Mishell, who is 10 years old, is a dedicated student whose goal is to one day be able to help her family overcome its poverty.

Mishell studies at CENIT’s School “ESTAR,” and lives with her mother and her brothers: they haven’t had any news from her dad for the past 9 years.

Mishell’s mom sells ice creams in the streets of Quito, and earns about $7 dollars a day. It’s a tough stretch to make that money cover the costs of raising three children, maintaining a home, and paying for her diabetes medicine.

Being able to eat lunches at CENIT is a big help to both Mishell and her mom: thanks Patrick for your generosity!

Gilda is 12 years old and is from the coastal province of Manabí. Her parents are seperated: her mom is remarried and lives in Guayaquil, the biggest city in Ecuador, and Gilda lives with her father and her stepmother.  She moved to Quito to live with them about 6 months ago, and is happy to be in a loving home. Her stepfather works as a cook, and earns the minimum  full-time salary in Ecuador, which is $240 a month.

Gilda’s favorite subjects in school are bread making and ceramics, and her teachers say she’s quite talented at both.

Thanks to Patrick’s generous donation, Gilda will have a month of healthy lunches at CENIT.

Kevin is 10 years old, and studies at the school “Manuel de Jesus Calle.”   Kevin is a compassionate child with a tough home situation  He lives with his mom and his step dad: his biological father contributes a very small amount towards maintaining the household, and his mom is currently undergoing chemotherapy at the Solca Hospital.

Perhaps due his mom’s illness, Kevin dreams about being a doctor when he grows up, and is really interested in his studies.

Thanks to Tahira’s generosity Kevin will have a month of warm and healthy lunches at CENIT where he can eat with his friends.

Silvia is 10 years old, and studies at CENIT.  Her parents are from Cotopaxi Province, one of the poorest in Ecuador, and she is one of 10 siblings.

Silvia lives with her mom and dad and nine other brothers and sisters, and is shy and introverted.  Her dad works in construction and earns $50 a week, and her mom sells vegetables in the market and earns a meager income.

Because her parents’ earnings aren’t enough to provide for the whole family, many of her brothers and sisters work. Silvia used to have a hard time at school, due  in part to a lot of distractions and difficulties at home, but this year she has really improved in her studies.

Thank you to Tahira for providing Silvia with a month of lunches, which will surely power her through to continued academic improvement.

Monica is 9 years old; her family moved to Quito from the countryside in search of a better life. She and her parents and two brothers and sisters now all live near CENIT: they rent a small apartment with one bed which they all share. Her dad sells fruit out of the back of a pickup truck and her mom works washing clothes by hand and earns $1 for every 12 pieces of clothing. Monica became involved in the homework help center when she met CENIT’s outreach workers at the market.

Improving her test  scores will allow her to go to high school and later to get a better job. She is happy to receive help from Ecuadorian staff and foreign volunteers at CENIT’s homework help center. Thanks a lot Tricia for your contribution.

Daniela is 13 years old. She lives with her mom, who lost her sight nine years ago in an accident. CENIT’s ‘Adopt a Dream’ program has helped Daniela receive education, school uniforms and school supplies. Despite learning disabilities, Daniela is now progressing in school, and regularly recieves good grades.

Thanks to Tricia, Daniela can eat a healthy lunch in CENIT’s cafeteria, which will contribute to her continued learning and success.

Naidelyn is 8 years old, and is from the southern coast of Ecuador, although she has lived in Quito for the past 7 years.  She currently studies in the school Manuel de Jesús Calle, and lives with her grandmother and her brother Billy. Her mother is remarried and lives about four hours outside of Quito, and her dad, who lives in Quito, helps out with some of the costs related with school.

Although she speaks often with her mom they only see each other during school vacations when Naidelyn and her brother travel to her mom’s small town. To make ends meet, her grandmother sells frozen popsicles in the street: each popsicle costs 15 cents and she earns 1.5 cents per sale.

Naidelyn has been attending CEA homework help sessions for the past 3 years. She wants to keep studying and dreams of being a doctor when she grows up.  Thanks to the generosity of Pradeep, Naidelyn will receive the homework help and healthy snacks that might make this dream a reality.

Madelin is 12 years old and studies in the school, Manuel de Jesús Calle, where she is in 7th grade.  She lives with her mother, her stepfather, and her six brothers and sisters.  Her mother works as a nanny.

Madelin hasn’t seen her father since he left home 10 years ago, but loves to study and hopes to finish school very soon.

Madelin eats lunch every day at the CENIT cafeteria, and thanks to Pradeep she can continue to receive this important healthy meal.