What we do
Rescuing Argentina’s disabled and abandoned citizens 
Many people in Misiones, Argentina, are extremely poor. Most vulnerable are those children and adults with intellectual or physical disabilities, or elderly people afflicted by isolation, depression or alcoholism. As such, when a member of the community, or the hospital alerts us to the fact that somebody is in dire need of help, we go and help them.
Families, at a loss to know what to do with their disabled children, hide them away or abandon them.
This is a country where social welfare provision for the poorest is almost nil. St. Teresa’s Foundation rescues people from appalling conditions and we provide over 100 residents with:
- accommodation and nutritious meals
- medical treatment and physiotherapy
- 24 hour care, 365 days a year
- love and dignity
We find people in the most horrific circumstances – abandoned, alone, often starving and covered in insects. We then bring them in to our centre, give them the medical treatment they deserve, and a home.
“Our homes are centres of care and centres of prayer”
Kenny’s Story
Our most recent arrival, he was discovered in his own faeces and urine in the basement of a disused house in sub-zero temperatures dressed only in a wet pullover. Although only 15 years old, he weighed just 24kg (4 and a half stone) and was just 130cm (4ft) tall.
He is a Down’s syndrome child. His well-off parents pretended he did not exist and are now in jail for this terrible neglect of their son. Having lived in darkness for years, he was terrified of sunlight but with our help is now happily overcoming this fear. The parents of Kenny were pillars of their society thus making it difficult for the police to believe that they had an abandoned son. A diligent police lady decided to investigate incognito. She heard scratching sounds from the ground and alerted the judge. When the judge ordered a search and Kenny was finally found he embraced the policewoman so tightly, he did not want to let her go.
We are glad to report that in his first 3 months with us, he has gained 1+kg in weight and 3cm in height.
