Steven is 10 years old and goes to school at Escuela 5 de Junio in Quito, Ecuador. He is in the fifth grade. Steven’s father mistreated his mother before Steven was born but, thankfully, they now have a healthy relationship. Steven’s mother, Maria, sells caramels on the buses of Quito and his father, José, is a brick-layer.

Steven is happy with his academic development and does fairly well in classes. He loves soccer and dreams of one day playing professionally. With care and perseverance, he will make it happen!

Thank you, Holly, Amit, Chris, Michael, Sarah, Kitty, and Rick and Beth, for supporting a child like Steven through CENIT. Your donations provided a child academic tutoring free of charge. Because of your support, children like Steven can continue to learn and grow!

Gloria is nine years old and moved to Ecuador from Colombia five years ago. She lives with her mother, Rosario, who works as a cook in a restaurant to support her four children. Sadly, their family is separated, as two of Rosario’s children still live in Colombia.

Gloria is in third grade at Julio Mosquera, a school in Quito, Ecuador. She really enjoys studying and is an excellent student. One day, she hopes to become a doctor so she can help the sick.

Gloria enjoys helping her younger brother with his homework and is eager to help her mother around the house. When she has free time, Gloria plays with her friends from school and the surrounding neighborhood.

Thank you, Kaihua, Marshall, Johanna, and Molly, for providing a teacher with a month’s salary. Due to your generosity, a child like Gloria can continue to thrive under the tutelage of an inspiring educator. Your generosity ensures children in Quito can excel in the classroom and pursue their dreams!

Andy’s family immigrated to Quito 12 years ago from the Cotopaxi Province of Ecuador and hails from an indigenous community. He and his family speak Quechua, an indigenous language.

Andy’s mother, Rosa, sells vegetables in the local market to support the family. Her husband, Vicente, is a mason and teaches others. Together, they earn around 150 dollars a week.

At 11 years old, Andy lives with his parents and three siblings. He helps his mother at the market and dreams of being a race car driver when he grows up.  Thanks to your generosity, Ryan, a child like Andy received a month of lunches. He and his family are grateful for the support of individuals like you!

Thank you all for coming together to support CENIT, which offers affordable and accessible education programs, free nutritious meals and health services, and counseling and support services to working children in Ecuador. Your donations will fund academic tutoring for a deserving student like Andrea.

Andrea is a sixth grader in the Otto Arosemena Monroy School. She is a great student and does all her homework in a timely and responsible manner. In the afternoons, she helps her parents sell fruits and vegetables at nearby Camal Market. Andrea lives with her parents and three siblings, and often helps take care of her other siblings and helps them with their homework because she is the eldest.

Andrea dreams of becoming a lawyer when she grows up. She’d like to do this so that she can help other less fortunate children and protect them from abuse.

Andrea feels lucky to be able to attend afternoon homework help sessions at CENIT. She knows doing well in school will help her achieve her dreams, and because the homework help sessions are held in Camal Market, CENIT has made them very accessible for Andrea, her siblings, and her classmates.

Thank you Brian and Malissa for supporting children like Andrea through CENIT.

Thank you all for coming together to support CENIT, which offers affordable and accessible education programs, free nutritious meals and health services, and counseling and support services to working children in Ecuador. Your donations will fund a month of a CENIT teacher’s salary like Marianita, has worked at CENIT in the Rosa Virginia High School for seven years.

Marianita teaches sewing and design, craftsmanship, and basic business accounting to girls in the 9th and 10th grades. She is motivated in her work because she fully understands where the girls are coming from, as her life story is very similar to many of theirs. Marianita tries to motivate the girls to finish their studies and feel proud of themselves. She knows that learning clothing design and seamstress skills is a way for many of them to build a better life for themselves.

Mariana is well respected by her peers and students. Thanks to the generosity of all of you, she will be able to continue her important teaching at CENIT.

Thank you all for coming together to support CENIT, which offers affordable and accessible education programs, free nutritious meals and health services, and counseling and support services to working children in Ecuador. Your donations will fund a month of a CENIT teacher’s salary like Irene, who has been teaching at CENIT for four years.

Irene works in the ESTAR school: a special elementary and middle school that works with children that have fallen behind their peers academically for one reason or another, often due to an unstable home life. She teaches math to third graders in the mornings, and math and language to younger children in the afternoons.

Irene loves working with underserved populations of students through CENIT. She feels lucky to have a job at CENIT and is grateful to all of you that have contributed to another month of her salary. She fights hard for her students, making sure they continue their education and do the best they can in school.

Thank you Kitty, Richard, Rick and Beth, Thomas, and Dave for providing support to children in Ecuador through CENIT and Irene.

Anthony is 10 years old and studies at the Jose Maria Velaz School in Quito, Ecuador, where he is in fifth grade. His favorite subject is math and he is studying hard so that he can become a doctor when he grows up.

Anthony lives with his father, his aunt, and two brothers. His mother died three years ago. His father works as a security guard and earns the minimum salary of $320 per month, which is the family’s only income.

Anthony’s grades slipped a lot when his mom died, but he is now doing much better in school and is working hard to stay ahead.

Thanks to your generosity, UBS, Anthony can count on the support of academic tutoring at CENIT, as well as a healthy and nutritious afternoon snack.

Martin is 10 years old and is in sixth grade at the “Luis A. Martinez” school in Quito, Ecuador. He has two older siblings and one younger. Martin’s mom takes care of all the children by herself because their dad hasn’t been around for years. She is a driven worker but struggles with the daily demands of providing for her four children.

Your generosity, Richard, helps give Martin the nourishment he needs to excel both inside and outside the classroom. Martin has participated in CENIT’s homework help sessions since second grade; his other siblings also attend. During his time at these after-school sessions, Martin has worked with CENIT’s teachers and social workers and has improved both his academic and social skills. Martin dreams of becoming a doctor one day and curing sick children.

Thank you, Richard, for supporting Martin’s dreams!

Her family is made up of four members: her Dad, her Mom, Diana, and her brother. Her mom sells vegetables and fruits in the nearby Camal market.  Her father works in construction. Both these jobs are common for parents of CENIT children as they are both relatively easy to get into with few economic or social resources. Both parents earn minimum wage and make enough to support their family, but sometimes they can’t afford to provide lunches for their children.

Diana attends after school help sessions at CENIT and is seen here with a volunteer. Her grades have markedly improved since joining the program because of the great teachers and because she longer has to worry about food. Diana says she’d like to be a teacher when she grows up, and help people in the same way she’s been helped.

Thank you, Venkat, for supporting Diana’s dreams!