Gabriel Suárez Quinteros

Gabriel arrived at our transition house at age 23, having spent nearly his entire life in institutional care after being found abandoned at age 4. His name was assigned by authorities since no trace of his birth family was ever found. Gabriel lives with mild intellectual disability, which means he processes the world differently, but just as meaningfully. When we met Gabriel, he was extremely reserved, having learned to go unnoticed during years in different care facilities. His previous caregivers described him as "compliant and cooperative," but noted his difficulty expressing himself and connecting with others.

Gabriel's extraordinary dedication to routines immediately stood out. He waters plants daily, bakes bread every three days with methodical precision, feeds our pet Lilly, and helps in the kitchen with remarkable patience. These tasks demonstrate real capacity for independent living within a structured environment.

During our Transformation Academy sessions, we discovered the richness of his inner world. Gabriel has genuine fascination with world geography and organizes complex fictional soccer tournaments in his notebooks with impressive logic. In our classes, he has identified personal gifts no one had recognized before: wisdom for observing situations, compassion toward others, and a sense of justice that motivates him to help others.

Gabriel faces real challenges in the Bolivian job market. He recently lost his dishwashing job when the restaurant closed temporarily and never called him back. Despite this, his interests reveal a curious mind—he's fascinated by strategy video games, wants to create YouTube content, and dreams of participating in computer-related activities.

In our transition house, Gabriel has found emotional stability and recognition of his potential. He participates more in conversations, expresses his ideas, and shows new aspects of his personality. His progress is measured in daily victories: more fluid conversations, new responsibilities successfully assumed, genuine connections with housemates.

A fundamental part of Gabriel's support requires specialized psychological intervention beyond our internal capabilities. We need to contract external professional services to develop his cognitive functions, motor skills, and social competencies. This investment in specialized attention is crucial to maximize Gabriel's potential.

Gabriel represents our mission's essence: every life has value, every person has gifts to discover, and with the right environment and professional support, everyone can find their place in the world and contribute meaningfully.