Hermanitas de los Pobres

What Hermanitas de los Pobres does

Hermanitas de los Pobres (Little Sisters of the Poor) is a Catholic religious congregation founded in 1839 in Saint-Servan, France, by Santa Juana Jugan, canonized by Pope Benedict XVI in 2009. The congregation operates 164 residential care homes across 31 countries on five continents, serving approximately 10,863 elderly poor residents aged 65 and over, regardless of race, nationality, or religion. The Spanish/Portugal provincial operations, headquartered in Madrid (C/ Zurbarán 4) and Barcelona (Pl. Tetuán 45-49), comprise roughly 24 houses across Spain and Portugal, employ 196 people, and are governed through two provinces (Madrid and Barcelona-Seville). The entity in scope is a private, non-profit Catholic religious institute, not a commercial enterprise, and the Mother House at La Tour St. Joseph in France serves as the global spiritual and administrative center.

The congregation's core product is "Mi Casa," a residential care home offering shelter, daily care, companionship, end-of-life support, and spiritual accompaniment to elderly poor individuals. Complementary programs include the Vacaciones Solidarias (Solidarity Vacations) program for 18-35 year-old volunteers, the Asociación Juana Jugan lay association with more than 5,000 members, and the Hacia la Vida magazine published quarterly since 1960. Houses are supported by a dedicated novitiate in Los Molinos (Madrid) for the formation of new sisters, who take vows of chastity, poverty, obedience, and the congregation's distinctive fourth vow of hospitality.

The organization operates entirely on donations and has no commercial revenue model. Funding streams include web-based Donativos, traditional door-to-door alms collection (Colecta), magazine donations and subscriptions, and Asociación Juana Jugan membership. No fees are charged to residents, and admission is open to persons 65+ with low incomes regardless of nationality, race, or religion. The current Superiora General is Sor María del Monte Auxiliadora, the first Spanish-born leader in the congregation's history, elected in 2015 and re-elected in 2022. The Madre General conducted a canonical visit to Spain and Portugal in late 2025.

Name

Hermanitas de los Pobres

Legal name

Hermanitas de los Pobres

Website

https://hermanitasdelospobres.es

Company type

Private

Founded year

1839

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Short description

Hermanitas de los Pobres is a Catholic religious congregation founded in 1839, operating 164 residential care homes across 31 countries serving approximately 10,863 elderly poor residents aged 65+, funded entirely by donations.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Religious Elderly Care Services

NAICS

Continuing Care Retirement Communities and Assisted Living Facilities for the Elderly (62331), Assisted Living Facilities for the Elderly (623312), Services for the Elderly and Persons with Disabilities (62412)

SIC

Services-Nursing & Personal Care Facilities (8050), Services-Social Services (8300)

akta.pro primary industry

Faith-Based / Nonprofit Assisted Living Providers (HLADABAH)

akta.pro secondary industries

Nonprofit / Faith-Based CCRCs (HLADAEAC), Elder Services & Aging Support (BPAGAEAF), Independent Living with Supportive Services (Light ADL/IADL Support) (HLADAAAE)

Keywords

• Elderly residential care
• Religious nursing homes
• Nonprofit elderly care
• Charitable healthcare services
• Community elder hospitality

Headquarters

HQ city

Madrid

HQ country

Spain

HQ region

Europe

Offices22 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Others

Revenue model

1. Donations (Donativos): The congregation operates entirely on donations from benefactors. They accept monetary donations directed to specific houses, with bank account details provided on their website. The donation process is facilitated through their website where donors can select specific houses to support.
2. Colecta (Alms Collection): Following the example of Santa Juana Jugan, sisters go door-to-door in towns and cities, visiting businesses, private homes, supermarkets, parishes, and other locations to collect donations in kind and money. This traditional form of begging for alms sustains their mission to care for elderly poor.
3. Hacia la Vida Magazine Subscriptions: The congregation publishes 'Hacia la Vida' magazine since 1960, available online, by mail, or email subscription. They accept donations for the magazine and have bank transfer and direct debit options for supporters.

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Hermanitas de los Pobres runs a global network of care homes called "Mi Casa" that provide free residential care, daily living support, companionship, and end-of-life accompaniment to low-income elderly people aged 65 and older, without regard to nationality, race, or religion. The congregation also engages lay supporters through the Asociación Juana Jugan association, recruits young volunteers via the Vacaciones Solidarias program, and publishes the Hacia la Vida magazine to communicate with benefactors and sustain donation-driven funding for the mission.

