Running for UBECI

For those of you who may not know us personally, our names are Kimberly Boerigter and Rebecca Martineau. Recent college graduates, we just returned from a fantastic trip to Ecuador. While there, we partnered with UBECI (http://ubeci.org/site/), a Quito-based volunteer program, for four weeks. On the surface, UBECI provides a free daycare service to families who work in local markets. Typically, children in these situations are pulled from school to work alongside their parents and help provide the family with more income. The program offered by UBECI not only relieves parents for a few hours, but also gives these kids a chance to enjoy their childhood. In addition to playtime, volunteers often bring activities to help teach them reading, counting, and basic social skills. The programs are led by extremely qualified teachers who help plan and customize weekly activities for the different age groups, but supplies are lacking. While in Ecuador, we were able to donate our time and love to these kids. However, the need for better funding was undeniable. Many of the books were well worn from constant use and a good portion were not even in Spanish.

We will both be running half marathons on October 19th (along with our significant others) in hopes of gaining support for the UBECI program. If you have heard about our experiences in Ecuador, or simply feel compelled, we encourage you to donate. All of the money raised will be sent to UBECI to help alleviate the cost of educational books and supplies for the children. Having lived for four weeks in the same house as the Ecuadorian man who started the program during his early twenties, we feel very confident that all funds will be put to good use. We really appreciate your generosity, and would be more than happy to answer any questions pertaining to the program we worked with during our stay. Thank you to UBECI for allowing us to participate in unique experiences and IVHQ for setting us up with UBECI.