News

COVID-19 Update We are closely monitoring the status of the recent COVID-19 outbreak. A final decision will be made in May - June on whether we will be canceling our upcoming July mission trip. How can you help during these uncertain times? These are uncertain times, but the smiling children of Colombia still need our [...]

On March 12, the President and Co-Founder of The Emiliani Project Chuck Navarrete was interviewed on Palomar Live a student-produced live morning television show from Palomar College. There was lots of good questions and answers and footage of the work site during the interview. If you want to know more about the goals and history [...]

End of Year Giving We ask that you prayerfully consider including The Emiliani Project in your end of year donations. As always, 100% of your donations go straight toward the orphaned and abandoned children of Colombia. NO donations are used to cover administrative costs. Be sure to like and follow our pages on Instagram (@theemilianiproject) [...]

The Emiliani Project is now offering direct sponsorship of our children! We are now offering full or partial sponsorships of individual children in need of your help. We are planning to move 30 kids into our new home in January 2020, but we need to find sponsors for them first. Visit our Sponsor a Child […]

March Mission Trip a Success! Our latest group of exceptional volunteers has just returned from Colombia in what was a great experience for us, the kids and the volunteers themselves.  Many of our March volunteers were first-timers with Emiliani and some have been with our family for years. Everyone will be coming back, we have […]

New Home Opening – Summer 2018! The day has finally come.  The Emiliani Project will be opening the new Hogar de Cristo in the Summer of 2018.  The home will be opened to 30 children while the completion of the remainder of the home continues.  This marks a very big step for our Emiliani family […]

New Home Restaurant Construction Begins! The Emiliani Project has begun construction of the kitchen and dining room at our new children’s home in Caldas, Colombia.  Building materials have been arriving over the last week and the crew is set to begin constructing the floor of the building this week.  We are very excited to have […]

Construction on the Kitchen and Dining to Begin in June The Bring Home the Kids fundraising campaign was a huge success!  We raised over $80,000 to begin the construction of the kitchen and dining room for the new home in Caldas, Colombia.  Materials for the building will be delivered to the new home site in […]

2018 Mission Trip Dates Released! Join us in 2018 for a Mission Trip to Colombia!  Our 2018 trip dates are as follows: March 10 to 18, 2018 May 26 to June 3, 2018 July 28 to August 5, 2018 All of our Mission Trips offer you the opportunity to work with our kids, participate in […]

Bring Home the Kids Campaign The Bring Home the Kids fundraising campaign is still open for business. We are currently at 39% of our goal of $100,000 for the construction of the commercial kitchen and dining room facility at our new children’s home.  We want to get this built by this summer to stay on […]

February 2017 Mission Trip a Success! A total of 18 Mission Volunteers travelled to Colombia this past week to work with our kids and to help with the construction of the new home.  They helped us kick off a new English program for the children, hosted art classes, dance classes, worked in the kitchen, did […]

Bring Home the Kids Campaign The Emiliani Project is well underway on our Bring Home the Kids fundraising campaign design to raise $100,000 for the construction of the commercial kitchen and dining room facility at our new children’s home. Completion of this facility is the final piece of the puzzle for getting this home open. […]

Second Annual Golf Tournament The Emiliani Project will be hosting its second annual charity golf tournament on Monday October 17, at The Crossings Golf Course in Carlsbad.  The event promises to be a memorable day with prizes, silent auction and magnificent views of the ocean and surrounding hills.  Golfers of all skill levels are invited, […]

Emiliani Project Second Annual Charity Golf Tournament Mark your calendars!  The Emiliani Project will be hosting its second annual charity golf tournament on Monday October 17.  The event will take place at The Crossings at Carlsbad golf course, a beautiful golf course with views of the ocean and surrounding county, nestled in the heart of […]

Emiliani Project Support: Charity Shoe Drives! In an important new step for raising funds to benefit the children, we have formed a successful partnership with funds2orgs.  The funds2orgs initiative is a two-fold opportunity to benefit those in need.  All shoes donated are given in the name of The Emiliani Project which (1) pays us $1 […]

The Emiliani Project has set the dates for the next mission trips to Medellin, Colombia where you’ll have the opportunity to volunteer your time to work with 170 orphaned and abandoned kids, while supporting our efforts to build a new home to save another 160 from the streets of the city.

Mark your calendars! The Emiliani Project will be hosting its first annual charity golf tournament on Monday October 12. The event will take place at The Crossings at Carlsbad golf course, a beautiful golf course with views of the ocean and surrounding county, nestled in the heart of North County San Diego.

Since we began our work in Colombia, The Emiliani Project has been working in three key areas of activity: (1) to support the home and the 170 kids which have been rescued (2) to create opportunities for volunteers to work at the home in Colombia, and (3) to fund the construction of a new home.

