William is 10 years old, and is currently in the second grade. William has to work very hard at school and learns quite slowly, but he is very committed, and attends sessions to improve his learning.

William lives with his mom, who is handicapped and doesn’t move around very easily due to a problem with her left leg. Because of this, she works selling homemade goods near their home. William often helps her with this, and says he enjoys the work.

Brant, your generosity allows William to enjoy healthy lunches at school for a whole month! With a full stomach, William can focus on his studies and be the best student he can be! Thank you so much.

Sister Francisca teaches Religion at CENIT, where she has worked for the past three years. She shares a lot of love for her students, and hopes that each of them find love and well-being in their own often tumultuous home situations. She works with both the students and their parents as well, so that they can together find a way to overcome grinding poverty.

Francisca says she enjoys working with this group of students: they all seem to be in an administrative moment in this photo!

A big thanks goes out to Ted and Pam, Eddie (2 days of salary!), Jeffrey, Greg and Monica, George, Ray and Lael (3 days of salary!), Kandace, Thomas, Rao, Mark and Lynn (2 days of salary!), Howard (2 days of salary!), Craig, Leo, George, Richard, Susan (2 days of salary!), Mary Ellen and Jim, Dwayne and Terese, Peter A. (2 days of salary!), Peter S., and Emily and Drew! With your donations, Sister Francisca will be able to continue her religion classes at CENIT and provide the support these children need and deserve! Thank you so much!

Edison is 10 years old and in the 7th grade at Manuel J Calle School in Quito, Ecuador. Next year he will start high school and is both excited and nervous about it. He hopes to study at the same high school as his older brother.

Both Edison’s parents work in the nearby Camal market. They sell fruits, vegetables, and beans. Their stand earns about 6 dollars a day, which isn’t really enough to support the family. To help out, Edison also works in the market on the weekends.

For the past three years Edison and his brothers have been eating at the CENIT cafeteria. It’s usually the biggest and most nutritious meal they eat all day. Thanks to Robert’s generosity, Edison is guaranteed another month of  “big yummy” (as he says) lunches at CENIT!

Steven is in third grade at the Fifth of July School in Ecuador. He likes to study and his favorite subject is math!

He lives with his parents and two brothers. His dad is a construction worker who earns the monthly minimum wage in Ecuador (currently $320) – most of which goes to pay for food. His mom is a vendor who sells sweets and candies; Steven and his brothers help her on the weekends.

Steven has been having lunch at CENIT for the past two years, and thanks to Robert’s generosity he’ll be able to enjoy warm, healthy lunches for February!

Leandro is 11 years old and in 7th grade at the Otto Arosemena Gomez school in Quito, Ecuador. Leandro is a good student, and usually gets grades of 19 out of 20, or about 95%. Next year he’ll start high school, and is very interested in studying electricity.

Leandro lives with his mom and his brothers. His dad lives in Guayaquil, which is about 9 hours away by bus and is on the coast of Ecuador. His father visits Quito about every 3 months, but often talks with Leandro on the phone. His mom works as a maid.

Three years ago Leandro started attending CENIT’s tutoring program CEA, and he feels very happy to have someone help him with his homework every day. Thanks to Louann’s generosity, Leandro will be able to keep attending CEA, where he gets homework help and healthy snacks!

Thank you, Louann, for your support of CENIT!

Roberto is 8 years old, and is in fourth grade at the Jose Maria Urbina school in Quito, Ecuador. He loves studying math, and playing soccer with his friends.

Roberto lives with his parents and has one brother. His mom sells fruits in the nearby market, and his dad is a security guard. On weekends, Roberto helps his mom in the market.

Roberto has been eating lunch at CENIT for two years now, and says he likes eating lunch at CENIT because the food is “warm and good.” He also gets to eat with his friends.

Thanks to Cherry Crest Elementary’s generosity, CENIT will be able to keep putting food on Roberto’s plate for one more month! Thank you for your kind donation!

Mariana is a teacher at CENIT’s Rosa Virginia High School in Quito, Ecuador. She has taught at CENIT for the past six years, and works in the vocational high school. She teaches girls skills such as sewing, design, and alterations. Mariana feels a great level of commitment to her young students.

The majority of students at CENIT’s high school come from low income, often violent family situations. They need a lot of love and support to make it through high school. CENIT provides them with trainings, workshops, and the social services necessary to make it through.

The girls learn, among other subjects, the practical skills related to sewing and design during their time at high school. This professional path provides many of them with the possibility of work upon graduation, which is really important for their low-income families, and a big selling point in convincing them to study.

Thanks to the generosity of Subash, Tom, Mark and Lisbet, Bill, Marty and Lorri, Wat, Rick and Beth, Susan, Peter, Marcelo, Ian, Pradeep, Jay, and Christopher, CENIT will be able to provide another month of salary to Mariana, and another month of class for her students!

Tania is a teacher at Rosa Virginia High School at CENIT, in Quito, Ecuador, where she teaches girls the art of “Corte y Confección,” or how to design, sew, and alter clothing and other items such as bags, home linens, etc. Rosa Virginia is currently a vocational high school, and this course of study allows a lot of the girls a secure form of employment upon graduation, since there is a lot of demand for seamstresses.

Tania has been working at CENIT for 12 years, and currently has 35 girls in her class. She describes them as being very hardworking and helpful, despite being from difficult and often violent home situations. Tania enjoys helping them with their daily struggles, and finding the bright side of any situation.

She knows that studying is the best way for her students to make a new life for themselves and their families: a reality which motivates her to do her best work everyday in her classroom at CENIT. Thanks to the support of Marcelo (14 days!), Chris (3 days!), Kristin (2 days!), Steve, Neil, Erin, Deborah, Z, Alisa, Rohan, Constance, Alyson, Kim and Anne, CENIT has the means to pay Tania another month of salary.

Seven year old Fernando is seen here enjoying a special holiday lunch at CENIT, smiling because he knows he can eat lunch all month long at CENIT’s cafeteria thanks to Angel’s generosity.

Fernando is 7 years old, and attends school at the Manuel de Jesus Calle school. He likes school and says he enjoys studying, especially Science. When he’s not at school, and especially on weekends, Fernando helps his mom sell tomatoes and onions in the nearby market while his dad pushes his small cart which helps market goers carry their purchases out.

He is happy, however, to be able to spend time with some of his classmates each day at the CENIT cafeteria!

Franklin is 9 years old, and is in fourth grade at the Manuel de Jesus Calle school. His family is from the province of Tungurahua, about two hours outside of Quito.

Franklin loves playing the Andean flute (which his older sister taught him how to play), and dancing salsa. On weekends he likes to play soccer, and dreams about being a policeman when he grows up.

To keep up with all these activities Franklin needs a lot of energy: which he has in part thanks to the nutritious lunches he receives at CENIT. In the photo he’s enjoying a special Christmas meal at CENIT, which was a real treat for the children. David’s generosity will keep Franklin eating well all month long!