During Melaleuca Convention 2011, Sister Maria del Cisne, who oversees the Santa Lucia Children’s Home in Quito, Ecuador, shared with the Melaleuca family several miraculous stories of healing and love. In her first visit to the United States, Sister Maria described the dynamic setting of this 30-year-old orphanage, a few remarkable life-changing moments and how its mission creates new cycles of happiness and love for the children.
The success of the Santa Lucia Children’s Home has been nothing short of extraordinary. “People who visit Santa Lucia think the children came here in good shape,” said Sister Maria, “but each child has a rather difficult history and story to tell.”
Many of these individual transformations have come because of your generosity. Every dollar contributed by Melaleuca Marketing Executives to the Melaleuca Foundation supports the orphanage, allowing the Ecuadorian nuns, staff and volunteers to meet the physical and emotional needs of the children they care for.
Sister Maria points to one important factor that makes an enormous difference for the children at the orphanage: its structure. The Santa Lucia Children’s Home places children in family-like groups where they can interact with parental figures, “house mothers,” and other children. In contrast to the dormitory-style conditions of a traditional orphanage, this family approach dramatically increases the opportunity for these orphaned and abused children to experience healthful family and communal relationships.
“At the home, we are always trying to help the children feel as if they are in a real home,” said Sister Maria. “Our home and our staff serve as their mom and dad. The greatest difference about the Santa Lucia Children’s Home is our children do not grow up as if they lived in an institution. Rather, they grow more self-assured, creating memories of having lived in a real family: a real family that they, unfortunately, did not have in their own home. It is amazing to see how their lives are transformed from sadness into joy, from anger and rebelliousness to tenderness and love.”
Sister Maria spoke lovingly about 3-year-old twin boys who were initially brought to the children’s home to be treated for malnutrition less than a year ago. After the doctors evaluated them, it was discovered they suffered from a degenerative form of arthrosis.
“At first, they could only drag themselves across the floor, and they could not grab anything with their hands. Emotionally, these boys were scared and fearful; they would not smile, and they would not speak to anybody.”
But now—with the love of the workers at the Santa Lucia Children’s Home—one of them has started walking.
“Though his brother, Gabriel, is a bit slower in recuperating, he has the self-assurance to interact with other people, to smile and to call out to be held in someone’s arms,” said Sister Maria with a warm smile. “This is remarkable progress, since Gabriel could not pronounce even one word when he arrived. Now he says, ‘Hey, I’m here! Please come and take me in your arms!’ He is a happy child.”
Sister Maria, who views her work at the Santa Lucia Children’s Home as an investment in the future, said the results and rewards of their work are plainly visible.
“We can see [the children’s] lives transform into joy and happiness in just a very short time,” she said. “This is what fills us with satisfaction and humanity.”
Another dramatic transformation occurred in the life of an 8-month-old boy named Javier. Despite the loving arms of caregivers, Javier did not stop crying until three weeks after he arrived.
“Unfortunately, his parents were addicted to drugs and alcohol,” she said. “We kept taking this tiny baby to the doctor and administering various medicines, but he was not used to being fed. We soon discovered that Javier was addicted to drugs, because his parents gave him drugs so he wouldn’t feel hungry or cry.
“Now, because of the patience of his ‘house mother’ and lots of love from many others, Javier has traded drugs for food. He is a happy and healthy boy. In fact, whenever somebody comes to the home, Javier is the little boy that greets them with the brightest smile!”
For Sister Maria, of course, the work performed at Santa Lucia fulfills a mandate from God. She knows many of the children she helps wouldn’t have opportunities for normal lives without the Santa Lucia Children’s Home.
“We do it because they are the future of our country and our world,” she said. “We work so hard for them to become good people, so they will become useful and happy, and so—in time—they can grow and start a normal family in a normal home.”
How Can You Help?
To meet Melaleuca’s goal of expanding this extraordinary children’s home to its full capacity, a monthly contribution of $1, $5, $10 or more can make a great impact. We invite you to join the Melaleuca Foundation in caring for the wonderful children at Santa Lucia Children’s Home. To share in this miracle, or for additional information, please visit the Melaleuca Foundation website.
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