Exploring Child-Focussed Welfare Provision By Evangelical Christians

Based in extensive ethnographic fieldwork in the Mexican-American border zone, this presentation looks closely at the substitution of child-focussed welfare services by evangelical Christians. More specifically, it focuses on residential care homes for children and young people that are established and run by US-based religious congregations. Particular attention shall be paid to the values inherent to this kind of carework and the way they are communicated and endorsed as well as the aims and goals informing it. Drawing on the example of one specific care home it will be examined whether and, if so, in which way critique of the system is expressed.