The Pérez Brothers

The Pérez brothers — Jefferson, Joel and Roberto (names changed) — are 13, 11 and 9 years old, and they all have sponsor parents through CENIT's Adopt-a-Dream program. Scraping out enough of a living to feed and clothe the family in the country proved to be impossible. Therfore, the family of ten moved from the country to Quito two years ago in search of a better life and more opportunities for their children. As happens all too frequently, the reality of life in Quito was nearly as hard as the one they had left behind. Both parents and the older children spend long, hard days working in the Camal market and barely make enough to get by, much less to enrol the children in school. Through CENIT's market program in the Camal, our volunteers met the Pérez boys and got to know their family's situation. With their help, all of the school-age children were enrolled in CENIT's school. After proving to be exceptional students, the three oldest boys were enrolled in Adopt-a-Dream, matching them with sponsor parents who pay for all of their school costs, as well as a monthly food allowance for their family. Last year, Jefferson finished primary school in CENIT's ESTAR program and became the first-ever member of his family to enrol in high school. Joel and Roberto continue to be some of the best students in CENIT's primary school.

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Jewelry Classes

Aim

This project aims to help women develop their artistic skills and allows women to form a social support group. It aims to provide them with some income from the class itself.

Project Information

Jewelry class participants attend CENIT twice a week for two hour and a half hour class. Supplies are provided by CENIT, and the women practice making jewellery during class time. The products are then sold by CENIT, and the money stays in the program: 80% is returned to the women as profits, and 20% is used to buy more materials for the following classes.

Volunteer Requirements

The volunteer for this program must be at CENIT for a minimum of two months, and speak an intermediate to advanced level of Spanish as the class involves communication with adults. The volunteer must have some experience in jewellery making, and is expected to teach the weekly class. Other responsibilities include: buying materials, marketing and selling the jewellery, and managing the finances of the program.