Ecuador
Ecuador, a small South America country, is bordered to the north by Colombia, to the east and south by Peru, and to the west by the Pacific Ocean. The country is divided into four distinct regions; the Amazon, the Highlands, the Coast, and the Galapagos Islands.
In the last two decades, the population of Ecuador has doubled – creating a growing population of abandoned children. Most of these children are from poor and/or indigenous families. Growing poverty, lacking education, and limited governmental resources further exacerbate the problem of street children and orphans in Ecuador.
The children are mostly abandoned by parents too poor to feed them, others are left in the hospital after birth. There are many orphans in Ecuador who are never adopted; thus, for many of these children there are very few options and little hope for a normal life once put into an orphanage. Orphanages in Ecuador supply housing, food, and clothes for the children. This is a great starting point but many people are under the impression the job is over because the child is "alive and safe". It is not over. It is only the beginning.
This is why Visiting Orphans has partnered with 2 orphanages in the capital city of Quito. Mission teams will be embraced and welcomed with great apprecition for the much needed aide.