FAQ General
Where is Door of Faith Orphanage located?
Door of Faith Orphanage is located in La Mision, Baja California, Mexico--approximately one hour south of the U.S. border crossing at San Diego. La Mision is roughly half way between the cities of Rosarito and Ensenada.
How many kids live at Door of Faith?
Though our total number of kids varies from time to time, we typically have approximately 100 children in our care. That makes Door of Faith one of the largest orphanages in Baja.
How do the children end up at Door of Faith?
Although we receive no financial support from the Mexican government, we do work closely with its child protective agencies. 90% of the children that we care for are brought to us by Mexican Social Services. We have very few true orphans. Many of our kids have been abandoned or come from abusive homes; some are with us because their parents simply can no longer care for them. If the children are here due to financial hardship, we encourage their parents to come visit their children as often as they can. Occasionally the kids are able to return to their families if it has been determined that they are able to care for them.
How are the children educated?
All of our school-aged children attend public school. We currently have more than 80 kids in seven different schools. In addition to the education that they receive at local schools, we have a teacher on site who assists with homework, offers tutoring and provides special classes.
Where does your support come from?
All our support comes in the form of donations—mostly from the U.S. Though we work with churches, corporations, and service organizations, the majority of our funding comes from individuals with a heart to help our children. Less than 3% of our budget is used for fundraising.
Is Door of Faith affiliated with a particular church or denomination?
Door of Faith is a non-denominational, evangelical Christian orphanage. We are not affiliated with any particular church—in fact we work with dozens of church groups from a variety of denominations every year. To learn more about the importance of faith at DOFO, please visit our Beliefs page.
Can I adopt a child from Door of Faith?
Although we would love to be able to place all of our kids in “normal” families, most of our children are not true orphans, meaning that they have family members that may eventually be able to care for them again. Also, many of our children have siblings and according to Mexican law, the entire family must be adopted together. Very few of our children available for adoption. International adoptions from Mexico are difficult, (less than 100 international adoptions occurred in Mexico last year). Furthermore, as an orphanage, we have nothing to do with the adoptions process; it is all handled through the Mexican government. If you’re interested in adopting, we recommend that you contact an international adoption agency in your area.
Can I visit the orphanage?
We’d love to have you come visit with us! If you're interested in visiting or bringing a group for a service trip, please check out our Visit page and our Visitors FAQs. If you want to stop by for the day, you’re more than welcome--please just let us know that you’re coming.
Where do I send my donation?
Both material and monetary donations may be sent to our U.S. mailing address:
Door of Faith Orphanage
P.O. Box 6434
Chula Vista, CA 91909
How do I get a tax deduction for my donation?
We are a U.S. registered 501c3 non-profit organization and are able to accept tax-deductible charity donations. Such donations can be money (contributions, sponsorships, etc) or goods. We are happy to provide a receipt for all donations. In the case of goods, our receipt can be used to show the items you donated, but not to establish its value for your tax return.
