’s house in San Antonio de las Minas. Their little home held them, their three children and twelve orphan children. Ramon’s original passion was to preach and start churches; he has started five churches. He and Magdalena have invested many years into loving abandoned children.  

 

Many of the children that have grown up at the Orphanage have remained close, as family of Papa Ramon and Mama Magdalena.  Quite a few live in the community.  Over the years, the Orphanage has been built by many caring volunteers. At one time there were about 85 children at the Orphanage.  

 

Ramon and Magdalena have now retired. Their son Josue is the Orphanage's President and Director. Josue and his wife Lilia live in the director’s apartment with their two younger daughters.  Josue's eldest daughter Erika and her husband Ruffo serve with Josue to administrate the Orphanage's daily operations.  In 2004, a long time Orphanage dream came true when they were able to purchase an adjacent piece of land.  In late 2004, the El Sauzal Foundation Inc. was formed by friends of the Orphanage in the United States to help raise support for the Orphanage.  We look forward to 2007 when we will celebrate forty years of raising children.

 

Help more hurting kids.  In the past we have had as many as eighty-five children.  For many years, we’ve only been able to care for thirty to forty hurting kids, due to financial limitations.  We look forward to having the financial support to hire additional loving staff to help more children.

Renovate facilities.  The Orphanage’s location was once Ramon and Magdalena’s house.  The facilities have been built up over the years by volunteer groups with varying construction expertise.  Our grounds are strongly in need of renovation.  Last year we also purchased a new piece of property adjacent to the Orphanage.  It has an existing building that we dream of upgrading to a recreation center for crafts, drama, et cetera, as well as a place for visitors to stay in.

Social worker on site. Many of the children at the Orphanage have experienced emotional, sexual and psychological abuse.  A social worker would be better equipped to offer the kind of counseling that would aid our kids to grow into healthier adults.

Outreach to the community.  Many of San Antonio’s children go to school on an empty stomach.  One of our desires is to offer breakfast to the children of the community.  The community has many working mothers. We would also like to offer a daycare center to help the children of the community while their parents work.