FOUNDATION SMILES
We are a non-profit organization run by volunteers whose purpose is to bring hope and smiles to as many children as possible in Latin America and the world. Since 2000 we have been committed to putting smiles on the faces of our children, without any type of social, racial or religious distinction. This happens through the support and promotion of basic education, access to basic health care, and the development of valuable programs. and principles for life.
To achieve this, we focus on offering youth and adults the opportunity to participate in Social Projects, Educational Camps, Mission Trips and Special Events. The purpose of this organization is to help children from Latin America and other parts of the world to improve their quality of life and dream of a different future.
Our goal is to offer every child the opportunity to improve their quality of life, become a good human being, live with purpose and help others.
OUR VISION
SMILES Foundation is more than an event, a program or a help project, it is an experience that will change the way you see and value life. These experiences will undoubtedly lead you to understand the true meaning and purpose of why you are in this world.
At SMILES we know that we cannot solve the world’s problems of poverty, hunger and disease, but we are convinced that each person can make a difference in the fight against these social realities.
Knowing that each person has the ability to bring smiles to our children, Smiles has been created to give you the opportunity to use your hands, your skills, your talents and resources to change the world of our children, one at a time.
OUR MISSION
• That no child is left without education.
• All children come first.
• Care for and protect each child.
• Every child can make a change in her society.
• Fight poverty by learning the needs.
• Educate Parents as the basis of social success.
• Equip each child to be an excellent adult.
OUR GOALS 2020-2025
• Manage 4 schools with the educational philosophy of the Sonrisas Foundation.
• Develop Virtual Smiles Schools: 500 students – 50 teachers – 5 countries.
• Mobilize 5 ambassadors in each Latin American country.
• Carry out 3 projects a year through Smiles Ambassadors: Back to School, Shoe Box, Children’s Day.
• Carry out 6 missionary trips a year.
• Place 10 full-time missionaries in 4 countries to be determined.
FOUNDER'S WORDS
When we read statistics like the one just published by UNICEF * where we are faced with the reality of today’s world, we are tempted to believe that what we do does not make a difference. What a difference a group of volunteers can make lost in the middle of jungles, whether made of trees or concrete, trying to put a smile on the face of any child who crosses their path.
statistically? Possibly a drop in the ocean. Humanly, without a doubt, he has painted that child’s future with colors of hope.
That’s SMILES, a drop in the ocean that makes a difference deep in a child’s heart, one of millions of volunteers who take the time to touch lives and make a difference.
Loaded with gifts, toys, medicines and school supplies, hands full of joy, hope and new opportunities… with faces of acceptance and love, looking at people with the desire to do them good and allow them to start again.
Because we are sure that every craft, every soccer game played, every book read, and every vaccine given has a much deeper impact than we can see.
Because they are not toys, gifts, medicines and foods that, although important and necessary, we know that the essential thing is that Jesus is behind each of us, transforming each act of love that we perform, into an act with flavor. of eternity. And when the toys are worn out, the game is over, and the food is gone… a smile will remain in that child’s memory. And it will be… like a drop in the sea.
Gustavo Squarzon, Founder.
Unicef. There are 121 million children in the world who do not have access to education, 65 million of them are girls. For cultural, work or social reasons, they lose the right to have a better life through education and everything it offers.
“Sometimes we think that what we do is just a drop in the sea, but the sea would be less if that drop was missing”.
Gallery
Images that tell the story of our journey through the life of many children and how their world changed…
Our history
A mission that began in 2000 and continues to accumulate experiences and bring smiles…
FAQs
The most frequently asked questions about our projects, ambassadors, missionaries and trips…