“It wasn’t the first time we had carried out humanitarian work in Bolivia. I was invited to visit several projects, and the one that truly touched me and broke my heart was this home for girls who have been sexually abused or raped by their own relatives. There was an 11-year-old girl with her newborn baby and another 15-year-old girl who was pregnant”. This is how Luis Domínguez, international director of the Mijas Lions Club, recounts the beginning of his journey with the ‘Nuestra Casa’ (Our Home) shelter, located in Cochabamba, Bolivia.

That first visit took place 20 years ago, “when I was invited as an official speaker for the national convention of the Lions of Bolivia”, recalls Domínguez, visibly moved during this interview with Mijas Comunicación to mark the project’s twentieth anniversary. “I get a tremendous shiver down my spine whenever I talk about this centre”, he admits.

 

The majority of the girls living in the home are aged between 11 and 17. “They can no longer return to their homes after the terrible trauma they have suffered. What this centre does is welcome them, providing a home, love, a new life, education, and a future. It is a tremendously difficult situation”, the Lion adds.

Renovating the home

As the ‘Home’ is now 20 years old and, like any home, has deteriorated over time, the Lions have undertaken a comprehensive renovation. “We asked the Lions Clubs in Bolivia to send us a list of their needs, and everything has been addressed: painting, new ceilings and floors, carpentry work, new furniture, and the garden has been landscaped”, lists Domínguez.  

 

“When you see that money can change the lives of people in such need on the other side of the world, you realise the beauty of an NGO as vast as the Lions Club. There are over 50,000 Lions clubs worldwide and nearly 1.5 million members; and we are all volunteers. Furthermore, we maintain our club through membership fees, meaning that 100 per cent of the money raised in any charitable activity must be spent on humanitarian aid, according to our international statutes. Through a small effort from each of us, we achieve great things; the result is wonderful”, said Domínguez.

40 years of Lionism

This April, Luis Domínguez celebrates 40 years as a Lion. He served as international president between 2009 and 2011 and is currently an international speaker and member of the Mijas Lions Club. “For me, Lionism is a way of giving back to society for everything it has given me. There’s a phrase that taught me a lot when I became a Lion 40 years ago. A friend of mine, a Lion from Antequera, told me: ‘Lionism will give you friends you would never have had otherwise’. And that’s exactly how it is. I have friends all over the world, fantastic people who dedicate their resources to others, people with a heart, and a desire to do good”. “Through our international foundation, supported by every Lions Club in the world, including Mijas, many countries submit projects for funding. We have recently been in São Luís, Brazil, supporting a centre for children with cancer who are also facing a terrible situation. We are going to purchase 50 beds for them”, Domínguez noted. In two weeks, he will travel to Colombia again as an international speaker: “I don’t know what solidarity project will emerge from there”. We look forward to hearing news of that visit to share with our readers.

 

A place of hope

At ‘Our Home’ in Cochabamba, the girls who live there receive psychological support, affection and and the tools to face life ahead. The centre strives to ensure they lead a normal life, attending school while the older girls learn a trade. This is chronicled by Luis Domínguez on his website (www.lionluis.com/Leones/ Spanish), where he chronicles his experiences. The girls themselves look after the home, supported by two live-in carers who provide guidance and supervision.

The average stay at the centre is between 3 and 9 months. Around 80% of the girls eventually return to their families once the abuser has been imprisoned and the family has received psychological support to overcome the trauma. The tragedy is even greater in cases of pregnancy; as the abusers are family members, children are often born with physical or mental disabilities. Furthermore, abortion is illegal in Bolivia. There has only been one instance where a girl rejected the child, who was then placed for adoption.

The home only has room for 15 girls. Demand is enormous, and those who cannot be admitted are often sent to orphanages that lack this essential emotional and psychological support. State aid is minimal: just 9 bolivianos a day per girl (slightly more than one euro), and payments are unreliable, and the centre can go months without receiving these grants. They survive by selling handicrafts and cakes at local markets and through the generosity of NGOs such as the Lions Club.

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