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Sponsorship in Ecuador

CFCA began working in Ecuador in 1996. CFCA has three projects in Ecuador: Guayaquil, Mira and Quito. These three projects oversee 29 subprojects.

The main focus of the Quito project is to provide children with education and the elderly with medical attention. The project has taken steps to better the educational opportunities and overall conditions for the poor by assisting with school tuition, lunches, books and school supply costs.

At the Comunidad Santa Cruz subproject on the outskirts of Quito, sponsored children receive a hot lunch and two snacks daily. Their education is enhanced by an after-school tutoring program. Sponsored elderly grow vegetables to supplement their nutrition and incomes, giving them a sense of pride and purpose.

Sponsored children served by the Guayaquil project are provided an education. Subprojects in Guayaquil have begun tutoring programs for sponsored children whose parents cannot help them with their studies because of a lack of education or the long hours they work to support their families. Benefits provided through the sponsorship program include assistance with school tuition and enrollment fees, uniforms and school supplies. In addition to educational benefits, sponsored children at the Jardin Escuela Claret receive nutritious breakfast to enhance their health along with medical attention and medicines.

In the Mira project, located three hours from Quito, basic benefits, including tuition assistance and school supplies, are complemented by activities aimed at providing families with ways to supplement their incomes. In the town of Juan Montalvo, the sponsorship program has helped families begin raising chickens. The families are proud of the income that the initiative has brought and have become more united as a result.

Sponsor a child in Ecuador

About Ecuador

Ecuador is one of the smallest countries in South America. Lying astride the equator on the West Coast of South America between Colombia and Peru, the country is one of great geographic and ethnic diversity. Ecuador’s name is the Spanish word for equator.

The terrain consists of coastal lowlands, the Andes Mountain highlands (called the Sierra) and the eastern lowlands. Ecuador boasts the highest active volcano in the world known as Cotopaxi. The eastern lowlands are part of the sparsely populated Amazon River basin that is made up of thick tropical forests. The Galapagos Islands, known for their unusual plants and animals, also belong to Ecuador.

Ecuador’s economy received a boost after the discovery of substantial oil resources in the 1970s. Petroleum became the country’s leading export over bananas, cocoa, coffee, shrimp, Panama hats and balsa wood. However, pollution from oil production has had an adverse ecological effect on sensitive areas of the Galapagos Islands, and deforestation has become another environmental issue.

A rapid rise in the cost of living in recent years has caused some in the middle class to slide into poverty, a condition in which the majority of Ecuador’s people live. Economic conditions have also strained the family unit, as large numbers of fathers and mothers leave the country for Spain and the United States looking for employment, and they often do not return.

Dollarization has had great impacts in Ecuador. The cost of goods and services has risen dramatically. However, the average day’s wage has not increased at this same rate causing further hardships for many marginalized families. Many believe dollarization has somewhat stabilized the rampant inflation and unstable political situation the country faced previous to dollarization in the year 2000.

The people

Ecuador is made up of people from many different parts of the world. Ecuadorian culture is therefore influenced by many different cultures. People of Indigenous, Spanish European, and African decent living in Ecuador have each contributed to the creation of modern Ecuadorian culture.

Mestizos (those of mixed indigenous and Spanish descent) mainly live on the coastal plain and work as day laborers on banana or cacao (used to make cocoa and chocolate) plantations. Others cultivate small plots of land they have cleared in the forest, and move on when the soil is depleted. Those in cities work as laborers, servants or shopkeepers.

The indigenous people primarily speak their own languages, wear traditional clothing, and follow ancient customs passed down from generation to generation. Many work on large farms or estates for no pay. Their only benefit is that their families are allowed to live on the farm and cultivate a small plot of land for themselves.

Some indigenous communities hold open-air, regional markets where they sell foods and handicrafts such as cloth or pottery. The villagers gather on market days to trade, meet friends, and celebrate with music and dancing.

Education

Education is compulsory for children ages 6 to 14 years, but most of the schools are located in cities or towns. Schools in the Mira and Quito projects are in session from September to June. Guayaquil project schools run from March to December.

Many rural children, the majority of which are from indigenous families, do not attend school because of a shortage of buildings, equipment and teachers.

The government faces problems funding schools, and teacher strikes aimed at securing back payment of salaries and improvements in the education system are frequent occurrences.

Sponsor a child in Ecuador

Sources:

World Factbook

MSN Encarta Encyclopedia