PUBLICACIONES
Education: Saturday Values Formation Sessions
Hello everyone! As some of you may know, we are frequently telling both our members and our donors that this is not a charity - we ask our members to give back both through direct service of others, and by making a commitment to bettering themselves and their families.
Part of this commitment involves learning the 10 Values we see as essential to a family's success. Inspired by the Gospel, these values have helped many, many families leave poverty behind in a way simple material assistance never could.
Attended by all of the parents and kids over 15 years old, each month we take a Saturday morning to explore a different theme and ask our members for reflection and action. Up this month: Education. Take a walk through the session with us!
To kick off the meeting, Marco Polo, our Director of Education, welcomed everyone and introduced our teaching staff. Delia, who runs a daycare program for play and homework, talked about the importance of demonstrating and teaching honesty at home in support of our work here. Juan, our computer teacher, reinforced his focus on practice over theory when it comes to learning computers. Bronwyn, our English teacher, shared “El Pacto” (The Agreement), a sort of promise between teacher, students, and parents about expected behaviors and motivations. She also taught the adults a Genki English song using the vocabulary “Hello, how are you?” to give them a taste of what their kids are learning. (Click here to see our young students performing the same song.)
Marco then talked about what constitutes education and why it matters for our families. The people talked about learning at school, at home, on the job, and on the street. Marco reviewed that education is not about just learning facts, but also values like Discipline and Responsibility. There was even a guest appearance by our President, Jorge Borjas, himself a working kid, who told a story about the importance of arriving on time. Overall, the whole experience prompted a lot of laughs and thoughtful discussion. A great way to kick off the school year!
Stay tuned for next month, when we tackle Health in our Saturday Session!
INTERESTED IN PARTNERING WITH US?
We are currently looking for donations to support our education programs. Please see our Take Action page to see how you could be part of this, or contact us if you'd like to support us in some other way. Please keep us in your prayers. All the best from Quito!
Recreation: Time to Play!
Hello everyone! Healthy recreation is one of our 10 Essential Values here at the Foundation, and I am excited to share with you this week a few of my favorite spontaneous recreation sessions from the past month.
First up, you’ll see a little mid-morning recreation on the blacktop. Along with hide and seek, soccer, and volleyball, races are a popular activity for the breaks between classes and homework.
Next, with the help of our part-time volunteer, Marjolein, a native of the Netherlands, our kids created their own Twister board and played amidst lots of laughter until the afternoon rain came.
Kids aren’t the only ones who need recreation. One rainy Friday afternoon, a few of our family members, founders, and our volunteer had an impromptu jam session after practicing for the mass. Music really does bring people together - we have three nations (Ecuador, Venezuela, and the US) represented in our "band" here!
INTERESTED IN PARTNERING WITH US?
We are currently looking for more short- and long-term volunteers to run sessions like the ones you see above! Please see our Take Action page to see how you could be part of this, or contact us if you'd like to support us in some other way. Please keep us in your prayers. All the best from Quito!
Signs of Change
Hello everyone! We had an exciting activity last Friday that I think you’re really going to enjoy. Fabricio (in the yellow shirt below) is a friend of our founders and a former working kid. He grew up in circumstances very similar to our kids, and connects with them in a really special way. He will be helping Carlos, our director of social work, to run weekly values sessions for the kids.
To kick off the years classes, Fabricio asked the kids to think about what we could do to make our Foundation more beautiful and remind our families about some of our core values. Over the course of the afternoon, they brainstormed slogans and made these wonderful posters that are now hung up all around the place. Hope you enjoy browsing through.
INTERESTED IN PARTNERING WITH US?
We are currently looking for donations to support our education programs. Please see our Take Action page to see how you could be part of this, or contact us if you'd like to support us in some other way. Please keep us in your prayers. All the best from Quito!
"Hello, How Are You?" - Teaching English at the Foundation
Here in Quito, students are heading back to school. They attend class either in the morning (from 7am-12pm) or in the afternoon (from 1pm-6pm). For the students that are part of the Foundation, the time they are not in class is spent in other enrichment programs.
And the most sought-after class by far? English. And it's not just for kids - this fall, we are also offering an adult English program with evening classes that don't interfere with work.
My name is Bronwyn Stone; I'm an American volunteer teaching English here at the Foundation. My students love song and dance, and not so much sitting and memorizing. Luckily, I've been able to capitalize on that interest to teach them English and help them feel empowered using an incredible curriculum called Genki English. Today, I thought I’d share a video from last years class singing “Hello, How Are You?”.
