Refugio de la Niñez

What Refugio de la Niñez does

Refugio de la Niñez is a Guatemalan nonprofit association (Asociación) founded in February 2009 dedicated to the protection, care, and development of children at risk. Headquartered in Guatemala, the organization operates ten national branch offices spanning 16 of the country's departments and runs three specialized protection centers — Lazos de Amor, Amor Sin Fronteras, and Raíces de Amor — each addressing distinct child-population needs. Its programmatic footprint includes residential care for children, family-strengthening interventions reaching more than 500 families annually, and community engagement across more than 50 communities.

The organization has extended its service model into digital channels through the 'Diviértete y Aprende' interactive educational games platform and a virtual library, enabling content distribution beyond its physical centers. Service scale includes 5,000+ annual attendances and direct care for 150+ children taken into its programs. The stated operating model emphasizes programmatic efficiency, with 90% of incoming donations directed to protection programs.

Refugio de la Niñez is funded through individual donations and institutional grants, supported by a partner network that includes Plan Internacional, UNICEF Guatemala, OIM, KerkinActie, Conexión, ASF Canada, SIGMAQ, and the Guatemalan Ministry of Public Health (MSPAS). The organization employs 131 staff across its national network and positions itself as a coordinating node between multilateral agencies, government, and communities for child welfare delivery in Guatemala.

Name

Refugio de la Niñez

Legal name

Asociación El Refugio de la Niñez

Website

https://refugiodelaninez.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2009

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Short description

Refugio de la Niñez is a Guatemalan nonprofit association founded in 2009 that protects children at risk through ten national branch offices, three specialized centers, and digital learning platforms, serving thousands of children and families across 16 departments.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Child Protection Services

NAICS

Child and Youth Services (624110), Child and Youth Services (62411), Other Individual and Family Services (624190), Individual and Family Services (6241), Emergency and Other Relief Services (624230)

SIC

Services-Social Services (8300), Services-Membership Organizations (8600)

akta.pro primary industry

Protection Services (GBV, Child Protection, Legal Aid) (BPADADAH)

akta.pro secondary industries

Child Rights & Protection (BPADAGAG), Protection Services (GBV, Child Protection, Safeguarding) (BPADAHAF), Child Protection & Child Rights (BPAGABAG), Youth Housing, Foster Care & Wraparound Support (Education-Linked) Nonprofits (BPAGADAO), Refugee & Immigrant Support Services (BPAGAEAI)

Keywords

• Child protection services
• Humanitarian shelter services
• Violence prevention programs
• Child rights advocacy
• Family preservation services

Headquarters

HQ city

Guatemala City

HQ country

Guatemala

HQ region

Latin America

Offices7 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D

Revenue model

1. Donations (Individual and Corporate): Refugio de la Niñez relies primarily on donations from individuals and corporations. The organization maintains an online donation platform accepting both USD and GTQ (Guatemalan Quetzales), with preset amounts (US$10, $25, $50, $100, $200) and custom values. Donations are processed securely via VisaNet/Cybersource. The organization states that 90% of every donation goes directly to protection programs.
2. Institutional Grants and Partnerships: The organization receives support from international organizations and cooperation agencies including Plan Internacional, UNICEF Guatemala, KerkinActie, Conexión, OIM (Organización Internacional para las Migraciones), and others who fund specific programs and operational costs.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Refugio de la Niñez is a Guatemalan nonprofit child protection organization (Asociación El Refugio de la Niñez) that operates specialized residential shelters and community-based programs to protect children and adolescents who are victims of sexual violence, exploitation, and human trafficking. The organization delivers emergency shelter, psychological support, formal education, health services, legal representation, and family reunification through three specialized centers (Lazos de Amor, Amor Sin Fronteras, Raíces de Amor) and ten national branch offices. Supporting programs cover family preservation, community-based prevention, policy advocacy, legal access, and human mobility services for migrant and refugee children.

Product overview

Refugio de la Niñez is a Guatemalan child protection organization offering a multi-faceted service portfolio centered on shelter-based care and prevention. The core offering includes Centros de Recuperación Física y Emocional (temporary shelters) with three specialized sub-centers: Lazos de Amor for sexual violence survivors, Amor Sin Fronteras for trafficking survivors, and Raíces de Amor for migrant children. Supporting programs cover family preservation, community strengthening, prevention education, policy advocacy, legal access, and human mobility services. The organization also provides an interactive educational games platform (Diviértete y Aprende) and a virtual library for resources. The organization operates through ten national offices across Guatemala.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Lazos de Amor: First specialized protection center focused on recovery and protection of girls and adolescents survivors of sexual violence.
• Amor Sin Fronteras
• Raíces de Amor