The Emiliani Project has set the dates for the next mission trip to Medellin, Colombia – August 1st to 9th. This trip will be our best yet. In our August trip you’ll have the opportunity to volunteer your time to work with orphaned and abandoned kids, while supporting our efforts to build a new home.

This year promises to be a year that furthers the mission of The Emiliani Project in helping the children in Colombia, and here at home in Southern California. Key initiatives include raising awareness and funds for the Project through multiple Spring festivals in various communities around San Diego and Orange County, where we will sell coffee, tell our story and help people connect with the work we are doing.

This past year of activity for The Emiliani Project was an important year for our growth and our mission. Some highlights include the following: in February 2014 we launched our “Giselle” Coffee, named for Giselle Davia who was rescued from the streets of Medellin. In March we were invited to speak on Immaculate Heart radio, and was featured in the Southern Cross newspaper. In April, we led our missionary trip to Medellin where volunteers from the US and Canada joined in our efforts to support the children.

The Emiliani Project December Mission Trip was a success as ten volunteers traveled to Medellin with Emiliani Project staff to work with the children and help with the construction of the new home. A major highlight of the trip was the Christmas party hosted by the Emiliani Project, during which each of the children received new shoes courtesy of the Emiliani Project and Shoes for Souls, as well as hand-made gifts which were made by supporters in the States and transported down by the Emiliani Project for the event.

The Emiliani Project will be offering specially wrapped whole bean and ground coffee in our signature Ximena, Giselle and Gilberto variety roasts this Christmas. If you are looking for gifts for friends, family or coworkers, consider Emiliani Project as a gift, the proceeds of which will directly go to helping build the new home in Colombia.

iGive Donates a Percentage of your Online Purchases to The Emiliani Project The Emiliani Project is registered with iGive.com to help us fund the construction of our new children’s home.  iGive links to your web browser and automatically contributes a percentage of your online purchases to The Emiliani Project.  You have to do very little, […]

Mission Cooperative Complete As many of you may know, The Emiliani Project was officially registered to participate in the 2014 Missionary Cooperative in both the Diocese of San Diego and the Diocese of Orange.  This year, our volunteers visited six parishes in three dioceses and spoke to thousands of faithful.  These speaking engagements were instrumental […]

Three of our Colombian Kids Visited us in August! The Emiliani project hosted three girls, Camila Montoya (age 13), Sara Perez (age 11), Isabella Cardenas (age 12),  from the home in Colombia to San Diego from July 25 to August 7.  The trip included visits to the San Diego Zoo, an MLB baseball game, University […]

We Need Volunteers Like You to come Help! Have you ever had a desire to break free of the routine and get out and do some good in the world?  Here’s your chance!  The Emiliani Project has scheduled our next volunteer trip to Colombia for December.  Emiliani Project staff will be in Medellin December 1st […]

Colombian Kids Visiting the United States The Emiliani Project will be bringing three lucky kids from the home in Colombia to visit us here in Southern California July 22 – August 5.  From left to right in the picture, Camila Montoya (age 13), Sara Perez (age 11), Isabella Cardenas (age 12), and  were selected as […]

The Volunteers are on Their Way! Starting April 5 volunteers from the U.S. and Canada will be arriving in Medellin, Colombia to volunteer with the kids and help with the construction of our new home.  It’s going to be an amazing experience for everyone.  Volunteers will be teaching classes at the local schools, helping the […]

New Emiliani Project Coffee – Giselle Roast The Emiliani Project’s new Giselle roast is now available in our online store.  This roast features an 8-year-old little girl named Giselle Davila (pictured left) who was rescued from the streets of Medellin, Colombia.  The bean for our Giselle roast comes from San Agustin, Huila, Colombia.  It is […]

New Emiliani Project Coffee – Giselle Roast We are launching a brand new coffee roast in March 2014!  This roast features an 8-year-old little girl named Giselle Davila (pictured left) who was rescued from the streets of Medellin, Colombia and brought to live in a children’s home run by our good friend and Colombian partner, […]

Volunteer with Kids in Colombia! The Emiliani Project is seeking volunteers to join us on our first group mission trip to Medellin, Colombia, April 6th to 27th.  We will be organizing a variety of mission activities to help with the construction of our new orphanage and work with the children we support.  Mission volunteers are […]

Happy Holidays from The Emiliani Project We hope everyone had a wonderful Thanksgiving and we’re looking forward to a great Christmas season.  This is a great time of year to reflect on our lives and our individual role in the world.  We’d like to encourage you to think of “giving” as meaning more than just […]

Recent News: The Coffee is Coming! The Emiliani Project gourmet Colombian coffee is on its way!  The online store featuring our new coffee will be up and running next week.  We will send out an official announcement via Facebook and Twitter; and the new site will be prominently featured on our Homepage.  As a reminder, […]

Recent News: Help by Drinking Gourmet Coffee! On November 4, 2013, Emiliani International, in partnership with The Emiliani Project, will begin taking orders for our first line of specialty Colombian coffee. We are calling it the Ximena roast – named after Ximena Lizeth Cuartas, a 5 year-old little girl living at the Gente Unida children’s […]

