Less work and more education for children in Quito

UBECI’s social workers and psychologists have continued the valuable work on the project dedicated to socially disadvantaged indigenous children in the markets of Sangolqui’, Turismo, Guamani’ and Chillogallo in Southern Quito started in 2005.

Assisted by volunteers, the social workers play with the children at the market and provide assistance to the children and their families on educational and health issues, as well as psychological support. The social workers also help families to register their children with the state, find a school place for them and help them access medical care.

UBECI encourages the children to open up, gain confidence and talk to staff and volunteers about their problems. Only through the efforts of UBECI do these children often get access to urgently needed medical or psychological assistance or the opportunity of receiving an education.

UBECI’s social workers, psychologists and volunteers are currently providing support to about 700 girls and boys and have been able to reconnect with 85% of the families they supported before COVID struck.

Together with assisting the children, strengthening social and life skills for mothers and improving the wellbeing of the family is also a main focus of the UBECI team.

UBECI staff in the playgroups and workshops use a variety of media to communicate with children and parents, including images, music, dance, puppets, and art.

UBECI uses ‘story telling’ in the playgroups as an educational tool for the children, including situations from their daily lives that they can identify with, for example, maternal love and the sacrifices made by mothers for their children’s good, to highlight the positive aspects of their family environment and as a way of strengthening their sense of empathy and security.

The stories often relate to aspects of their lives such as their ethnicity, roots, customs, and are aimed at strengthening their self-confidence, improving their relationship with their parents, teaching them to respect and appreciate their family and other children at school and in the playgroups.

UBECI has been working with the children and their mothers through the story telling project to assist them in rebuilding self-esteem and confidence in their abilities. Topics covered include how to make the right decisions, taking care of your emotional health, an appreciation for multiculturalism and maintaining cultural identity.

Other areas covered by means of storytelling included:

1. Leadership, focussing on values and self-confidence
2. Gender, focussing on legal and social equality
3. Education and multiculturalism, working on motor, socio-emotional and cognitive development
4. Recreation, fostering voluntary participation as an individual right
5. Prevention, improving quality of life by encouraging preventative health measures

UBECI’s hard work and your financial support has meant that educational activities have continued at pace, enhanced to cater to the changed circumstances post-COVID, providing a more holistic support, including to wider family members.

Thank you!

At the end of 2023, the social workers at UBECI prepared Christmas stockings filled with sweets to take down to the markets for the children attending UBECI’s playgroups. Their parents wouldn’t have been able to afford presents.

2023 saw the full resumption of market activity in Southern Quito following the stop start due to COVID of the past couple of years.

UBECI’s educational playgroups are needed as never before, as these disadvantaged children struggled with online teaching during Covid. Many of these families had only one mobile phone to go around, not to talk about a computer or laptop…
The 700 plus children attending UBECI’s playgroups in the three markets of Chilogallo, Sangolqui’ and Guamani’ have a lot to catch up with. The social workers and volunteers find themselves spending an increasing amount of time assisting the children with homework.

Over the last year, UBECI’s psychologist has focussed on strengthening and expanding the Mothers’ Education programme at the markets. Most of these young women grew up in a very difficult environment, victims of violence and discrimination and, given the poverty they were born into, starting work with their parents at the market stands at a very young age. Most of the mothers are illiterate. They lack self-confidence and are very dependent on their husbands and partners, often suffering at their violent hands.
Given the lack of positive role models, history tends to repeat itself, with their children experiencing a similarly difficult domestic environment, often treated just as harshly as they were.

UBECI’s Mothers’ programme is aimed at helping them deal with their daily challenges, manage their emotions and better understand their child, thus reducing domestic violence against children.
Mothers are equipped to take better decisions and are proud to be learning, increasing their knowledge, and, for the first time in their life, to be celebrated for ‘graduating’ from the programme. They are proud of themselves for completing the course as are their children.

Monica, the director of UBECI, is currently working on developing webinar content, to share with existing and potential donors of their projects, about the challenges of the children and their families in the markets of Southern Quito and how UBECI helps address these, as well as about the broader issue of poverty and lack of education amongst indigenous communities in Ecuador. Watch this space…!

We are very happy at ViaNiños to be able to assist with UBECI’s invaluable work, as we see their programmes adapt over time in response to the manifold challenges faced by the children and their families.

A big thank you for your continued support!

We wish you a Happy New Year!

Team Vianiños