Casa Chirilagua

We are a community of people “learning together to love our neighbors as ourselves” in a Latino neighborhood in Alexandria, Virginia. As a faith-based Christian non-profit with a small staff and over 100 volunteers, we serve alongside more than 100 families and their children (1st-12th grades) each week through our community programs. We support students as they hone their academic skills, improve confidence, and find an accepting community where they belong. Families and neighbors who are a part of Casa Chirilagua reside in the Chirilagua neighborhood of Arlandria, where 70% of the population is comprised of Central American immigrant families. The main countries represented in Chirilagua are Honduras, Guatemala, and El Salvador. Families and neighbors are integral to Casa’s mission and have access to leadership opportunities, such as joining the staff, serving in the Directiva de Padres, or Strategic Direction committee, a committee that informs the Board of Directors. Casa Chirilagua’s family strengthening programming provides families with safe spaces to engage in community dialogue, share achievements, strengthen parent/child communication, and serve in a leadership capacity to promote the well-being of the family. We also host a number of supportive classes where adults can work on learning English, Spanish literacy, nutrition, and using computers. Casa Chirilagua believes in the power of relational bridge-building to holistically transform communities and in "Salimos Adelante," that together we persevere.