Su Refugio Ministries

What Su Refugio Ministries does

Su Refugio Ministries is a 501c3 nonprofit organization founded in 2012 (with program operations beginning in 2010 in Tobatí, Paraguay) by Scott and Michelle Kvandal. Headquartered in San Diego, California, the organization runs Christian care, education, feeding, and empowerment programs for vulnerable children, orphans, widows, and single mothers across Paraguay, Argentina, and Peru. The portfolio of programs comprises a Children's Home providing residential care through four Christian family units on an 11-acre campus in Tobatí, Paraguay; the THRIVE transition program for young adults aging out of care (housed through a Palabra de Vida partnership in Asunción); a Music School in Tobatí; Children's Care Centers serving hundreds of children in desert communities around Lima, Peru; the accredited Su Refugio Argentina Christian School in Rafaela; and EQUIP entrepreneurship programs for vulnerable women in Paraguay and Peru. Reported outcomes include over 130 cumulative rescues since 2010, more than 30 children currently in residential care, and hundreds of CCC beneficiaries.

Name

Su Refugio Ministries

Legal name

Su Refugio Ministries

Website

https://surefugio.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2012

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Su Refugio Ministries is a 501c3 nonprofit that delivers Christian residential care, education, feeding, and entrepreneurship programs for vulnerable children, orphans, widows, and single mothers across Paraguay, Argentina, and Peru, funded through individual sponsorships, church partnerships, mission trips, and donations.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Faith-Based Child Welfare and Humanitarian Services

NAICS

Child and Youth Services (62411), Other Individual and Family Services (624190), Educational Support Services (611710)

SIC

Services-Social Services (8300), Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

Child Protection & Child Rights (BPAGABAG)

akta.pro secondary industry

Youth Housing, Foster Care & Wraparound Support (Education-Linked) Nonprofits (BPAGADAO)

Keywords

• Orphan care services
• Child sponsorship programs
• Humanitarian aid services
• Christian nonprofit ministry
• Mission trip experiences

Headquarters

HQ city

San Diego

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices4 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Individual Sponsorships: Monthly sponsorship programs where donors sponsor children, young adults, or programs including Children's Home, THRIVE program, Children's Care Centers, Christian school scholarships, entrepreneurship training, and music school lessons.
2. General Donations: One-time and recurring monetary donations from individuals supporting the ministry's general operations and mission.
3. Legacy Giving: Planned giving options including bequests in wills or trusts, beneficiary designations on retirement/life insurance accounts, charitable gift annuities, donor-advised funds, real estate/stock gifts, and IRA distributions.
4. Mission Trip Fees: Fees charged for participating in mission trips to Paraguay ($3,400), Argentina ($3,300), and Peru, which include airfare, transportation, insurance, accommodations, meals, and transfers.
5. Church Partnerships: Stewardship partnerships with churches involving financial support, mission trip coordination, food/supply packing events, and sister-school connections.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

Su Refugio Ministries is a 501c3 nonprofit that rescues, feeds, and equips orphans and widows in Paraguay, Argentina, and Peru. Its programs include a residential Children's Home, the THRIVE transition program for aging-out youth, Music School, Children's Care Centers, an accredited Christian school in Argentina, and EQUIP entrepreneurship/vocational training. Supporters engage through monthly child sponsorships, mission trips, church stewardship partnerships, and legacy/planned giving.

Product overview

Su Refugio Ministries operates a portfolio of charitable programs serving orphans and widows in Paraguay, Argentina, and Peru. The core programs include: a Children's Home providing residential care in Paraguay, the THRIVE Program for young adult transitions, Music School for children in Tobatí, Children's Care Centers in Peru offering meals and education, Argentina Christian School for Bible-based education, and EQUIP Entrepreneurship programs for vocational training of women. Additional engagement programs include sponsorships, church partnerships, mission trips, legacy giving, and prayer calendar subscriptions. The organization also publishes 'The Least of These' book by founder Scott Kvandal. Casa Talita is an upcoming therapeutic program for traumatized adolescent girls.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Children's Home (Paraguay) Residential care program on an 11-acre campus in Tobatí, Paraguay providing abused, abandoned, and neglected children with Christian family-style housing, education, trauma-informed care, and discipleship.
• THRIVE Program Transitional program for 18-year-olds aging out of the Children's Home, providing post-secondary education, safe apartment-style housing at the Palabra de Vida campus in Asunción, mentorship, and discipleship to support independent adulthood.
• Music School Music academy at the Tobatí, Paraguay campus providing lessons in string, wind, and brass instruments to children, supporting cognitive development in a Christ-centered community.
• Children's Care Centers (Peru) Care centers strategically placed in vulnerable desert communities surrounding Lima, Peru, serving hundreds of children with nutritious meals, Bible study, academic reinforcement, and safe play environments.
• Su Refugio Argentina Christian School Accredited private Christian school in Rafaela, Argentina providing Bible-based education for preschool through first grade (and expanding one elementary grade per year per government requirement) to vulnerable children in a crime-ridden barrio.
• EQUIP Entrepreneurship Program (Paraguay) Vocational training program providing vulnerable women and teenagers in Paraguay with skills, certification, and biblical instruction to enable economic independence and break cycles of poverty.
• Women's Entrepreneurship Program (Peru) Vocational training and entrepreneurship program empowering single mothers in Peru with skills certification and biblical instruction to enable economic self-sufficiency while caring for their children.
• Children's Care Center (Argentina) Saturday program in Rafaela, Argentina offering Bible lessons, games, snacks, sports, academic support, and church attendance opportunities for children from the surrounding impoverished barrio.
• Mission Trips Organized all-inclusive mission trips for volunteers to Paraguay ($3,400), Argentina ($3,300), and Peru, including airfare, transportation, insurance, accommodations, meals, and ministry activities such as caring for widows, teaching, and construction projects.
• Casa Talita Christ-centered therapeutic program for adolescent girls who have experienced profound trauma, abuse, and emotional suffering including severe depression, PTSD, and suicidal ideation.

