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It was early in March, 1991, when a nameless infant - abandoned, disabled, and abused - was discovered under the seat of a bus, wrapped in a black garbage bag. Barely alive, she was five weeks old. When the hospital turned her away, local officials brought the baby to a ‘home-of-sorts’… a run-down dirt-floor, single-room unit in the barrio – the poorest neighborhood of Bogota, Colombia, where a fifty-year-old nun resided with four abandoned children... all blind.
Sister Valeriana Garcia Martin, originally from Spain, had been volunteering at a hospital for the blind in Bogota for nearly twenty years, when she vowed that she would not leave Colombia until every abandoned child was provided with home and family. She began her commitment by converting a run-down garage into a home for children – many with compromised and complex disabling conditions – each of whom had been abandoned by families who simply could not provide or understand. Sister Valeriana’s heartfelt desire was to bring LIGHT and LIFE into the seemingly hopeless lives of these children, and she named their home Hogares Luz y Vida – the Home of Light and Life. They named their new baby Rosita. Sadly, as Rosita was diagnosed with countless medical issues, and a victim of severe abuse and neglect, her destiny seemed hopeless. Sister Valeriana decided to adopt Rosita as her own - for as long as her fragile life might endure.
Their family and home grew, as other abandoned children were brought to this place of refuge; and this “crazy nun”, as she was nicknamed, became a significant and respected fixture – both in the barrio and in Bogota at large. And in 1997, when two women from the United States journeyed to Bogota to meet the children of Hogares Luz y Vida, little did they realize that their humble journey would change their own lives… and countless others. Soon thereafter, the Light and Life Foundation was formed - to serve these orphaned, abandoned, impoverished and disabled children of Hogares Luz y Vida.
On February 2, 2021, Sister Valeriana, the 248 children and their caregivers, and the Light and Life Foundation will celebrate the 30-year anniversary of Hogares Luz y Vida, and the 30th birthday of Rosita! - whose life story is a testimony of inspiration, determination, perseverance and boundless love.
As we welcome you to join us in celebration, we are keenly aware of the escalating and seemingly endless needs of the children and the facilities which house them. The Covid-19 pandemic has added a significant burden to the caregiving staff and the endless medical attention required for the children. Educational programming has been compromised and overall facility maintenance has been hindered. Additionally, due to financial hardships, other residential care programs in Bogota have been forced to close their doors and transfer their residents to Hogares Luz y Vida – escalating both financial and caregiving responsibilities.
We are launching our 2021-2022 Light and Life Giving Campaign to support these needs and we need your help. The ongoing mission of the Light and Life Foundation is to provide Light and Life for these children - in all aspects of their lives – medical, educational, nutritional, staffing and facility. Several projects and programs are detailed on our website - lightandlifefoundation.org and we invite you to join us in our campaign - to bring Light and Life to our children. Every dollar of all donations go directly to the needs of the children, and all donations are tax deductible.
- Colleen Morey, Founder
"The smallest act of kindness is worth more than the grandest intention.” - Oscar Wilde
