Where Hope Learns to Walk Again: A Look Inside Casa Eunime

Casa Eunime is one of the few places in Baja California devoted exclusively to caring for children living with HIV.

Por Valeria Toledo el January 9, 2026

In the corners of Tijuana—where busy streets blend into worn sidewalks—there is a home filled with something far more powerful than circumstance: love. Casa Eunime is a sanctuary for children and young adolescents living with HIV. It is a place where doors open not just to shelter, but to possibility—a space of safety, dignity, and belonging. Here, childhood is protected. Here, stigma has no place.

Despite persistent misconceptions, children living with HIV can hug, play, learn, and attend school just like any other child. HIV is not transmitted through everyday contact.

Casa Eunime is one of the very few homes in Baja California dedicated exclusively to the care of children and adolescents living with HIV—built not on fear or shame, but on compassion, education, and community.

Background & Mission

Casa Eunime was founded by a group of sisters whose own family experience with terminal illness inspired them to act. As one interviewee shared, “Casa Eunime was created to give children a chance to live with dignity.”

Its name is a symbolic union of the first two children they supported—a reminder that this home was shaped by real lives, real stories, and real resilience.

Many children arrive at Casa Eunime after experiencing abandonment, orphanhood, abuse, or removal from unsafe environments. Others come because their caregivers are unable to afford consistent medical treatment, transportation, or emotional support. Casa Eunime steps in where families cannot—offering stability, love, and a foundation for healing.

Staff members also acknowledge a painful reality: some diagnoses are linked to sexual assault or exploitation. While difficult to confront, this truth underscores the home’s deeply protective mission. Care at Casa Eunime is not only medical—it is human, emotional, and restorative.

Daily Life and Care

Each day begins with shared breakfasts and collective routines. Caregivers and volunteers ensure that every child receives medication, nutritious meals, emotional support, and the simple normalcy of childhood—homework, laughter, play, and companionship.

Casa Eunime provides:

Safe housing
Fresh, daily meals
Medical and psychological care
Educational support
Dental services
Recreational and developmental activities

As one caregiver explained, “We are an extension of the family.”

For children carrying histories of trauma, stigma, or violence, this stability is not only life-changing—it is essential.

Challenges and Needs

One of the greatest challenges these children face is stigma rooted in misinformation. Caregivers frequently encounter myths: that HIV has visible physical signs, that it can be transmitted by touch, or that children with HIV should be separated at school. None of this is true.

Thanks to modern medicine, children living with HIV can lead long, healthy lives. With consistent treatment—something Casa Eunime ensures—viral loads can remain undetectable, meaning the virus is controlled and cannot be transmitted through casual contact.

Yet stigma persists. Some children have been rejected by relatives who did not understand the diagnosis. Others have faced discrimination in schools or communities. Social exclusion can wound deeper than illness itself.

Casa Eunime works tirelessly to change this narrative through education and advocacy, reinforcing essential truths: