Gretchen and her team aim to disrupt the systemic cycle of poverty for orphaned children, vulnerable children and at-risk youth by rescuing them from abuse and neglect into the safety of temporary housing in their Micro Communities. Not only does Horizon restore the holistic health of children and their families where possible, it also works to empower young adults through the Legacy Youth program by providing mentorship and funding for youth pursuing trade school, college education, or entrepreneurial ventures. Besides having temporary housing on-site, as well as social workers and psychologists who work closely with the house parents who care for the children, Horizon has a Christian, bi-lingual, private school on-site that serves as the anchor for the holistic model. “Horizon Empowers believes that education breaks the cycle of poverty for the children we serve, and they give back to their communities at 10X the return on investment”, Ms. Villegas said.

Horizon works in close partnership with national governments and their respective departments who receive orphaned children, vulnerable children and at-risk youth who have been removed from abusive or dangerous situations and need a safe place to call home. Due to these relationships, Horizon Empowers is a go-to partner for governments to place children in need.

Gretchen leads the Executive Team that mobilizes the resources necessary to receive and support children and staff in-country. This position requires her to travel frequently and spend productive time in the Micro Communities with children as well as staff members and colleagues, training and guiding them on how to support children’s welfare and programs to support their empowerment.

After the pandemic phase, Gretchen witnessed effective management at Micro Communities where children were kept safe and provided for, living within families. They continued daily activities as a family unit, cooking together, doing school work virtually, playing games and spending time together. Schools, which were previously all in-person, had to pivot to virtual school days. Internet and computer access is sparse in areas where Horizon operates, leading many children to use cell phones and seek out neighbors or teachers close to their homes for internet access. “I’m in awe of how the communities came together and teachers went above and beyond to support Horizon children in this time that could have been very isolating”, Ms. Villegas said. “I had not joined Horizon Empowers until schools opened once again, so I learned from the stories that staff and students shared with me”.