Less work and more education for children in Quito

Twenty Years of Dedication

This year marks a profound milestone for ViaNiños and UBECI, as we celebrate 20 years of financial support for UBECI’s work in the market communities of Southern Quito. Currently, UBECI’s comprehensive educational and healthcare programmes provide support to over 300 children, playing a crucial role in breaking the cycle of poverty through the power of literacy, medical attention, and consistent emotional support.

As drug gangs, extortion and contraband have sadly become a fixture in Ecuador’s urban landscape, the country is navigating significant security challenges that are reshaping daily life.

While the bustling stalls of the markets of Chillogallo, Guamaní and Sangolqui’ are the source of livelihood for the families of the children UBECI supports, the environment inherently leaves the children of vendors in a precarious position. The sights and sounds of a thriving market often mask the underlying vulnerability of minors spending their formative years on the pavement. Thanks to UBECI’s efforts, we are successfully reclaiming these childhoods—ensuring these children have a space to play, sing, draw and learn instead of the uncertainty of a street corner.

In recent months, our field teams have documented a noticeable increase in the number of children present in the markets. This influx has prompted UBECI to initiate a formal qualitative assessment to better understand the socio-economic drivers behind the trend.

In immediate response to this growing need, we have intensified the frequency of our playgroups within these markets. By increasing our physical presence, we ensure that as more families arrive at the markets to seek a living, their children are in a safe, supervised environment, for at least part of the day, where play and learning remain the priority.

As previously shared, UBECI’s mission has expanded to include their families, particularly mothers. UBECI is currently spearheading an initiative to help young mothers transition into more professional careers. They are actively collaborating with local technical institutes to negotiate scholarships and significant fee discounts, specifically focusing on vocational training in fields such as nursing. By empowering these mothers with professional credentials, we are securing a more stable financial future for their entire household.

After a challenging six-month hiatus during which international volunteer arrivals ceased due to the country’s internal security climate, UBECI recently welcomed a dedicated group of volunteers from the United States.

Their impact was felt immediately. In addition to working with UBECI’s playgroups at the markets, these volunteers have been helping to rehabilitate the physical environments where UBECI’s playgroups meet. Through their efforts in deep cleaning, repair work, and painting, they have transformed utilitarian, rundown spaces into bright, dignifying centres of creativity that the children are thrilled to visit.

Your contributions are the foundation upon which these 20 years of collaboration between ViaNiños and UBECI stand, allowing the children of Quito’s markets to dream of a life beyond the stalls. Thank you.

As we enter a new year, we leave behind a successful 2025 in which UBECI delivered impactful programmes through its playgroups across the markets of southern Quito, Chilogallo, Huamaní and Sangolquí, La Michelena, and La Jota. Through these initiatives, more than 400 children were reached, helping to reduce child labour in the markets.

Education, emotional wellbeing, and personal development remained central to UBECI’s work. Throughout the year, programmes strengthened children’s resilience and soft skills, including communication, emotional management, teamwork, and respect for gender equality and human dignity. In small playgroups, children took part in creative activities such as drawing, singing, role play, and games, learning to cooperate and manage emotions such as stress and anger, often linked to the violence they experience at home.

Interaction with foreign volunteers working with UBECI in the markets broadened children’s awareness of other cultures while reinforcing pride in their own identity, including learning Kichwa. Emma, a five-year-old participant, shared her joy in attending the playgroups, preferring them to working with her parents and enjoying learning with kind teachers from different backgrounds.

Alongside this, UBECI continued its vital work with mothers, offering emotional support and workshops to strengthen self-esteem, parenting skills, and responses to domestic violence. This complementary approach aims to improve family relationships and create healthier environments for children.

Tania and Nicky, trustees of ViaNiños UK, were able to witness progress firsthand during their visit to Quito in early July, the first time since the pandemic. They spent time in the indigenous markets alongside UBECI social workers and volunteers, joining children’s playgroups where activities included arts and crafts, storytelling, learning English with an American volunteer, and ending each session with a traditional Andean dance.

Each morning, the team was warmly welcomed by children eager to attend the playgroups for their three-hour opportunity to play, paint, and sing in a safe space. Mothers expressed gratitude for UBECI’s support in developing their children’s motor, behavioural, and academic skills, especially as many parents are illiterate and unable to help with homework. We heard inspiring stories of young people thriving through educational support, from learning trades to completing university degrees despite extremely challenging home lives.

Since COVID, the presence of drug gangs in Ecuador has increased, placing vulnerable children at risk of recruitment. UBECI’s support in education and school retention offers these children their best chance to avoid being drawn into gangs, to stop working at market stalls, and to escape the continuing cycle of poverty and violence.

Speaking with UBECI staff reinforced how crucial the work of social workers and psychologists is in transforming the lives of children living in poverty. As 2025 comes to a close and we move into 2026, we extend our heartfelt thanks for your generosity. Witnessing the joy of the children you support during our visit to Ecuador was deeply moving, particularly amid the country’s ongoing economic and social challenges.