History

John & Elena Stansberry

John and Elena (Opal) Stansberry came as missionaries to Santa Cruz, Bolivia to translate the Bible. They began working with orphaned and abandoned children after seeing their many needs, founding the Home in 1954.

Although John died in 1974, Elena continued the work until her death in 1988. Following Mrs. Stansberry's death, a local interdenominational board of directors, consisting of Bolivians and North Americans, was formed to ensure that the home continued operating.

Today the Home continues to provide a safe place for children who are orphaned or abandoned and who have no place else to go. Usually there are 30 children living at the Home at any one time. This allows for more individual attention and creates a family-like atmosphere.

Children are generally received from infancy to five years of age. Many of them come in sibling groups which often contain older siblings. Here they are raised until their later teens when they begin life on their own.

Christian Emphasis

The Home strives to provide a Christian family atmosphere; it is a place where children can mature and grow in their understanding and faith in God. Each Sunday they attend a local evangelical church where the children participate in Sunday school and the worship service.

Education

The children attend a nearby Christian school. Bolivian schools function for half a day. Older children go from 8 am till noon and younger children from 2pm until 6 p.m. The children have scheduled time to complete their homework with the help of the library tutor.

Some years ago the Moises Stansberry Educational Fund was established to help the youth of the Home obtain post-secondary training. Currently there are ten Home alumni receiving support of varying amounts.

Activities and Skills

One of the goals of the Stansberry Children's Home is to equip each child with skills and habits which will benefit them throughout their lives and ease their transition of living outside of the home.

Many skills can be learned on the 7 acre farm at the Home. The children learn to care for pigs and cows. Milking cows, making cheese and gardening are also involved.

Valuable skills are taught in the carpentry, welding, sewing, and craft shops. The funding for these programs is provided through a grant from the Global Family Program.

Music lessons are provided for those who want learn the keyboard or guitar. The older children are involved in cooking and cleaning duties, and are responsible for washing their clothes. All these skills are important as the children learn to develop many different abilities as they head into adulthood.