“Mas Vueltas!”

However people in the UK are suffering right now as a result of the global economic crisis, it’s nothing compared to how the poorer people of Ecuador live. Children at the Bruce Ecuador project live in single rooms with their whole family, rather than in houses or apartments (which even then is luxurious compared to the hole-riddled dilapidated shacks we saw in Nicaragua, which were cobbled together from any bits of wood and metal people could find). While some of the children are clearly well loved and cared for, it is evident that others have a very tough time at home. All of them love hugs, but the type of hugs they give can vary enormously. Little Esteban’s hugs are joyful and playful (and usually accompanied by a shout of “Mas Vueltas!”, meaning ‘Spin me round again!”), whereas some of the little girls’ hugs can be incredibly quiet and sad. The Bruce Ecuador centre therefore is much more than just a place of education; it is somewhere that the children know they can go to every day and feel safe and loved.

Having said that, the educational progress they have made since the centre opened just two months ago is fantastic – most of the children couldn’t write any numbers or letters when they arrived but now many of them can write whole sentences. They are now also all well drilled in aspects of hygiene, and don’t need to be told to wash their hands after going to the toilet or to brush their teeth after breakfast. This is all thanks not only to the class teacher but to the dedication of unpaid helpers such as Alex (an Austrian volunteer), who have been there from the start and whose hard work, energy and patience have given the children a belief in themselves.

That’s not to say that the centre can cure all the children’s ills. Bruce Ecuador is struggling with various financial and organisational problems, and it is somewhat unclear where exactly the money from volunteers’ fees goes to (if organising a placement with them from abroad, volunteers are asked to pay $500 per month for board and lodging). This may be in part due to their somewhat strained relationship with their sister project Bruce Peru. Anybody considering volunteering with Bruce Ecuador can be assured that their help would be greatly appreciated by the children but that they would be best advised to approach the organisation directly when in Quito. This negates the need for any financial transaction (I have been able to rent accommodation and buy food for much less than $500 per month), and should volunteers want to make a donation it would probably be better to donate materials such as colouring pencils or help buying the bread for breakfast or help with the fundraising events they organise (pub quizzes etc).

As for Esteban, as long as volunteers are happy to continually provide “Mas Vueltas!”, they’re okay by him!