SOS Social Centres in Ecuador

In Ecuador there are currently 17 Social Centres for children and the local community, including those in Quito, Cuenca and Portoviejo.  Many SOS Social Centres operate via Family Strengthening Programmes, which aim to support the wider community.  Below is some information about some of the Social Centres that SOS Children runs in Ecuador:

SOS Social Centres around Ecuador: In-Depth

Ibarra

Description of SOS Social Centre/FSP:

A total of 90 preschool children from the neighbourhood can be supervised in the SOS Social Centre Ibarra. It was opened in May 2004 and is run as a day-care centre. Furthermore, the SOS Social Centre also offers preventive health care for children and programmes aimed at strengthening and supporting less fortunate families in order to prevent them from breaking up.

Work and Achievements:

372 boys and girls of 0 to 12 years, coming from 260 families in situation of risk, received the services of the Family Strengthening and Community Development Programs of Ibarra. This was achieved through means of the operation of a Social Centre and four Community Centres and thanks to the service of Community Mothers. 

Portoviejo

Description of SOS Social Centre/FSP:

Since November 2004, an SOS Social Centre also forms part of the SOS Children’s Village Portoviejo. The SOS Social Centre is run as a day-care centre and has a capacity of up to 120 children. The day-care centre is particularly valuable to single mothers from the area as it enables them to earn or at least contribute towards earning money for the family, safe in the knowledge that their children are being cared for by trained supervisors. Information events are held on health, balanced diets and other health issues. Supporting women is also a central concern. Further vocational training in a range of manual work is available for women, so as to improve single mothers' qualifications and therefore increase their income and improve their societal status.

Work and Achievements:

The Family Strengthening Programs, located in the most vulnerable areas of Manabí Province, continues to give quality support to the poorest families of the location. In San Alejo we take care of 82 boys and girls and 48 families.

In a same way, in Mejía we assist 39 children that came from 29 families of the area. Another very poor place and full of needs is located in Paján Canton where 81 kids from 44 families are participating of our program.

Finally in May, we opened a Community Centre in Picoazá, a place near Portoviejo which has been unattended for years and has a lot of social conflicts. In this place we take care of 66 boys and girls from about 60 families.

Our longing to serve more families in Manabí drives us to explore in new Cantons of the Province and we are carrying out social investigations in Junín, Olmedo and Pedernales were we plan to enter with our service soon.

Through the modalities of attention to the childhood, we are assisting a total of 266 boys and girls in the Community which are part of the Family Strengthening Programs.

Quito

Description of SOS Social Centre/FSP:

A total of eight SOS Social Centres were created in Quito between 1991 and 2005. They are run as day-care centres, each able to offer daytime supervision for up to 160 children. This enables their mothers to make a contribution to the family income by means of paid work and prevents poverty-threatened families from breaking up. Furthermore, the SOS Social Centres offer preventive health care for children.

Work and Achievements:

In our eagerness to increase and improve our Projects of Family Strengthening, we presented several proposals to the State in order to obtain financial contributions that guarantee the attention to the childhood of the country.

From the year 2008 began the change process of the SOS Social Centres to the figure of Community Centres; through this modality, the State and the Community have been integrated and they are co - responsible for the service. It means that now boys and girls are cared by Community Mothers, trained by our organization and paid by the Government.

The SOS Staff turned to Family and Community Facilitators and carrying out the training for Community Mothers, in pedagogy, health, nutrition, administration of Community Centres and Child protection, focusing their attention to a good quality service and to facilitate the increment in the covering of our services. Each Facilitator has under its responsibility 150 boys, girls and their families (there are 20 Facilitators).

To this respect and with the intention of increasing our covering, we have begun several negotiations with the Machachi Parish Committee, in order to benefit more than 360 boys and girls under this new perspective of service.                      

Additionally and in benefit of the Family Strengthening Programs, we have achieved that the State contributes in the attention and in the family accompaniment, through the intervention of several nets coordinated by the Government instances for the Childhood.

At the moment, we have 28 Community Centres that offer attention to approximately 2.300 boys and girls. 

Esmeraldas

Description of SOS Social Centre/FSP:

SOS Social Centre Esmeraldas opened in mid 1997 and is run as a day-care centre. Up to 150 babies and children can be supervised in the SOS Social Centre's seven group rooms. Two SOS Youth Facilities (for girls and boys) were opened in urban Esmeraldas. Young people from the SOS Children's Village can be housed here for the period of their secondary or vocational education, which gradually prepare them for an independent life.

Work and Achievements:

Without a doubt, this year was very special for the daily care Centres we have to prevent children’s abandonment. We still have 2 community Centres: one takes care or 150 children and the other –which started with 40 approximately- now gives attention to 70 boys and girls. During the 2009 year we managed to have direct participation of the community in these Centres, through intensive training to family committees and community mothers. Now the mothers and fathers of the children take care of them and manage these Centres with our advice, support, coordination and accompaniment.

Cuenca

Description of SOS Social Centre/FSP:

Since January 2006, an SOS Social Centre also forms part of the SOS Children’s Village Cuenca. The SOS Social Centre is run as a day-care centre and has a capacity of up to 90 children. The day-care centre is particularly valuable to single mothers from the area as it enables them to earn or at least contribute towards earning money for the family, safe in the knowledge that their children are being cared for by trained supervisors. Information events are held on health, balanced diets and other health issues. Supporting women is also a central concern. Further vocational training in a range of manual work is available for women, so as to improve single mothers' qualifications and therefore increase their income and improve their societal status.