About Us
Mission Statement:
Pueblito works with local partners to support the growth and development of children and youth in Latin America.
How We Work:
Pueblito Canada is a well respected international development agency dedicated to providing quality programs for young children in poor communities in Latin America. Working in partnership with local non-governmental organizations, Pueblito provides capacity building and financial assistance to develop culturally appropriate, innovative programs that benefit children and youth directly. Through partnership with teachers, parents and community leaders, the lives of each and every young person in our target communities are changed.
Our History:
For over 35 years, Pueblito has been helping the children of Latin America by safeguarding their rights, strengthening their communities and providing the essentials for health, education and nutrition.
Pueblito started in 1974 when a group of passionate, United Church-affiliated Canadians teamed up to contribute to a better life for children in Latin America. Led by Peter Taçon, the group founded a children’s village in Costa Rica. The village would serve as an alternative model to government orphanages and offer street children the chance to grow up in a family environment. We take our name from this first project - pueblito is Spanish for “village.” The Costa Rican government officially took over full responsibility for the village in 1989 and it still exists today.
In the 1980s, Pueblito expanded its work to other countries in Latin America. Following the devastation of Hurricane David, Pueblito replicated the children’s village model in the Dominican Republic. It was there that we gained experience providing a wide variety of development programs for children in poor communities and their parents. At that time we also looked to Brazil where we started specializing in Early Childhood Education for impoverished contexts. Pueblito spent 20 years supporting vibrant community initiatives in both countries.
