Partners:
The Ecumenical Foundation for Integral Development, Training and Education where Global Ministries missionaries, Victor and Vi Vaca, work with the indigenous population of the highland areas around Quito.
The Foundation for Integrated Education and Development which operates the Yachana Lodge in the rain forest. Watch an interview with Douglas McMeeken
Center for Integrated Family Services
A nonprofit organization, based in Quito, formed by professionals in various specializations offering special attention to families as the basic nucleus of society. Among other professional support, Eugene and Helen Braun, overseas associates, are active participants in this ministry.CHUQUIRAGUA
Kiwanis women who award high school scholarships to young women
English-speaking congregation in Quito through whom the conference is working with local Kiwanis women to sponsor several young women with scholarships to finish high school.The Illinois South Conference Partnership with Ecuador
The Illinois South Conference of the United Church of Christ has entered into a global church partnership with our brothers and sisters in Christ in the United Evangelical Church, Ecuador. This partnership has something for everybody. You can sponsor a girl to go to high school for a year, or buy a sheep, among other things. It doesn't take a big church to be involved. How can youth groups within the Illinois South Conference participate in the Ecuador Partnership Ministries?
New for 2009
The requests for support and assistance from our partners for 2009 have been received and approved by the Ecuador Partnership Committee.
FEDICE: The Lisa Haida Memorial Child Care Center will be built in Romerillos, a small village high in the Andes Mountains. This early childhood center will serve 30 - 50 children between the ages of 6 weeks and 5 years. The land has been purchased and construction will begin after Jan. 1, 2009. ISC will send a delegation to assist with the build in late spring or early summer 2009. This center will provide both childcare and pre-school education for all the young children of the village.
CHUQUIRAGUA CLUB: With this partner, ISC continues to provide 20 high school scholarships and 10 university scholarships for talented indigenous young women in the Quito area. To date, none of the high school scholarship recipients of ISC have dropped out or failed for any reason. In fact, this past year we are proud to announce that 3 of our recipients graduated valedictorian of her class. The young women at the university are doing great as well. Occasionally a few will need to repeat a class, but this has never caused them to lose sight of their goal i.e. graduation!! Our first two young women graduate this year, Johanna in December with a Technical Degree in Mechanical Engineering, and Karina in May with a degree in Business Administration.
YACHANA: The Yachana High School along the Napo River provides secondary education for students in the Ecuadorian rain forest. This is a boarding school and students have an active agricultural program where they are producing approximately 48% of their own food and also food which they sell to the Yachana Lodge. They are managing around 300 layers, 350 broilers, and 5,000 Tilapia fish. A request has been received from Yachana and approved by the Ecuador committee to financially support the installation of a solar powered electric fence system to guarantee the security of the food they are producing.
INTEGRATED FAMILY SERVICE CENTER (CIF): Our work with CIF continues in the LaDolorosa Project. This project deals with both boys and girls who have dropped out of high school. These students are not in trouble with the law but have had great difficulty in high school and could probably be labeled Learning Disabled. The educational program at LaDolorosa is an intensive, one-year program and includes academics and personal growth. Career choices include mechanics, iron working, electricity, carpentry, beauty salon, and hotel/restaurant. Students are also taught how to set up a micro-enterprise after graduation. CIF provides training for the teachers, therapy once a week for families, and a medical clinic to meet the needs of students at the school.
HABITAT: Mission teams from Illinois South will build two more homes in Ecuador in 2009. There will be one build in February (click here for more info) and one in July/Aug.