Wendy Gómez Matamoros ('12) is the executive director of Tesoros de Dios, a Christian nonprofit organization in Managua, Nicaragua, that helps children with disabilities reach their full potential. She leads a team of educators, administrators, therapists, and service industry professionals as they work with children with disabilities.
Wendy Gómez Matamoros is the executive director of Tesoros de Dios, a Christian nonprofit organization in Managua, Nicaragua, that helps children with disabilities reach their full potential. A 2012 graduate of Dordt University, she leads a team of over 30 educators, administrators, therapists, and service industry professionals as they work with approximately 130 children with disabilities.
“Children with disabilities in Nicaragua face discrimination from society, schools, churches, and even their own family,” says Gómez. “When I first encountered that reality, I thought, ‘Why didn’t I see them before?’”
Through her work at Tesoros de Dios, Gómez is doing what she can to shift the narrative around those with disabilities. The organization provides non-residential therapy and services to children and adolescents with disabilities and their families. The children that Gómez and her team work with present a range of physical, intellectual, and metal disabilities, including cerebral palsy, intellectual disability, Down Syndrome, autism, spina bifida, and more. Most children come from poor living conditions that exacerbate their health conditions.
To support the needs of these children, Gómez and the Tesoros de Dios staff utilize equine therapy, physical therapy and occupational therapy, education, speech therapy, vocational services, health plans, home treatment, family support, transportation, and more. The children attend Tesoros de Dios one or two times a week with a family member or caregiver for two to six hours of therapy. All of their therapies are offered free of charge to families with disabilities.
The work that Gómez and her team are doing at Tesoros de Dios is paying off in Managua.
“We are seeing a reform in the culture and inclusion around disability,” she says. “There are more opportunities for those with disabilities.”
The past year has been a difficult one for nonprofit organizations in Nicaragua, though. “There are a lot of different new regulations that we have to follow, and many NGOs in my country have closed,” she says. “Last year, we were on the brink of closure as well.”
But the Lord sustained Tesoros de Dios so that they could continue operation.
“It just shows God’s favor for people with disabilities and how he really fights for them,” she says. “We didn’t have to do anything under the table to save Tesoros de Dios; God fought our battle, and all we have to do is be faithful to him.”
Despite the positive outcome, Gómez felt weary from leading a nonprofit back from the brink of closure. When she learned that she was the recipient of the Horizon Award, she felt a sense of relief.
“It’s hard to be a mother of a newborn who is also a female leader in my country,” she says. “It felt like a constant battle. But when I found out that I’d received the Horizon Award, I was humbled. It also felt as if the Lord was saying, ‘I see you, and I am with you. Other people are seeing what you are doing, too.’ As broken as I am, he still uses me and is glorified through me and my organization’s work for those with disabilities.”
During high school, Gómez volunteered at Tesoros de Dios and discovered a passion for serving those with disabilities. She wanted to major in special education for her undergraduate degree, but no Nicaraguan universities offered a special education focus. Her Bible teacher told her about Dordt, and so she decided to head to Iowa for further education. After graduating from Dordt, Gómez felt called to return to Nicaragua to continue her work with Tesoros de Dios.
“It’s surreal to now be running the organization,” she says. “I’ve known some of the families since I was a volunteer. It’s been a blessing to watch these children grow and thrive.”
As Gómez dreams about what the future might hold for Tesoros de Dios, she wants “every child with disabilities that comes to Tesoros de Dios to know Jesus and to know that their Savior loves them just as they are right now.” She also has a goal of creating a vocational shop where teenagers and others with disabilities can develop skills in carpentry, repair work, and sewing.
There’s more work to be done in Nicaragua; according to the National Statistics and Census Institute of Nicaragua, there are approximately 140,000 individuals with disabilities in Managua alone. Most individuals with disabilities don’t have access to the service and support they need. These days, Tesoros de Dios is one of the only holistic therapy and support centers in Managua. And so, the work continues.
“My hope for the world is to see people with disabilities as their friend; as their co-worker; co-laborers. Without people with disabilities in our community, we’re incomplete. We can’t be incomplete; we need all the pieces together,” she says.
The Horizon Award recognizes young alumni who are emerging as leaders and innovators, working effectively and creatively toward Christ-centered renewal in every area of their lives and work. This award identifies alumni who are community-minded and entrepreneurial—those who are using their knowledge, gifts, and talents to participate in God’s redemptive work in the world.
I don’t think we as Christians are always called to have safe and comfortable experiences,” says Darin Fey (’00).
The Noordbroek Organ Academy is an annual weeklong international summer program where eight semi-professional and graduate level organists get a chance to play renowned organs in the Netherlands and Germany. This past summer, three of the eight students who participated in the academy were current Dordt students.
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