ABOUT US

Rescuing and transforming lives

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Not all heroes wear capes, not all children smile

Casa Juan Pablo II is a community-based nonprofit organization that offers prevention and rehabilitation services to marginalized communities. It especially focuses on rescuing maltreated and neglected children and youth, who grow up without direction and purpose. As a result, they live a life of uncertainty, abandonment and fear, which leads to depression, drug addiction, alcoholism and violence, among other harmful behaviors.

Puerto Rico is facing a rise in social hardships and instability… and children are suffering the consequences

In 2015, over 17,000 cases of child abuse and neglect were registered in Puerto Rico, of which 55 percent involved children under 9 years of age. That same year, it was estimated that 1 in 100 children has experienced child abuse. To make matters worse, over 44,000 grandparents have primary responsibility for their grandchildren’s care and over 4,000 children live in foster homes, separated from their families.

Our Mission

The mission of Casa Juan Pablo II is to offer prevention and rehabilitation services to communities, families and individuals – children, young people and adults, suffering from or in high risk of being affected by substance abuse, violence, crime, school desertion, poverty and neglect, in an adequate, welcoming, safe space where their emotional, psychological, physical and spiritual needs can be met. Our main goal is “to restore lives and transform hearts”.

We bring hope to vulnerable people suffering from exclusion, by helping them transform into productive members of the community, enjoy mental well-being and celebrate their sense of purpose on a daily basis… this is the essence of what we do. We achieve this by providing psychological, emotional and spiritual counseling and support services through our core prevention and rehabilitation programs – Reach Out Your Hand, Acordes and Heritage Tourism and Community Service, which tackle substance abuse, violence and other crimes.