Recent News: Mission Cooperative The Emiliani Project spent much of August showcasing our children’s home project to church communities in Southern California. We visited the Church of the Immaculate Conception in San Diego; and Saint Edward the Confessor and San Felipe Chapel in Dana Point. It was a wonderful experience. The people and staff of […]

Recent News: Climb for Kids 2013: Mount Elbrus, Russia On July 22, 2013, Emiliani co-founder Jordan Reece will be travelling to southwestern Russia to climb the highest mountain peak in Europe to raise awareness and money for our the construction of our home in Colombia. We are looking for your show of support! As part […]

Climb for Kids 2013: Mount Elbrus, Russia On July 22, 2013, Emiliani co-founder Jordan Reece will be travelling to southwestern Russia to climb the highest mountain peak in Europe to raise awareness and money for our the construction of our home in Colombia.  We are looking for your show of support!  As part of our […]

Recent News – We would climb a mountain for our kids! The Emiliani Project is kicking off our summer fundraising campaign with Climb for Kids 2013.  On July 22, 2013, Emiliani co-founder Jordan Reece will be leaving for southwestern Russia to climb the highest mountain peak in Europe to raise awareness and money for our […]

Recent News – Emiliani Tour of the Coffee Region We just returned from a tour of the coffee region surrounding Medellin this month.  We visited and toured the operations and farms of many of the local farmers in the cities of Concordia, Bolivar, Andes and Jardin.  The tour was part of our research for The […]

Volunteering with The Emiliani Project Volunteers make up the entirety of The Emiliani Project staff, so we are looking for motivated people to help us out!  Many people have asked us how they can get involved, so below are some ideas.  You can choose something that is of interest to you, or you can give […]

The Emiliani Project strives to not only to help children, but the Christian community at large.  As such, we have an open invitation for guests to submit posts for this blog that are relevant to The Emiliani Project and our mission. About today’s author:  Brandon is an 8th grader at the Saint Patrick’s School in […]

Recent News – Mission Trips to Colombia If a commission by an earthly king is considered an honor, how can a commission by a Heavenly King be considered a sacrifice? – David Livingstone The Emiliani Project has begun a brand new Christian mission trip campaign.  In the coming months, we are going to be visiting […]

“There is no trust more sacred than the one the world holds with children. There is no duty more important than ensuring that their rights are respected, that their welfare is protected, that their lives are free from fear and want and that they can grow up in peace.” — Kofi Annan You may not […]

“Education is our passport to the future, for tomorrow belongs to the people who prepare for it today.” ― Malcolm X Going to college is becoming more than just an impossible reverie for Colombia children who may not even have been able to conceive graduating high school. According to the article in Colombia Reports entitled, […]

According to the article from Colombia Reports entitled, “Colombia ill-equipped to care for displaced children: NGO,” the number of displaced Colombian children surged to 17, 573 in 2012. This far surpasses the amount of children the Colombian government is adequately prepared to care for. And the numbers are increasing. Beyond malnutrition and sickness, many of […]

Recent News The Emiliani Project has begun the first of three phases of our first project in Medellin, Colombia.  We are building a loving home that will eventually provide safe haven to 160 orphaned and abandoned children .  We have selected a beautiful property just 30 minutes south of Medellin in the city of Caldas. […]

“Education is the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world.”  ― Nelson Mandela It’s the second largest city in Colombia, rich with a vibrancy that has become a magnet for lovers of music, books, a wealth of historic museums, botanical parks, beautiful gardens and cultural centers. Known as Medellin, the bustling metropolis […]

The New York Times article, “Displaced Residents Grapple With Hurdles of Going Home,” discusses how thousands of Colombian families have been displaced in the town of Mampuján due to 25 years of violent land takeovers by paramilitary groups. Mampuján is just ten hours away from Medillin, so this article resonated with our organization. It points […]

  The Emiliani Project in partnership with Fundacion Gente Unida and the city of Caldas, Colombia has begun phase one of a three-phase home construction project.  After many months of research, The Emiliani Project has selected Fernandez & Cia as the builder for El Hogar de San Emiliani (The St. Emiliani Home).  F&C will build […]

The Emiliani Project has chosen Medellin, Colombia region as the location for its maiden project. However, some might say instead that Medellin chose The Emiliani Project.  It was by chance, when an American tourist visiting Medellin, witnessed first hand, thousands of displaced people living in the hills of Medellin.  These people are victims of war, […]

Earlier in 2012, while the board members of The Emiliani Project were conducting research in Medellin, Colombia, they met with the board members of Fundacion Gente Unida , a local foundation dedicated to rescuing children from the streets of Medellin. Gente Unida, lead by Padre Jorge Villalobos (a well-known philanthropist in the city), gave The […]