Street children

Every year, UBECI serves over 600 children working in the streets and markets of South Quito, Ecuador and providing them an educational break during the day. Due to parents’ lack of adequate wages, children as young as three years old are often required to spend up to twelve hours a day in a market stall doing chores such as bagging produce and cleaning. Our staff and volunteers provide activities in face-to-face and virtual modes following the biosafety protocol so that children can have a break in their long work days to start to experience positive ways of thinking and behaving. With a new outlook on life that UBECI offers, market children can continue working but with more hope for a better and productive future.

Social and Emotional Support

Through a number of recreational activities, educational information, life skills and different campaigns UBECI try to give social and emotional support in the actual situation so that we can preserve the mental and emotional health of these children.

We offer four areas of focus to achieve this:

NOURISHMENT - we develop information, campaigns, and recipes to healthy eating.

COVID PREVENTION - Given the worldwide situation with COVID, we distribute information on how to prevent it from spreading.

VIRTUAL RECREATION AT HOME - We create activities which develop life and motor skills in an entertaining way.

TRAINING AND EMOTIONAL SUPPORT - We offer activities to boost children’s self-esteem and minimize the likelihood of depression and suicide and maltreatment from their family.