Products and services

• Centros de Recuperación Física y Emocional (Temporary Shelters / Albergues) Residential temporary shelters providing comprehensive care to children and adolescents who are victims of violence, sexual exploitation, and human trafficking. Includes specialized protection, psychological care, education, health services, and legal accompaniment; admissions require judicial order.
• Lazos de Amor Protection Center Specialized residential protection center focused on the recovery and protection of girls and adolescents who are survivors of sexual violence, operating under the comprehensive Centros de Recuperación Física y Emocional model.
• Amor Sin Fronteras Protection Center Specialized residential protection center dedicated exclusively to comprehensive care for girls and adolescent survivors of exploitation and human trafficking in its various forms, operating within the broader shelter network.
• Raíces de Amor Protection Center Specialized residential protection center for migrant children and adolescents with special protection needs, including unaccompanied migrants, asylum seekers, and returned migrants.
• Programa de Preservación Familiar y Fortalecimiento Comunitario Family preservation and community strengthening program that promotes the right to a family through positive parenting, community case management, special protection centers, and social protection systems, serving at-risk and affected families.
• Programa de Prevención Prevention program that drives education and awareness processes to prevent violence against children through promotion of community leadership and organization, delivered via school campaigns, workshops, and parent education in 50+ communities.
• Programa de Incidencia Política (Policy Advocacy) Policy advocacy program focused on creating and updating public policies and legal frameworks in favor of children and adolescents, including technical input on legislation and evidence-based advocacy.
• Programa de Acceso a la Justicia Legal access program providing legal representation and accompaniment oriented toward the restitution of human rights for vulnerable populations and victims of violence, delivered in coordination with the justice sector and Abogados sin Fronteras Canadá.
• Programa de Movilidad Humana (Human Mobility Program) Human mobility program providing specialized care to migrant, refugee, and displaced children, guaranteeing their protection, rights, documentation support, and family reunification in coordination with OIM under the Plan Retorno al Hogar framework.
• Diviértete y Aprende Interactive Educational Games Platform Suite of 9 interactive educational mini-games teaching values of protection, care, hope, and children's rights to children and adolescents in an age-appropriate format, including Corazón de Esperanza, Construye el Futuro, Escudo de Protección, Memoria de Valores, El Camino Seguro, Escaleras hacia tus Derechos, Detective de Derechos, Señales de Alerta, and Rompecabezas de Derechos.

Quantifiable outcome

• 5,000+ annual attendances provided across all programs and 10 national offices
• +4 more outcomes

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration1 record

Feature1 record

Partnerships

Six partnerships are on record, tiered core, moderate and minor.

• Ministerio de Salud Pública y Asistencia Social (MSPAS)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe Ministry of Public Health and Social Assistance is a key governmental ally. Refugio de la Niñez coordinates with MSPAS to provide health services to beneficiaries in its shelters and programs, ensuring access to medical care as part of the comprehensive care model.
• ConexiónmoderateStrategic or Co-development PartnerConexión (Conexión La) is a regional cooperation organization working with the organization on youth empowerment and prevention initiatives, including the Eco de Voces youth committee campaign in Alta Verapaz, developed in indigenous languages.
• Conexión BoliviaminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerConexión Bolivia supports the Eco de Voces youth committee campaign led by the juvenile committee in Alta Verapaz, strengthening youth empowerment for the prevention of sexual exploitation of children and adolescents. The campaign was developed in three languages.
• Abogados sin Fronteras Canadá (ASF Canadá)moderateStrategic or Co-development PartnerLawyers Without Borders Canada partners with the organization on legal accompaniment and access to justice programs, supporting the legal representation of child victims in court proceedings and strengthening the justice sector response to violence against children.
• SIGMAQminorOthersSIGMAQ is listed as a cooperating partner (socio cooperante) supporting the organization, though specific details of the partnership are not detailed on the website.
• Organización Internacional para las Migraciones (OIM / IOM)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe International Organization for Migration (IOM) partners with the organization on the 'Regreso a casa nuevo comienzo' campaign to prevent revictimization, protect human rights, and accompany family and community reintegration processes for returned migrants, strengthening actions under the 'Plan Retorno al Hogar' framework.

Scale indicators8 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Casa Alianza (Covenant House Latin America): Latin American child rights NGO operating residential shelters and street-outreach programs for children and adolescents in Guatemala, Honduras, Mexico, and Nicaragua. Directly comparable in mission (child protection, trafficking response, residential care) and geography, with overlapping beneficiary populations.
• Aldeas Infantiles SOS Guatemala: International NGO operating residential care and family-strengthening programs for children separated from their families in Guatemala. Comparable in residential and family preservation services, with overlapping donor base (international child welfare funders).
• Fundación Sobrevivientes: Guatemalan nonprofit providing legal, psychological, and shelter services to women, girls, and adolescents survivors of sexual violence and trafficking. Closely aligned with Refugio de la Niñez's Lazos de Amor and Amor Sin Fronteras mandates and overlapping referral networks.

Broad incumbents

• UNICEF Guatemala: UN agency mandated to protect children's rights globally, with an active Guatemala country office funding child protection, migration, and GBV programs. Functions as both a financial partner and a competitor for the same programmatic funding and government positioning.
• Plan International Guatemala: Global child rights organization with a Guatemala country office that is simultaneously a financial partner to Refugio de la Niñez and an implementer of overlapping child protection and gender-based violence programs. Shares donor mandate and beneficiary populations.
• International Organization for Migration (IOM) Guatemala: UN migration agency with an active Guatemala mission supporting child migrants, returnees, and trafficking survivors. Currently a partner of Refugio de la Niñez on Raíces de Amor and Regreso a Casa, but also a parallel implementation actor in the same domain.
• Save the Children Guatemala: Major international child rights organization with a Guatemalan country office implementing child protection, education, and health programs. Larger in scope and budget than Refugio de la Niñez, but addresses overlapping issue areas (child protection, GBV, migration) and competes for similar donor funding.
• World Vision Guatemala: Large international humanitarian organization operating child protection, sponsorship, and community development programs across Guatemala. Overlaps in beneficiary segments (vulnerable children, families) and competes for similar institutional donor funding.

Emerging players

• ECPAT (End Child Prostitution, Child Pornography and Trafficking of Children): Global network focused on combating sexual exploitation of children, with Latin American regional presence. Their thematic focus on trafficking and CSEC overlaps directly with Refugio de la Niñez's Amor Sin Fronteras center and Lazos de Amor mandates.
• Fundación JUCONI (Junto con los Niños): Mexican nonprofit that pioneered therapeutic models for street children and families experiencing violence. Comparable in trauma-informed care approach and family-strengthening methodology, with shared interest in evidence-based violence prevention models.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/refugio-de-la-ni%C3%B1ez

Compliance5 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about Refugio de la Niñez