About Us
Mission Statement
ECHO is dedicated to supporting non-profit organizations in Ecuador that are committed to providing hopeful futures for working children and their families through education, job training, nutrition programs, health and social services, psychological help, and recreation.
Our Beginnings
ECHO was inspired by the great and life-changing work of the Centro de la Niña Trabajadora (CENIT) in Quito, and by the difficulties faced by Americans interested in making inexpensive and easy international donations to non-profit organizations in Ecuador. More about CENIT can be found here or at www.cenitecuador.org. ECHO was founded by four former CENIT volunteers: Sarah Guerette, Sara Ciner Schodt, Geneva Hall-Shelton, and Eric Ruben.
Our Goal
Previously, volunteers from the United States hoping to continue to support CENIT did so by donating on an individual basis, often paying international money transfer fees of up to $60 per donation to support a child or program in Ecuador. For many potential donors, and especially students and young people without large financial reserves, this fee made it virtually impossible to make a meaningful donation.
ECHO makes donating to good causes in Ecuador easy! Our initial goal is to support CENIT in a responsible, transparent, and accountable manner so that we can show donors the direct impact of their donation. ECHO will not only make the international donation process easy and inexpensive by eliminating individual transfer fees, but will also work closely with recipients in Ecuador to monitor the donations and reassure donors in the United States that their contributions are being spent wisely, supporting the projects and people that need them most. ECHO’s current focus is providing additional funding for CENIT, but should ECHO one day raise enough money to support additional non-profit organizations, it will reach out to other trustworthy organizations doing great work for the children of Ecuador.
Ecuador Children's Hope Organization is a 501(C)(3) organization. Contributions to ECHO are fully tax deductible as provided by law.
Learn More
- Read our Frequently Asked Questions.
- Get acquainted with our Board of Directors.
- Discover what CENIT is all about.
- Research more about Ecuador.