Orphan stories

Sergio and Samel

A Tale of Two Brothers

Sergio and Samel Ramero Lopes have been living at Casa del Niño since 2010, when a visiting volunteer pastor brought campus staff to visit the boys’ family in the tiny town of Tajunucla. What they found was a family living in a hut perched halfway up Guatemala’s tallest volcano, with the boys’ parents both out of work and their father in poor health.

Sergio, 11, and Samel 9, are now thriving at the campus and are a regular source of laughter, not to mention a few pranks now and then.

Sergio has become something of a leader among the younger boys. He recently told staff he wanted to be a doctor when he grows up. Samel, however, announced he was going to be a teacher.

In an area where the majority of adults don’t progress to the Guatemalan equivalent of middle school, Casa del Niño is providing the opportunity for these boys and other children to achieve those dreams.