Beneficiaries: 260 children and youth
Completion date: January 2024
Country: Ecuador
Executive summary
Right now, 260 girls and boys are queuing up and squeezing into one tiny house to eat their long-awaited meals on Compassion program days in Tambillo, Ecuador. The current space, a small house of 8 by 10 metres, is functioning as a kitchen, dining room, office and classroom. Far from ideal, the space cannot accommodate all the children and youth that Compassion’s local church partner is committed to serving. It’s nearly impossible to safely cook and serve their meals in a timely manner.
Children have been divided into groups to eat their much-needed nutritious food, but the only place they can wait for their turn is on a precarious bridge outside. Since it takes so long to receive their meal, children leave so late that they don’t have enough time to finish their homework. Parents are not pleased with the current arrangement, and many caregivers decided to no longer send their children on program days. The church desperately needs help to build a new kitchen and dining room for the children and youth they are lovingly seeking to release from poverty in Jesus’ name.
The local church in Tambillo, Ecuador, is seeking to build a safe and welcoming space to improve the health and hygiene conditions for 260 precious beneficiaries in Tambillo, Ecuador. The plan is to build a 28-square-metre kitchen and 56-square-metre dining room to provide healthy and comfortable conditions for beneficiaries and their parents. The new facilities will be built by a qualified construction team using sturdy cement blocks and bricks and both rooms will meet safety and quality standards. Church members and parents will be encouraged to help in the construction process.
Your gift will ensure our frontline church partner can offer a comfortable, inviting space where parents are happy and proud to send their children—and kids are eager to come to learn, play, eat and grow alongside their peers and caring Christian adults. These new facilities will equip the church to reach more families with the gospel of Jesus Christ, invite parents and children for special events and ensure the longevity of the Compassion centre program so many more girls and boys will be freed from poverty in the years to come.
Summary
Did you know?
In Ecuador, 41 per cent of the rural population struggles to survive under the poverty line, compared with 17.8 per cent of those living in urban areas. Natural disasters and environmental degradation threaten food systems, increasing malnutrition and poverty rates among vulnerable families.
Background
Iglesia Evangelica Movimiento Misionero Mundial (Worldwide Missionary Movement Evangelical Church) is a newer Compassion church partner, located in the Tambillo community of 900 people in San Lorenzo Canton, Esmeraldas Province on the northwestern border of Ecuador near Colombia.
The poverty rate in Tambillo, Ecuador, is extremely high. Most adults are unemployed while some manage to find work as seashell collectors or fishermen. The local public health centre can treat basic medical needs but is not suited for emergencies. Poor water quality causes frequent waterborne illnesses. Education is very basic in this region of Ecuador, so young people must move to bigger cities to continue their high school or university studies.
This new church partner is hopeful for the future, trusting that God will equip them to bring many people to Christ as families experience Jesus’ love. The church has been working with excellence to meet the physical and spiritual needs of the 260 registered beneficiaries. However, the church lacks sufficient infrastructure or resources to host all children and youth at the same time to provide warm, nutritious meals and offering spiritual, recreational and academic support on program days.
The need
Compassion’s new local church partner in Tambillo, Ecuador, is eagerly pouring into the lives of impoverished children and young people with love and practical care, but the lack of gathering space or food preparation area is proving to be a big challenge in fully executing the holistic child development program. Sadly, trust is eroding among caregivers and many parents are pulling their children out of the program.
Your investment will equip the church to construct a 28-square-metre kitchen where meals can be prepared in a safe manner, as well as a 56-square-metre dining room where children be welcomed for food, friendship and mentorship. The new facilities will meet all quality and safety standards and will reduce issues associated with transporting the food from another location. Blueprints, budget and construction process will be completed by qualified professionals, with help from a team of dedicated church members and parents.
What your gift will do
Your gift will construct a large kitchen and dining room for our Compassion centre in Tambillo, Ecuador, to improve the safety and well-being of 260 beneficiaries:
- Preparation of land
- Blueprints
- Construction materials
- Labour
- Transportation of materials
Logistics
- Local contribution: US$1,070.00
- Handling of funds: Compassion Ecuador will support the local church in managing the budget and construction process.
- Monitoring and follow-up: The church is committed to caring for the new facilities and maintaining the kitchen and dining room for the holistic benefit of all current and future beneficiaries.