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At "La Baliza"
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His life had been one of rejection, crime and prostitution.
Angry, afraid and apprehensive, Fernando was just 10 years
old. Completely on his own by age eight, most of his life
had been lived on the streets when he arrived at the Ninos
de la Luz (NDLL) Lighthouse Ranch. Giving control of his life
over to strangers at the Ranch was frightening, after having
relied only on himself and his survival skills for so long.
Tragically, the adults that he should have been able to trust
the most--his parents, had rejected him and taught him that
no adults could be relied upon.
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Yet by the grace of God, today Fernando is a well adjusted
boy. Living with a loving Christian couple at the NDLL
ranch has taught him what a healthy family is. An education
has filled him with a desire to do great things in life. He
has been cared for as every child should be: with love, affection,
discipline, and consistency. Fernando’s wings
have grown in and he should be ready to fly. But Fernando
has no idea of how to look for a job, has never bought his
own food; budgeting or making money last for a month is completely
unknown to him for he’s never had to pay rent or bills.
Should he lose a job or find that ends don’t meet, he
will have no one to turn to. Fernando is terrified.
 A
large percentage of children raised in institutionalized care
in the United States end up as delinquents, homeless or in
jail. Though the numbers are shockingly high in the
US, without benefit of the safety net of social structures,
Latin American youth fare even worse. This is why Ninos de
la Luz has decided to open the La Baliza (The Light Beacon)
Life Navigation School for Youth. NDLL has seen how
desperately their own boys need basic life skills and after
much research, has found that many organizations working with
street kids lack the staff and funds to provide these skills.
Ninos de la Luz is ready and excited to create a place where
young people not only from the NDLL Ranch, but from other
organizations as well, can come to be guided in life navigation.
The desire of all child care organizations is not only to
care for the immediate needs of these children but to raise
strong and confident people who will be ready to face their
futures without hesitation or fear.
 Life
is an adventure! It’s a voyage waiting to be embarked
upon but going it alone turns that adventure into nothing
more than a desperate quest for mere survival. Life
Navigation helps youth plot a course for their life adventure
so that they can step into the unknown with more assurance.
Our staff focuses on discipling, guiding and equipping these
kids for successful integration into independent living.
The goal of La Baliza is to give former street kids from various
institutions a chance to look to the future with excitement
and not apprehension, and to view their future as an adventure
just waiting to be lived out. But they’re going
it alone and this weighs heavily on their minds. It’s
essential that they first discover who God is: their father,
their provider, their hope. By experiencing
faith, the boys will learn that there is no need to fear as
long as they look to God as their ultimate provider and friend.
Discipleship is at the core:
- Helping boys discover who God is.
- Building up their confidence and identity in Christ
through deeper knowledge of Him and his Word.
- Challenging the boys to strive for excellence, to
live a life of integrity with strong morals and values based
on their Christian faith.
- Encouragement to go out strong, with the confidence
that it is God who carries the burden of their future and
their lives.
Guidance gives vision:
- Helping boys discover who they are and what their
strengths are.
- Aptitude testing and career counseling
- Goal setting instruction, both short and long-term
goals for their education, careers, ministries and families.
- Participation in recreational adventures such as
scuba diving, hiking, rock climbing, mountain biking and
surfing to promote team work, a sense of accomplishment
and general exposure to new interests or talents they might
discover.
- Teaching boys to give back to their communities
in the form of service or ministry.
Equipping makes it happen:
- Teaching kids how to obtain and maintain employment
including preparing a resume, filling out job applications,
interviewing successfully, developing on-the-job skills
and work ethics and communicating effectively with employers.
- Teaching them how to locate and maintain affordable
housing.
- Teaching them money management and budgeting.
- Teaching them communication, conflict resolution
and parenting skills for their own future families.
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What
We Do...
