Mi Lugar: Restoring the Smallest Lives in Buenos Aires

Mi Lugar (“My Place”) is a Christ-centered child center in the Bajo Flores neighborhood of Buenos Aires, Argentina—one of the city’s poorest and most dangerous areas. Each day, 160 children ages 1 to 3 receive comprehensive care, education, and nourishment, while their families encounter the love and hope of Jesus Christ.

The center’s very location tells a story of redemption. Over 20 years ago, when Iglesia Evangélica La Misión—a church planted by Pastor Marcelo Robles—began exploring ministry opportunities in Bajo Flores, neighbors revealed that the property had once been known as a place of child abuse. Burdened by that history, the church prayed and committed to transforming it into a place of restoration and healing. After five years of intensive planning, fundraising, and navigating complex government requirements to convert a warehouse into a licensed facility, the center opened its doors—and 140 children showed up on the very first day.

The children who come to Mi Lugar face extraordinary challenges. The 160 children live with their entire families in single rooms, sharing kitchens and bathrooms with other families in the shanty towns surrounding the center. Many arrive malnourished. Some arrive bearing the scars of neglect.

But Mi Lugar is far more than a care center. It is a gospel outpost. Chaplain Matias is present daily, sharing the Gospel with parents, staff, and children, coordinating volunteers, and leading Bible studies. When parents arrive each morning to drop off their children, they’re welcomed with breakfast and invited into small group gatherings for prayer, parenting seminars, and conversations about faith. Microenterprise training helps parents develop job skills. Families are connected to La Misión’s church congregations, where many have come to faith and been baptized.