Saturday, 6 August 2011

So Lucy, what are you doing in Ecuador?

As you all know, I´m doing voluntary work in Ecuador for four weeks.   I´m volunteerig with a local organsiation called UBECI.  The information below is taken directly from the organisation´s website,

WHO CREATED UBECI?
UBECI was founded by Byron Salvatierra who from a young age dedicated part of his time implementing social service projects with a focus on at risk children and their families. In 1995 he began working with a social service agency as a street educator and since then he has implemented the following programs: student scholarships, reintegration into the school system, summer programs and coordination of the volunteer program, apprenticeship and exchange program.
In 1999, Byron set out with the goal to reach out to areas where assistance was not available for families and create recreation programs for children and families on special holidays such as Christmas, International Children’s Day and International Day Against Violence.
After eight years of working with children as a street educator and program coordinator Salvatierra, along with the support of volunteer Archie Jarman, were able to achieve recognition of UBECI to continue providing social services as a legal Non-Governmental Organization (NGO) providing services to children in order to achieve a better quality of life.  In 2003, UBECI created its first program that was directed to rural populations living outside of Quito, Ecuador called Academic and Social Support. In 2004 the program We Play, Do, Learn was created that was focused on working with child laborers working on the streets of Quito. In 2005, both the Summer and Intervention, Rescue and Education Programs were implemented and focused on working with at risk street children.
INFORMATION ABOUT UBECI
UBECI is a not for profit, non-governmental organization that works daily with professional and planned goals to achieve a better future for our children and youth. The programs we provide to children and there families are preventative services, educational services, recreational activities, and social support to children, youth and adolescents, ages three and above, that at a young age begin working in the streets, markets and farms.
UBECI meets the laws and requirements under Ecuadorian law to provide social services. We are located in Quito, Ecuador and our programs are run in Quito and in rural areas surrounding the Quito area. UBECI is a not for profit organization focused on providing social services and other opportunities to low-income children and their families.
OUR VISION
To create positive environments for children, reinstate children and adolescent rights so that they can live a life of dignity and equality as participants of society.
OUR MISSION
Our mission is to develop programs that will benefit at risk children, child laborers, street children or other children that are isolated from the larger city. With these programs we aim to focus on the needs of the children, providing equal access to activities, social participation, values, education, health, self-esteem, affection and family involvement.
OUR WORK
We would like to offer these services to children and their families in order to help them achieve a better quality of life by creating an alternative vision of life, creating a path for new positive experiences for further healthy development. Our work revolves around creating programs based on the needs of the children and their environment.
WHAT WE DO
At UBECI we begin our work by conducting assessments of the areas in which the families we serve live in. We look closely at rural areas, different sectors of the city and make contact with children and families. With our fieldwork we also establish collateral with schools, health centers, shelters and any other services accessed by the families we serve in order to build collaborative relationships to better serve children and families. 

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