Humanity is What Matters 

Unconditional love and absolute respect are concepts that are often easier to feel than to define. This is a beautiful story from one of our Covenant House sites in Latin America that exemplifies these values we hold dear at Covenant House. 

Earlier this year, we welcomed two young girls — survivors of sexual abuse — along with their babies to Covenant House Guatemala. They came from a group called Lev Tahor, which was described by The New York Times as a reclusive, ultra-orthodox Jewish sect with a history of abuse and exploitation.  

The sect´s leaders were wanted in Israel, the U.S., and Mexico under charges of exploitation, forced pregnancy, and child marriage. After their arrest by Guatemalan authorities, around 160 boys, girls, and babies were left without a safe place to live. Some of them were referred to our shelter. 

The Challenge 

Covenant House Guatemala is well known for its specialized care for adolescents who have survived sexual abuse, trafficking, and exploitation. In fact, we run a one-of-a-kind shelter just for young boys who have survived sexual violence as well as a shelter for girls and young mothers. We give them shelter, we help them heal, and we seek justice for them. But despite all the expertise Covenant House Guatemala has developed over the years, nothing had prepared us to fully meet the needs of our two new residents. This time the context was a bit different. 

Our newest residents didn’t speak Spanish. They wore clothing that covered them from head to toe. They didn’t eat local food or celebrate the same traditions as the rest of the residents. In a country where 99% of people are Catholic, Protestant, or agnostic — this was new, unfamiliar, even uncomfortable, both for the staff and for the rest of the girls. 

As you can imagine, it wasn’t easy at first: Our staff didn’t understand why the girls needed to be left alone and not participate in the activities on Saturdays or why they couldn’t eat the same food as the others. The staff had to be more patient; they had to be more tolerant.  

The other girls felt it too: More than one said we were being unfair. They too wanted food to be brought to them by their families. They too wanted a break from the activities from time to time. But one thing was clear: All our residents had suffered the same violence, so they all deserved the same love and respect. And we are committed to listening to and learning from them. 

Love Finds a Way 

The new girls were placed in the cottage for young mothers — and something magical happened. The other girls, more experienced, embraced them. They helped them feed their babies, bathe them, play with them, care for them. They taught them Spanish — along with their babies. And in return, our newest residents taught the others how to make hummus! 

Field trips were especially joyful. Having lived apart from society, every outing was a new adventure: parks, museums, other cities. You could see them fully integrated with the rest of the girls, crafting bracelets in Antigua or feeding the animals at the Aurora Zoo in Guatemala City. The girls bonded over those trips, but also over laughter and shared dreams. In the end, they were simply adolescents with similar experiences and the same resilience — fostered by our staff and nurtured by their peers. 

This wasn’t just care. It was unconditional love. This wasn’t just tolerance. It was absolute respect. Despite differences in language, religion, and culture, our team and the girls saw only what truly mattered: their humanity. 

Pursuing Justice 

Covenant House Guatemala not only provided shelter and protection; we also played a critical role in pursuing justice for the girls. We worked tirelessly alongside Guatemalan authorities, the girls’ families, the U.S. embassy, judges, and prosecutors — even accompanying them to court hearings — as the case evolved into an international trafficking investigation.  

Our coordination with all external actors was constant and close. Internally, the staff managed these cases remarkably well: Communication between departments was swift, as it always is, but this time, after their initial surprise, our colleagues quickly learned about the girls’ culture and became true experts in how to care for them. 

These girls are now safe — reunited with family in the U.S. They carry with them not just memories, but the deep impact of being truly seen. 

And that is our definition of unconditional love and absolute respect. 

This story was written by Gerardo Escaroz, associate vice president, programs, Latin America.  

October 10 is World Homeless Day. Learn more about how Covenant House supports homeless, exploited, abused, and trafficked teens in Guatemala, Honduras, and Mexico.