Quantifiable outcome

• 130+ orphans rescued since 2010
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers6 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Five partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Local Churches (Stewardship Program)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSu Refugio partners with local churches across Paraguay, Argentina, and Peru to carry out the call of James 1:27 to care for orphans and widows. Through the STEWARDSHIP program, churches participate in sponsoring ministry efforts, hosting packing events for food and supplies, sending members on mission trips, and establishing sister-school connections with Su Refugio Argentina Christian School. Churches work with Su Refugio to design partnerships fitting their goals, resources, and preferred engagement level.
• Palabra de Vida (Word of Life)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe THRIVE program provides safe apartment-style housing at the Palabra de Vida campus, an extension of Word of Life, located in Asunción, the capital city of Paraguay. This partnership supports young women aging out of the Children's Home in their transition to independent adulthood.
• Local Shoemaker (Happy Steps Program)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership with a local shoemaker to provide sturdy shoes and podiatric care to children in need through the Happy Steps program. Addresses footwear needs for children in Peru's harsh mountain climates.
• Paraguayan GovernmentcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSu Refugio is recognized by the Paraguayan government as the model institution for residential children's care in Paraguay. Children are placed into the Children's Home by judicial order from the Paraguayan government. The academic acceleration program has received recognition from the government.
• Argentine Government (Education)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe Su Refugio Argentina Christian School is an accredited private school. Since launching first grade, the Argentine government requires Su Refugio to open one elementary grade each consecutive school year, requiring expansion in staffing and classroom construction to comply with government standards.

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves9 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Lifesong for Orphans: Faith-based nonprofit focused on orphan care through child sponsorship, transition-to-adulthood programs, and church partnership models — directly comparable to Su Refugio's sponsorship, THRIVE, and church stewardship programs.
• Buckner International: Christian organization operating children's residential care, family services, and international orphan and vulnerable children programs in Latin America — directly comparable in residential child care and Christian family-unit model.
• Samaritan's Purse: Evangelical Christian relief organization running child sponsorship (Operation Christmas Child), international relief, and Latin America programs — comparable faith-based mission, donor base, and multi-country delivery model.
• Holt International: Christian child welfare organization running residential care, foster care, and family preservation programs internationally — closely comparable to Su Refugio's Children's Home and aging-out youth support model.
• Rafiki Foundation: Christian nonprofit operating residential children's homes, schools, and discipleship programs across multiple African and Latin American countries — directly comparable in faith-based residential child care and international footprint.
• World Vision: Large faith-based humanitarian organization running child sponsorship, community development, and emergency relief programs in Latin America and globally — directly comparable in mission, geography, and donor model to Su Refugio.
• Food for the Hungry: Christian nonprofit focused on child development, food security, and community transformation across Latin America and Africa — directly comparable in child sponsorship, food programs, and faith-based holistic care model.
• Compassion International: One of the largest Christian child sponsorship nonprofits, operating in dozens of countries with a child development model that pairs individual donors with specific children — directly analogous to Su Refugio's sponsorship and Children's Home programs.
• Bethany Christian Services: Faith-based child and family services organization offering residential care, foster care, and adoption services with an international footprint — comparable in residential child care and faith-based programmatic approach.

Emerging players

• Show Hope: Christian organization focused on adoption aid and care for orphans with special needs — overlapping with Su Refugio's orphan and vulnerable children mission, though narrower in scope (special needs focus) and primarily U.S.-based.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCBTilCluY1to2e_svchLIcQ
• Facebookfacebook.com/SuRefugioMinistries
• Instagraminstagram.com/surefugio
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/surefugio-ministries

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles17 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

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

Frequently asked questions about Su Refugio Ministries