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By Hanna Luong
You would never know it from their smiles, but the children who have been selected to participate in Word & Deed’s most recently developed sponsorship program in Quininde, Ecuador, are among the region’s poorest. As I scroll through their pictures, I can’t help but note that one of the little girls is wearing the familiar smirk that I’ve seen on my youngest nephew’s face. It’s a smirk that tells me she is delighted, although a little embarrassed, at finally being the center of attention. Behind her, pink blossoms hint at Ecuador’s tropical climate (Ecuador is literally “Equator”) and spell “vacation spot” for many North Americans.
 However, the physical, emotional and spiritual landscape of many children in the Quininde region stands in stark contrast to Ecuador’s often stunning scenery. Typically, families in these regions have incomes of less than $100 a month, resulting in malnutrition and lack of access to adequate medical attention – both of which result in poor physical development. AIDS, malaria, tuberculosis and parasites are also threats to health. Many children are not in school, and there is a functional illiteracy rate of 37.5% – the highest in relation to the national rate of Ecuador.
But poverty also has emotional implications. Out of discouragement and despair at seemingly insurmountable odds, parents turn to drugs and alcohol for relief. Some feel they have no choice but to work long days for little pay. Others have become trapped in the sinful and emotionally disturbing trade of prostitution. Often, children are left in the care of older siblings. Always, it leaves children the victims of abuse and neglect, and with little means to prepare a better future for themselves.
This region has been effectively ministered to by Dr. Yeny Agila and the Mision San Lucas (Luke Society) team since 2002. Their ministry provides community banks, health and educational programs, as well as evangelistic outreach programs. By partnering with Word & Deed Ecuador (Mision Palabras y Hechos Ecuador), Mision San Lucas hopes to expand their ministry to the needy in Ecuador. Social workers conducted home studies in three of the most impoverished districts of Quininde (Cesar Proano, Patria Nueva and Bajo Malecon) to determine which children are the most in need of the benefits of the sponsorship program. Children who are abandoned, orphaned, or who come from single-parent homes are also given preference.
God willing, the sponsorship program will provide 300 children with physical and spiritual aid. Nutritious meals and access to health care will strengthen little bodies. Tutoring will contribute to their academic success, equipping them with the confidence and education to eventually find a stable job. Home visits, parent training workshops, and practical counsel will begin binding up broken family relationships. Finally, introducing biblical principles to parents and children alike will provide those involved in the program with the opportunity to hear the gospel, to respond to it, and to experience the power of Christ in their own lives. Ecuador’s children are in great need. But with prayer and God’s blessing, the sponsorship program has potential to transform not just these children, but the communities they live in. Please call or email to help bring hope into the lives of these little precious ones (see pictures).
Hanna Luong is the Administrative Assistant at Word & Deed Canada.
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