By Tania Songini | Chairperson
Tania and Nicky, trustees of ViaNiños UK, visited Ecuador in early July and spent most of their days out in the indigenous markets of Sangolqui’, Guamani’ and Chilogallo in Southern Quito, joining the UBECI social workers and volunteers and their activities in the children’s playgroups.
The children played with colour and paper to produce picture frames and frogs from an empty toilet roll, portraits of each other, listened to children’s stories, and learnt English with an American volunteer, to mention just some of the activities. The playgroups ended with everybody dancing a traditional Andean dance.
As we arrived at the markets with the UBECI team every morning, we were welcomed by a swarm of children really looking forward to the playgroup. We spoke to several of the mothers, who explained to us how grateful they were for UBECI’s work teaching their children motor and behavioural skills, values, respect for each other, as well as supporting them with school work. Many mothers are illiterate and unable to help their children with homework.
Seeing UBECI’s work with the children in the markets and speaking with Monica and Byron of UBECI, served as a reminder of how important the work of UBECI’s social workers and psychologists is in changing the lives of these children living in poverty.
Since COVID, sadly the presence of drug gangs in Ecuador has grown. Older children and teenagers struggling with school are easy prey for these groups, who recruit them into criminal activities. UBECI’s role in helping with these children’s education, convincing them to persevere and not drop out of school, enabling them to enter a profession when older, is the only chance they have for a better life and an end to the cycle of poverty and violence.
In one of the markets, an illiterate mother, whose native tongue was Quechua, one of Ecuador’s indigenous languages, and who learnt Spanish only to be able to sell her wares at the market, proudly told us how thanks to the help of groups like UBECI and CENIT her eldest daughter had gone on to study civil engineering and had recently graduated. Her ten-year-old daughter was also one of the best in her school class.
Without the intervention and programmes of UBECI, many of these children coming from poor indigenous families would probably have continued working at their parents’ fruit and vegetable stands, failing in school.
I am sharing some of the photographs of our experience of the playgroups to convey the enthusiasm and happiness of the children. It is thanks to all of you that ViaNiños and UBECI can continue their mission to offer street and working children a better future.
By Tania Songini | Chairperson
By Tania Songini | Chairperson
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