OUR PROJECTS

Our Children and Locations

International Children’s Care is home to over 400 children in 12 different countries. At each location, christian house parents provide the love, care, and discipline that children need to grow into happy and healthy adults.

BRAZIL – ADRA PARTNERSHIP

Starting in 1996, a partnership began between ICC and ADRA to help orphaned children in Brazil.
At that time, Pastor dos Santos served as director of the Adventist Development and Relief Agency (ADRA) for the Central Sao Paulo Conference in Brazil. ADRA had started an orphan care project in Brazil using a similar philosophy and model as ICC’s. Since they were just beginning and ICC had been around for quite a few years by then, it was Pastor dos Santos’ desire to work together.
Since then, ICC has provided some assistance and counsel regarding operational funding and guidance in children’s services. ICC serves as the umbrella organization for receiving and transferring funds.

COLOMBIA – CHILD OF BETHLEHEM REFUGE

In 1986 Ken and Alcyon Fleck began an organization for the orphaned and abandoned children of Colombia called “Refugio El Nino De Belen” or the Refuge from the Child of Bethlehem.

After about three years it became apparent a children’s village was greatly needed where the children could run and play and have their own family and home. But, due to methodology differences between ICC and the Colombian government, the Flecks decided it would be better not to continue with the plans for the village project.

It was in August of 1989 that a collective decision was made to find Colombian families where the children could live and receive the loving care they needed. To help these families with the extra financial burden, ICC found sponsors for the children and monitored their progress. Through the years, many children in Colombia have been assisted in this way.

D.R. CONGO – PATMOS CHILDREN’S VILLAGE

The DRC is a study in contrasts. While the country is rich in natural resources, having extensive deposits of precious minerals and vast tropical forests, corruption and tribal wars have created extreme poverty and lead to the loss of lives of millions of DRC’s citizens. Often it is the very young who suffer the most.

ICC became aware of the plight of these children through Dr. Barry Wecker, a Canadian. Dr. Wecker had met with the director of an organization in the DRC called PROLASA, which was formed to build and operate medical clinics. At the end of 200l, PROLASA contacted ICC, through Dr. Wecker, to see if there was any possibility that ICC could help care for approximately 200 orphan children.

A short time later, a site was located on the Island of Idjwi in the middle of Lake Kivu, where a children’s village could be constructed as a safe haven for orphaned children. This project is ICC’s largest in terms of numbers of children. The needs are great in this country. As funds allow, ICC will continue to develop this children’s village so that even more orphaned and abandoned children can experience the joy of being a part of the ICC family.

DOMINICAN REPUBLIC – LAS PALMAS

A few years after ICC’s project was built in Guatemala, ICC founders, Kenneth and Alcyon Fleck, continued to hear of the needs of at-risk children in the Dominican Republic. There were many children in this society from poor or dysfunctional families.

The Fleck’s had been missionaries there for a number of years and knew the need was great. So, the dream began to model a Children’s Country Village in the same style as the first project in Guatemala. In 1982 Hogar Campestre Adventista “Las Palmas” was established.

Now, Las Palmas is a thriving home for orphaned children, and is making great achievements in industry projects.

EL SALVADOR – HOGAR ESCUELA ADVENTISTA

ICC added the Hogar Escuela Adventista children’s village to its worldwide family of projects in September of 2005. The children’s village is located on a beautiful piece of property and is adjacent to an Adventist Christian elementary and secondary school. Over the years, many children have grown up at Hogar Escuela Adventista and have gone on to live successful lives.

GHANA – CHILDREN’S HOME

ICC supports a beautiful household of children in Ghana. Because of limited funds, this project has remained small. The children live in a rented home. As interest in this project increases, plans are to develop a broader program to help more children.

GUATEMALA – LOS PINOS HOGAR CAMPESTRE ADVENTISTA

In the early morning hours of February 4, 1976 a 7.5 magnitude earthquake devastated Guatemala City, killing 23,000 people, seriously injuring 74,000 more, and leaving 1 million others homeless. Out of this heartbreaking tragedy, the very first ICC Children’s Village was created: Los Pinos Children’s Village.
In 1978, the Flecks and other dedicated volunteers in the United States successfully incorporated ICC as a 501(c)(3) charity that would manage and accept donations for the support of orphaned children. The children’s project in Guatemala started small at first and only progressed as compassionate individuals started sending donations of support to ICC. Now, Los Pinos continues to be a thriving home for orphaned and abandoned children.

INDIA – DEWS SWEET HOME

DEWS Sweet Home became part of the ICC family of projects in 1997. This children’s village is situated on a small piece of land near the east coast of India. It takes a night’s travel by train to arrive there from either Hyderabad or Madras. The homes are made to comfortably house 10-12 children, as well as house parents, and form the centerpiece of ICC’s work with the children in India. Here, children receive love and care within the environment of a real home.

MEXICO – EL OASIS CHILDREN’S VILLAGE

Located in the Baja peninsula, El Oasis is an ICC project that is not only close to the heart, but also close to home. The Children’s Village was founded in 1992. It is located in the high desert region, which means that they experience hot summers and cold winters. The village is blessed to have a deep well with plenty of excellent, clean water. El Oasis continues to thrive as a home for orphaned and abandoned children.

NICARAGUA CHILDREN’S CENTRE

ICC first began working with children in Nicaragua in 2000, and built a small Children’s Village in 2004.
Although many government officials have praised the ICCN project for its loving, innovative and healthy environment for the children, and even used the project as an example for others to follow, governments do change their policies as new officials come into office. At this point, ICC has come to an impasse with the current Nicaraguan government as far as their new policies for providing care for the children of Nicaragua. This current government has decided to remove all of the children and place them within extended biological families, or “Foster Care” type situations.
Today, ICCN finds itself in a “pause” mode, waiting to see what will happen with those specific government policies. ICC is still operating the children’s village in Nicaragua with regards to the daily farm and other cottage industry programs, in order to be ready to take in children quickly if and when things change.

ROMANIA CHILDREN’S VILLAGE

In 1991, ICC established a program in Romania to care for children with critical needs. This gradually expanded into a social welfare program for indigent families with children. In 1997 the emphasis shifted to the care of orphaned and abandoned children. Facilities and land were purchased in Odobesti (pronounced O’-doe-besht), a rural village outside Bucharest.

ZAMBIA CHILDREN’S HOME

At one time, ICC had begun the development of a full scale project for orphaned and abandoned children in the area of Mupapa, Zambia. Homes were under construction and ICC had taken in over 10 children who needed care. However, due to problems with squatters, land rights and an outbreak of Malaria, it was decided that in the best interest of the children, they should be relocated to a rented home in the capital city of Lusaka. Over time, some of the original children have left our care, some to complete their education and other reintegrated into their natural families.
There are no immediate plans to expand the program there unless funding allows and there is an opportunity to locate and secure land adequate for a children’s village.