Decisions that Transform a Life  

Perla is 16 years old and while she speaks, she moves a key chain around her fingers; it was given to her by her psychologist, Karla. Manipulating the key chain is one of the resources she uses today to manage her anxiety. This simple gesture says a lot: Perla now knows how to recognize her feelings and to find healthy ways to deal with them. 

She came to Covenant House Mexico when she was very young, following a complex home situation. At first, everything was so confusing; she felt sadness, anger, fear. She missed her mother and couldn’t understand how someone she loved could also hurt her. With time, Perla began to feel more secure. She found a different kind of space at Covenant House, one where people listened to her and walked alongside her.  

Perla speaks honestly about her mental health journey.  She says there were moments when she didn’t know how to manage what she was feeling, and that led her to self-harm. But she also recognizes something important: how one day she realized she no longer wanted to continue down that road. Seeing the marks on her arms was a breaking point. With on-site psychological support, she began to understand that she was carrying so much pent-up pain, and she needed to find a different way to express it.  

Today, Perla has tools. When she feels bad, she writes, walks, breathes deeply, doodles, or writes letters she will never send. Little by little, she has built up both self-control and self-awareness. She continues to work on her communication skills and tolerance, and she no longer speaks as she once did. Where once she said, “I can’t,” now she says, “Let me try.” 

She completed her lower secondary education with the support of Covenant House Mexico’s education team, took job skills courses, and discovered that learning can also be healing. “It helped me to de-stress and to grow more into myself,” Perla says.  

She speaks enthusiastically about her future. She wants to enter Covenant House Mexico’s Independent Living program and to one day live on her own and be responsible for herself. She dreams of becoming an investigative police officer, so she can help her community to not repeat its mistakes. She also dreams of singing rap and K-pop: Two different dreams, but they are both hers! 

Perla knows that her story is measured in daily decisions: Asking for help, practicing calm, continuing to study, and becoming increasingly empathetic. For her, that’s where success lies.   

As our conversation draws to a close, Perla mentions something that sums up her process: “Covenant House is my family. I’m grateful because I have friends I relate to in a positive way, I have food, a place to be, a place where they listen to me, and there are counselors to help me. Thank you for helping me grow as a person.”  

And as she leaves, it’s clear that Perla has not only survived a difficult history: She is learning to live the life she wants, step by step.   

Covenant House has programs in 34 cities across five countries: the United States, Mexico, Guatemala, Honduras, and Canada. Our children and youth in Latin America are the youngest across our federation, just 12 to 18 years old.  

Learn more about how we support children and teens in Mexico, Guatemala, and Honduras.  

Your donation is the most immediate and impactful way to support Covenant House’s work in Latin America.  

This story was written by Leslie Rivera of Covenant House Mexico.