We are Ecuadorians working for Ecuadorians, sharing the gift of giving to others.

WHO WE ARE

Though our Foundation is less than a year old, the founders are not young people with a new idea. Of the 10 founders, 8 of us were working children who shined shoes in the plazas of Central Quito, and formed a companionship that continues to this day. Since our childhood, we have overcome assumptions about the destiny of our poor families, and are living examples of how, with mentorship and support, the cycle of poverty can be broken for good.

In no way have we forgotten the needs of the poor whose numbers continue to grow. The Foundation is an effort to provide other families with the same sort of values-based education and support that has so transformed our lives. We are joined by our last two founders, Directors of Health and Education, who have spent their careers in service of working families. United for more than 30 years on behalf of poor families, we combine our direct experience and expertise to uplift our community here in Quito.

OUR CURRENT HOME

We decided to build our Foundation where the greatest need lies: in the South of the city. As Northern Quito has seen increasing prosperity and development, many of the poorest families have been pushed further and further south, alongside immigrants from rural and coastal Ecuador as well as surrounding countries. In mid-2018, we rented an abandoned schoolhouse and spent months painting, installing lights, and renovating the facility to open our doors in September of 2018. Since that time, we have grown from serving 8-10 people daily to between 100-130 people, and expect the growth to continue as we are able to offer more programs.