ECUADOR: More than 6,000 youth and families in need access services
Programs include support for people who are Indigenous and Afro-descendants
ECUADOR
(MissionNewswire) The Salesian Project Ecuador provides services and support to positively impact more than 6,000 people in need in seven cities in the country. Salesians operate 28 care facilities focusing on people who are marginalized in Ambato, Cuenca, Esmeraldas, Guayaquil, Quito, San Lorenzo and Santo Domingo.
Programs include support for people seeking work, children engaged in child labor, and people who are Indigenous and Afro-descendants. Salesians also offer ongoing psychological support, school reinforcement, parenting skills workshops, dining services, and human and spiritual development.
In Esmeraldas, San Lorenzo, Santo Domingo and Guayaquil, Salesian staff work along with the Afro-descendants communities, promoting access to quality education and the defense of their rights in environments marked by poverty, social risks and armed conflicts. Through street educators, Salesian staff identify and support youth who are living in vulnerable situations while ensuring they can access education.
Similarly, the P. Antonio Amador Basic Education Schools in Guayaquil and San Patricio in Quito support youth who are behind in school, in child labor situations and who are working with their families in informal work. There are also four vocational training centers that are part of the project empowering youth to gain the skills they need for later employment.
A Salesian said, “Today, more than a century after his death, Don Bosco is still present in these spaces and places where every person is listened to, every young person finds opportunities and every family receives support to move forward. His dream continues through the Salesian Project Ecuador which ensures rights are guaranteed to all and are not the privilege of a few. We continue to build paths of dignity and justice for the most vulnerable young people.”
Ecuador is one of the most inequitable societies in the world, according to UNICEF. The richest 20% of the population receives almost 50% of the national income, while the poorest 20% receives only 5%. According to the World Food Programme, almost 26% of all children under age 5 have stunted growth, increasing to 31% in rural areas and 47% in Indigenous communities.
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Sources:
ANS Photo (usage permissions and guidelines must be requested from ANS)
Salesian Missions – Ecuador
UNICEF – Ecuador
