Reduce Work Hours for Ecuador's Street Children

Summertime is peak season for volunteers here at UBECI. We’ve been incredibly lucky this season and have had at least 10 volunteers working in the markets and 5 in administrative support every week. We’re grateful for our many volunteers and their generosity of time, love and support for the children. The influx of volunteers this season has led to more favorable one-to-one ratios for interacting with the children, increasing the efficacy of UBECI’s efforts.

June was an especially exciting month at UBECI as we wrapped up our Dental Campaign and celebrated International Children’s Day. With the help of our donors, we were able to reach our fundraising goal in order to provide much needed dental care to the street children of Quito. UBECI has a goal of providing comprehensive dental care (check-ups, dental hygiene supplies and any other form of needed care) to 70 children more. So far we have provided dental care to 10 children. As a result of our successful Dental Campaign, we will be able to provide the same care to 60 more children. On June 1st we celebrated International Children’s Day by giving over 300 gift bags filled with toys intended to stimulate motor skill development, creativity and imagination to market children. Our volunteers hand decorated the gift bags so each child received a personalized bag along with their toys.

Throughout the year, UBECI has varying thematic foci that are introduced and rotated on a bimonthly basis. Recreation is the theme for March and April. During these months, volunteers and staff focus on creating spaces for the children to be children. Playtime is pivotal for healthy childhood development, and by incorporating physically engaging games and dynamic exercise, UBECI volunteers and staff are able to provide this developmental need as well as reduce the children’s work time.

May and June focus on gender issues and preventative health initiatives. UBECI volunteers and staff teach the children the importance of hygiene, such as regular hand and face washing, dental care, and what healthcare products they should be using on a regular basis (ex. toothpaste and soap). Children are taught their legal rights as youth and the manner in which they should be treated in social environments. They are also informed of various gender issues they may face, and the associated rights they are entitled to. These lessons are imperative to the children’s safe and productive transitions into adolescence and adulthood.

Since our last report, volunteers and staff have enthusiastically continued UBECI’s flagship campaign “Play, Do & Learn.” As a result of donations and increased volunteer support, we have seen an 18% increase in the number of children participating in UBECI, growing our program from 521 to 613 at-risk youth in a 2 month period (from the end of February to the end of April). Your continued support, in any denomination, enables us to continue increasing the number of children we impact. From the bottom of our hearts, thank you for your support!