Carmen Bajo, Northeast Outskirts of Quito, Ecuador

About the Area

Carmen Bajo contains about 19,000 residents, 11,000 are 18 years or younger. The average monthly income is $150 per household and there is 30% unemployment and 45% un/underemployment. There are 2 public school options for the children – 1) Republica de China and 2) General Epichima – both are located in surrounding communities and are approximately 5 miles away.

Education

In 2002, Fundacion Amor y Esperanza (A&E) www.amoryesperanza.org , CVI’s Ecuador partner, began a nursery in the Carmen Bajo community. This nursery was started in a local CMA church in the community. In September 2003, A&E began a formal private Christian school beginning with kindergarten. This school received formal recognition from the Ecuadorian Ministry of Education in January 2004 and the school has added a grade per year since that time. The school has just been recognized as 1 of 7 ACSI (www.acsi.org) schools in all of Ecuador thanks to its partner school in Ecuador - The Alliance Academy.

Today, September 2008, the school consists of the following:

Nursery:	85 Children
School:	298 Students (K-6^th grade)
Teachers:	19 Full time teachers recognized by the Ecuadorian Ministry of Education
Director:	Karina Herrera
Pastor:	1 full time pastor
Staff:	22 Community Mothers (kitchen, nursery, assistants, admin)

Each Sponsored Student attending the A&E School in Carmen Bajo receives the following:

PER CHILD

Christian Private Education: $30/mth	Monday through Friday - 7:30am to 2pm
After School Tutoring: $ 4/mth	Monday through Friday - 2:30pm to 4pm
4 Meals per Day: $10/mth	Monday through Friday (2 main meals + 2 snacks)
Uniforms, supplies:	Included in tuition
Spiritual Development: $ 3/mth	1 Full time Pastor provides Bible classes
Bilingual Opportunities: $ 5/mth	3 Full time English teachers
Healthcare: $ 3/mth	Each student receives private health insurance

TOTAL COSTS PER CHILD $ 55/MTH

Tuition Costs:

Total tuition for the above benefits & services (Including Administrative Costs):

$62 per Month or $620 Annually

Payment Requirement:

Each parent is required to pay a minimum of $5 per month. On average, the school receives $17 per month from each student. A&E utilizes student sponsorship/scholarships at $45 per month to make up the difference.

Economic

Currently, A&E provides jobs for 22 community mothers at the school. Over the next 12 months, A&E hopes to develop 7-10 small to medium businesses. These businesses are expected to develop 8 community business leaders and provide 40-60 jobs. A&E’s Executive Director, Pancho Sola, will be in charge of this area and will work closely with CVI’s business development office in Houston, Texas led by Dirk A. Cameron

Healthcare

As noted in the Education section, each student will receive 4 meals on a daily basis – Monday thru Friday. Also, each student will have access to the Ecuadorian healthcare system through private insurance.

Spiritual Development

A full time Pastor is on the A&E staff and provides ongoing Bible Classes to all students. All teachers receive weekly devotionals from the Pastor. The Pastor also is currently leading the church that meets in the school on Sundays. A&E’s hope is to be able to hire a full time Pastor for the church with a wife that can also provide spiritual development to the parents of all students and the residents of the community. All staff of A&E’s work in Carmen Bajo participate in bi-Annual retreats for Spiritual renewal and teaching. Also, 5-8 Mission teams from US churches participate in outreach in Carmen Bajo that consist of vacation bible schools, teacher workshops and soccer camps that contribute to the Gospel message – we care about you, you are important to God.