Cost of Care at Casa Providencia
If you are reading this as a parent or caretaker of a severely special-needs person, you already know very well how expensive it can be. Before opening Casa Providencia, I travelled to different countries and researched many different special-needs homes for children, learning what to do and what not to do. In the US, I found two excellent organizations that I used as models for Casa Providencia: Misericordia in Chicago, IL and Tammy Lynn Center in Raleigh, NC.
Early Discoveries
I learned from these two brilliant organizations that in order to truly provide excellent care for severely disabled children, we had to have a ratio of 1 caregiver to a maximum of 2 kids. So, right off the bat, I knew our expenses would be way higher than a typical 3rd world orphanage that has a ratio of 1 caregiver to 20 kids! I then realized that after factoring in the three 8 hour shifts per day for the caregivers, we will actually need 3 caregivers for every 2 children per day in order to always be at 1:2 ratio!
By the way, even a ratio of 1:2 is challenging when you're pushing two kids in wheelchairs down the hall at the same time!
No Compromise
Now, after having been open since early 2018, we continue learning how to improve operations while maximizing every donation dollar. Even though we strive to reduce expenses whenever possible, God has made it clear that we are not to compromise on His instruction to "provide the best of the best for the least of the least." $50,000/child is the average annual cost at Casa Providencia, which includes 24-hour care, on-site physical, occupational and speech therapies, personalized nutrition, healthcare (including dental care, hospital visits and medical procedures), and our very own Casa Providencia special education school. For reference, similar organizations in the US such as Misericordia and Tammy Lynn Center both have an annual cost per kid between $250,000 and $300,000. So while $50,000 per Casa Kid is not cheap, we are able to have 5 to 6 times the impact in Panama! Also, our end goal is a family for the Casa Kids, and thankfully Heart's Cry Family Services has already placed 7 of them into loving homes. Plus, more are likely to be adopted or fostered soon!
