Program-Specific Donations
ECHO raises money for specific CENIT programs, based on needs expressed by CENIT’s Director and staff. We will make sure that your donation is applied to cover CENIT’s most pressing financial needs, whether that be a professional staff member’s salary, books for CENIT’s library, new equipment for CENIT’s vocational programs, or emergency medical care for one of CENIT’s children, to name a few possibilities. We will work closely with CENIT to make sure that the money is being wisely and appropriately spent.
The following CENIT programs, in addition to the elementary school supported by "Adopt-a-Classroom," are presently most in need of funding.
Street Outreach Program
The Street Outreach Program is often CENIT's first contact with Quito's working children. In this program, teams of volunteers and Ecuadorian social workers bring educational and medical programs to nearly 250 children in five different markets. Many of the families that are served in this program have recently migrated from the countryside to the city, and CENIT's Street Outreach Program is a first point of access for many urban services. Children and families are subsequently involved in CENIT's long-term efforts to provide education, medical care, social services, and job training.
CENIT Cafeteria
CENIT's cafeteria feeds more than 300 children daily at a cost of merely $1.00 per child to provide a nutritious and substantive meal and snacks. For many children, this is their only substantive and healthy meal of the day. Recent changes in government funding for schools have compromised CENIT's lunch program, and donations made to the cafeteria will go towards buying healthy food for the children.
If you would like to support either (or both!) of these programs, or if you would like to make a general donation to CENIT, please contribute to ECHO.