• About Us
  • Statement to Faith
  • Our History
  • Board of Directors
    • Donald W. Benner
    • Teri A. Benner de Dominguez
    • Dennis Griffin
    • RH Lovin
    • Chris M. Benner
    • Rose Ann Benner
    • Ron Jonhson, Sr.
    • Moe Warrington
    • Evan Martin
    • Marrles Moore
    • Jonathan Batt
    • Jack Martin
  • Our Mission
  • About El Salvador
• Ministries
  • Shalom Childrens Home
  • Amilat Christian School
  • Oasis Freeding Program
  • Living Stones Church
  • Nehemiah Project
  • Youth Challenge Outreach
  • Medical Clinic
  • Literature Distribution
• Mission Oportunities
  • Teams
  • Short Term Missionaries
• Sponsor a Child
• Medical Project
• Ways to Help
• Donate Now
• Give Gifts
• Contact Us

During the 12 year civil war that ended in 1990, many children were left orphaned or abandoned by parents who fled the country. The Benners saw the need to help these children and received 13 children in 1982. Little by little more children were added as individuals, churches and the government brought children to them for care, and the Shalom Children’s Home was founded.

Initially, the Benners had no adequate place to house this many children, and rented houses in different parts of the capital city of San Salvador. In December 1984, the home was finally established in the location where it is today, in the town of Santiago Texacuangos in what used to be the home of an ex-president of El Salvador.

The original colonial-style house remains and is used as the kitchen and dining area, as well as for several missionary and team apartments. All of the other buildings were built over the course of the years with the help of many church missions teams from North America

Today, each age group and gender has it’s own house, each with it’s own dorm parents who live in with the children as substitute parents.

FAQ’s about the Shalom Children’s Home

Where do the children come from?
Some children are sent to the Shalom Home by the government’s social service’s agency, and some by judges of the family court system in relation to cases of various types of abuse. Other children are referred by local churches, hospitals, or individuals. Some children are orphans, some from extreme poverty where the family has no means to care for and educate them, some from teen mothers, and some from abandonment in hospitals or on the street.

At what age to the children come to live in the Home?
In general the Home receives children from 0 to 6 years old and then they grow up in the Home. However, if there is a group of siblings where one child is a little older than 6 years old, the exception is made to receive the older child as well, in order to not separate the siblings.

What is provided in the Home?
The Shalom Home makes an effort to provide everything that a normal family would provide to it’s children: a warm bed, clothing & shoes, a nutritional diet, medical & dental care, education, recreation, birthday & holiday celebrations, spiritual formation, opportunities to develop talents, teaching in life skills, and most of all love and attention.

Some children require special attention such as psychological counseling, physical or speech therapy, and special education, all of which are also provided when necessary.

When do the children leave the Home?
Most children grow up in the Home and leave once they graduate from high school which could be when they are around 18 to 20 years old (some children who come to the home never went to school and thus start late).

Once they graduate, some return to live with a family member, some find a place to rent together with other friends who are also graduating from the Shalom Home, and some go to live in the Shalom Home Youth Residence in the capital city of San Salvador.

Some children may leave the home before they graduate from high school due to the fact that a family member turns up who is willing to care for them, or the family’s living and/or economic situation has improved to where they are able to care for their children again. In these cases, the Shalom Home continues to help the family with a scholarship for a local Christian school close to their home in order to assure that the child can finish school up through high school and continue to learn Christian values..

What do the children do after high school?
Some youth go on to have families of their own, some go on to college, and some get a job. All high school graduates have the option to go on to college and to receive help through the Shalom college work-study program.

This is a full scholarship to a large Christian University and a part-time job in one of our ministries, provided free by Harvestring in Spanish.