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On behalf of the children who you have aided by raising this astonishing amount of funds, we would like to express our sincere gratitude. We understand that many put in great efforts to make the fund-raiser become reality and to turn it into such a success. The sacrifices and humanitarian spirit that you have all contributed with in this project are acknowledged in Ecuador with great appreciation and profound admiration. The funds gathered are being wisely and carefully used to support the educational future of children living in a girls home run by nuns in Quito. In Ecuador, due to the "macho" culture still existing in certain parts of society, women and girls are at a constant disadvantage. By supporting girls educationally, we see to it that they receive the educational tools with which they can fend for and defend themselves in their future. Recently the number of girls living in this establishment grew to 47, so there is a great need to increase the support. The girls come from different provinces and live at the home for several reasons, such as being orphans, due to abuse, family conflict, and the poor socioeconomic conditions of their families. In order to live at this establishment, each girl has to continue her education. The home receives little help from the government (50 cents per girls daily for three meals) and using the building is for free. Beyond that, there is no other foundation except ours helping them financially, and there are of course many other expenses, such as maintenance, utilities, and other costs (medical bills etc). However, each girl also has educational expenses, such as annual enrollment fees, school books, supplies, uniforms, physical education uniform, and shoes. Several of the girls do not have the financial means to pay these expenses which amount to $200 per person annually. Of the money that you raised together with the Ecuadorian Student Association, $1,200 will be used to support six girls with good academic records but no own financial means during the next academic year starting in August. The rest of the money has been invested in another urgent need that the home had. As you know, other variables than attending school are also important for school success, and surely one of the most important one is good sleep. When we visited the home in January, together with two representatives from the Ecuadorian student organization, the nun in charge reported that they desperately needed mattresses. This month, we purchased around 50 mattresses (one for each girl) and, in addition, 50 sets of bed sheets. After carefully investigating different offers from mattress companies around Quito in terms of costs and quality, we found that the most convenient total price was $1,725. The rest of your funds were invested towards covering these costs. (The other part of these costs was covered by funds raised by Swedes who formerly lived in Ecuador.) As you can see, each cent of the funds that you sent us is going directly to help these girls in need. |