Product overview

Hermanitas de los Pobres operates a network of care homes called 'Mi Casa' across Spain, Portugal, and 31 countries worldwide, providing residential care for elderly poor people. The organization complements its core care services with youth engagement programs (Vacaciones Solidarias), a lay association (Asociación Juana Jugan) for volunteers and supporters, and publishes a quarterly magazine 'Hacia la Vida' to communicate with benefactors. All services are grounded in the Catholic faith tradition and the charism of founder Saint Juana Jugan.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Mi Casa (Care Homes for Elderly Poor) Network of 164 residential care homes ("Mi Casa") across 31 countries providing free shelter, daily care, companionship, end-of-life support, and spiritual accompaniment to low-income elderly persons aged 65 and older, regardless of nationality, race, or religion; admission covers single individuals, married couples, and elderly priests.
• Vacaciones Solidarias (Solidarity Vacations) Volunteer program inviting young people aged 18-35 to spend a week at the congregation's care homes, participating in activities with elderly residents, prayer, formation, and community life.
• Asociación Juana Jugan Lay association created in 1998 enabling members to share the spiritual heritage of the Little Sisters of the Poor and participate in the apostolic mission of hospitality toward the elderly poor through prayer, service, and material support.
• Hacia la Vida (Magazine) Quarterly congregation publication since 1960 featuring news from the Church, congregation events across five continents, reflections on the beauty of the final stage of life, and stories of Providence, available online, by mail, and by email subscription.

Quantifiable outcome

• Over 4,000 elderly have been cared for in Málaga alone since 1865
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers3 records

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Scale indicators8 records

Recent moves23 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Broad incumbents

• Sanitas Mayores: Spanish division of Bupa operating elderly care residences and day centers across Spain. Comparable as an established Spanish operator in the residential elder care market with overlapping service offerings in similar geographies.
• DomusVi: Spain's largest private elder care operator with hundreds of residences across Spain and Portugal, providing residential care, day centers, and home care. Comparable as a major elder care provider in the same Iberian geography, though for-profit and serving broader income segments.
• Colisée: French elder care provider operating nursing homes, assisted living facilities, and home care services across France and internationally including Spain. Comparable as a European for-profit operator serving the elderly residential care market with overlapping Iberian presence.
• Orpea Group: French-headquartered multinational operator of nursing homes, clinics, and home care services across Europe including Spain and Portugal. Comparable as a large-scale European elder care operator serving overlapping geographies, though for-profit and secular.

Direct peers

• Cáritas Española: The Spanish Catholic charitable confederation providing social services including support for the elderly poor. Directly comparable as a faith-based nonprofit serving similar demographics in Spain with residential and community-based programs.
• Orden Hospitalaria de San Juan de Dios: Catholic religious order providing healthcare and social services including elderly care across Spain and globally. Explicitly mentioned in Hermanitas de los Pobres' competitive advantages as sharing the 'fourth vow of hospitality,' making it the closest doctrinal and operational peer.
• Hermanas Hospitalarias: Catholic religious congregation operating hospitals, social-health centers, and residences for the elderly, people with mental illness and intellectual disabilities across Spain and internationally. Directly comparable as a faith-based nonprofit serving vulnerable populations including the elderly with residential care.
• Little Brothers of the Poor (Petites Soeurs des Pauvres) - other provinces: The same congregation's English-speaking and other geographic provinces operating in the USA, UK, Ireland, and Australia with the identical mission of caring for the elderly poor. The most direct operational and mission peer as they share governance, charism, and service model.
• Volunteers of America: US faith-inspired nonprofit providing services including senior living and elder care programs to vulnerable populations. Comparable as a large faith-affiliated nonprofit operating residential services for the elderly across a national network.

Emerging players

• Religiosas de María Inmaculada (Misioneras Claretianas): Catholic religious congregation operating elderly care and social services across Spain and Latin America. Comparable as a faith-based nonprofit religious order with similar missions of serving vulnerable elderly populations, though smaller in scale than Hermanitas de los Pobres.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat6 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xinstagram.com/hermanitasdelospobres_
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/hermanitas-de-los-pobres

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Hermanitas de los Pobres