Sally was frequently left alone in her home by her mom and her boyfriend when she was only one year old. Concerned neighbors called the authorities after hearing Sally cry for hours. When the authorities found her, she was terrified and crying inconsolably while sitting in a dirty diaper and hungry.  

Age: 1.5 years old

SALLY

Roberto was abandoned at a very young age when his parents realized that he has special needs. He was in an orphanage that was unable to meet his daily necessities and he spent all day just laying in a crib.  

​

Age: 6 years old 

ROBERTO

Margarita was abandoned by her parents when she was just a few months old. She was left at the hospital. She spent the first 6 years of her life at an institution that did not have the staff or space for her to move around freely.  

Age: 7 years old

MARGARITA

Age: 2 years old 

ABRAHAM

Shortly after “Abraham”s mom passed away his father abandoned him. He was then cared for by a family member who also abandoned him.  With so much transition and abandonment, Abraham was very despondent and sad.  

Age: 6 months old

ESTHER

Meet our sweet Esther. Esther is the name we gave her because she didn’t have one. Esther’s mom found herself pregnant at a young age and vanished from the hospital after giving birth. Esther was not expected to live very long.  

Age: 2 years old 

JUAN

Juan was abandoned at birth and left at the hospital. Before coming to Casa Providencia he lived at an orphanage that did not understand his needs. He would shy away from visual contact and would only interact with one caregiver.  

Age: 2 years old

CARMEN

Carmen was hospitalized with her older brother due to a severe case of parasites and extreme malnutrition. She was then placed with an orphanage after she left the hospital because the authorities realized her home was an unfit place for her and her brother to live. At 18 months old Carmen did not... 

Age: 2 years old

ANDREA

At six-month-old Andrea was left at the city dump before paramedics were called to rescue her. She had been abandoned there and left to die. She fought for her life for 2 months in the hospital before she was discharged into Casa Providencia’s care.

​

Age: 10 years old

MARIA

At 9 years old, “María” was unable to sit up or hold her head up on her own and spent all day in a bed and was still being fed from a bottle. She was never given a wheelchair.  While she lived at another orphanage her seizures were out of control because her medication was not correct she had multiple episodes a day.  

Age: 4 years old 

JOSE

Before Jose came to Casa Providencia he lived a life of extreme poverty and neglect. His mom was mentally incapable of caring for him. When he was two years old he contracted bacterial meningitis but was not taken to the doctor and the illness deteriorated half of his brain, leaving him with a diagnosis of cerebral palsy and epilepsy.  

Age: 6 years old

CAROLINA

Carolina was abandoned at birth and lived at another orphanage in Colón, Panama until she was 5 years old.  She spent the first few years of her life primarily in the same room every day, all day. 

Age: 1.5 years old

DANIELA

Daniela’s neighbors were concerned for her well-being and called child protective services. She was removed from her home for her own protection and we received an urgent request to receive Daniela the same day.

​

Age: 6 years old

JUANA

Juana only knew a life of neglect before she was removed from her home in Panama. She was severely malnourished and living in a home environment with very poor hygiene. Before she came to Casa Providencia she lived at an orphanage where she recovered from malnutrition.

​