From the Desk of the Director: Guarding the Sacred Innocence of the Smallest Among Us
By: Very Rev. Fr. Justo Hurtado, O.S.B., Ph.D., S.T.L., Director of the Western Hemisphere, Diakonia Americas
Published in: National News, Organizational Updates
A child’s laughter inside a temporary shelter is one of the most beautiful, fragile sounds in the world.
When families arrive at our Hospitality Hubs along the migrant corridors of the Americas, or walk through our doors in the wake of a devastating natural disaster, they carry the heavy, exhausting weight of survival. But the children? They still look for spaces to play. They still look for a hand to hold, a friendly face to trust, and a moment to simply be kids again.
In those moments of profound vulnerability, these children are not just guests in our sanctuaries, they are a sacred trust.
At Diakonia Americas and Ekklesia Iwiga, our Benedictine commitment to radical hospitality means providing more than just a warm meal, a safe bed, or a listening ear. True hospitality is inseparable from absolute protection. For a child who has survived the trauma of displacement, systemic violence, or domestic upheaval, a space cannot be a sanctuary unless it is completely safe.
That is why we are publishing an official update to our Child Safety Policy. This is a public declaration of our absolute, non-negotiable boundaries. To our partners, our donors, our communities, and those looking to step forward as volunteers, these are the standards we uphold without compromise.
Our Non-Negotiables: The Pillars of Our Protection
To ensure that every child who interacts with our ministry is shielded from harm, we enforce a strict, comprehensive screening and operational framework across the Western Hemisphere:
Universal Fingerprint Background Checks: Without exception, every single employee and volunteer, regardless of their rank, title, or background, must successfully pass a rigorous, professional fingerprint background check before they are permitted to work with or near children in our programs. This is our first and most vital line of defense.
Mandatory Reporting Without Exception: We believe that silence is complicity. Every member of our staff and volunteer network operates under the legal and moral status of a Mandatory Reporter. Our team is strictly trained to recognize the signs of childhood trauma, neglect, and abuse. If any red flag is raised, our personnel are required by policy and conscience to immediately report it to the appropriate authorities. We do not look away. We do not protect institutions over individuals.
A Global Commitment to Human Rights: Our policies do not flex based on convenience. We strictly adhere to all local child protection laws in every single jurisdiction where our Hubs operate. Furthermore, our organizational standards are structurally aligned with the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (UNCRC), ensuring that international human rights frameworks govern our care on the ground.
A Message to Our Future Volunteers
"The measure of any society, and any ministry, is found in how it treats its most vulnerable members."
We are constantly looking for compassionate, dedicated individuals to join our mission as volunteers along the front lines of migration and crisis relief. We need your hands, your hearts, and your time.
But we want to be incredibly clear from the very beginning: if you choose to stand with us, you are choosing to stand behind these guardrails. We make no apologies for the rigor of our vetting process. Our strict screening protocols are not bureaucratic red tape, they are a protective wall built around the little ones who have already survived too much.
When parents hand their children to a Diakonia Americas volunteer or chaplain, they are placing their entire world into our care. We will never violate that trust.
Thank you to our global community for holding these high standards with us. Together, we will continue to ensure that our Hubs remain true sanctuaries of unconditional safety, human dignity, and peace.
How You Can Support Our Safety Mandate
Maintaining secure facilities, conducting international background checks, and providing advanced trauma-informed training to our workers requires consistent resources. If you would like to directly support the infrastructure that keeps our children safe, please consider making a contribution to the Ekklesia Iwiga Solidarity Fund today.
To read the full text of our updated policy:[View Child Safety Policy Page]