INTERESTED IN PARTNERING WITH US?
We are currently looking for donations to support our education programs. Please see our Take Action page to see how you could be part of this, or contact us regarding in-kind donations. All the best from Quito!
Reduce, Reuse...Make Art!
Hello everyone! Today I wanted to share some photos of the incredible work of one of our teachers. Señora Delia (with the hot glue gun in the photo below) is endlessly creative and has inspired our kids to repurpose materials from our recycling bin to make something beautiful. It was great to see the students looking at everyday objects in a new way.
Delia helps Kevin to construct his egg-carton house
Click on the photos to see the works in progress and finished projects below. And if you want to help out our art programs by donating supplies, please see our Take Action page. Thanks and enjoy!
INTERESTED IN PARTNERING WITH US?
We are currently looking for donations to support our art programs that nourish creativity. Please see our Take Action page to see how you could be part of this, or contact us if you'd like to support us in some other way. Please keep us in your prayers. All the best from Quito!
I like to eat, eat, eat...apples and bananas!
Hello everyone! This past week, as part of our juegos de verano/summer games for the kids, a few university students came to the Foundation to teach about healthy eating and hygiene via some fun games. With their great costumes and lots of energy, they had everyone laughing and participating, having so much fun I don't think the kids even realized how much they were learning!
Lunch is almost finished at the Foundation!
Improving the nutrition of our families, especially growing kids, is an important part of the work we do here at the Foundation. Partnering with the Food Bank of Quito, we serve two balanced meals and a snack six days a week to over 100 people.
INTERESTED IN PARTNERING WITH US?
We are currently looking for donations to support our nutrition program that keeps our families well fed. Please see our Take Action page to see how you could be part of this, or contact us if you'd like to support us in some other way. Please keep us in your prayers. All the best from Quito!
Teaching Values - Saturday Development Sessions
Hello everyone! As some of you may know, we are frequently telling both our members and our donors that this is not a charity - we ask our members to give back both through direct service of others, and by making a commitment to bettering themselves and their families.
Part of this commitment involves learning the 10 Values we see as essential to a family's success. Inspired by the Gospel, these values have helped many, many families leave poverty behind in a way simple material assistance never could.
Part of receiving is giving back - here, Scarlet and Valentina are helping clean up after breakfast.
This past Saturday, we had our monthly Values Development Sessions. Attended by all of the parents and kids over 15 years old, each month we explore a different theme and ask our members for reflection and action. Up this month: Motivation & Self-Esteem.
Dra. Elizabeth Jara, a psychologist and Treasurer of the Foundation, discussed the power of believing in yourself, and Christian "Silveirio” Caicedo, himself a working kid and a career singer and performer, gave a rousing motivational talk.
INTERESTED IN PARTNERING WITH US?
We are currently looking for donations to adult education programs. Please see our Take Action page to see how you could be part of this, or contact us regarding in-kind donations. All the best from Quito!
Bathroom Construction Underway Again!
Hello everyone! It’s been an exciting week at the Foundation, as we’ve finished our fundraising for our new bathrooms and showers. Thank you to everyone who donated!
Construction has started again and the sounds of jackhammers and cement being poured fill the air.
Because of the noise and the dust, we’ve taken advantage of the park a few blocks away. Here are a few photos from our outings this week.
iNTERESTED IN pARTNERING WITH US?
We are currently looking for donations to support our summer programs. On our wishlist are paints, hot glue, and other art supplies. Please see our Take Action page to see how you could be part of this, or contact us regarding in-kind donations. All the best from Quito!
Let the Games Begin! - Summer at the Foundation
Hello everyone! Summer is here in the Quito way, with a strong ecuatorial sun, lots of wind, and the occasional afternoon rainstorm. Our membership is swelling, with new families joining and lots more kids around with no school to attend.
Throughout July and August, we have stopped our normal classes and are hosting summer camp games, or juegos de verano. Today, I thought I’d share some photos from these activities. Hope you enjoy!
iNTERESTED IN pARTNERING WITH US?
We are currently looking for donations to support our summer programs. On our wishlist are paints, hot glue, and other art supplies. Please see our Take Action page to see how you could be part of this, or contact us regarding in-kind donations. All the best from Quito!