Jhonatan lives with his mother and two older brothers. His mother only has part-time work, and has to help out in the local market to try and get food. When he finishes school Jhonatan would like to be a motor mechanic. In his spare time, he enjoys riding his bike and listening to music.

Telmo is the oldest of three children and lives with his brother, sister and parents on the outskirts of Quito. In his spare time he is a keen footballer. In the future he'd like to train to be a chef.

Genesis was the best student in her class this last year, and she enjoys school very much. She is the third of four children, and lives with her brothers, sister and mother, after her parents separated last year. She does not yet know what she would like to do when she finishes school. At the moment, she enjoys music and has begun to learn to play the cello at school.

Magaly lives in a small village on the outskirts of Quito with her mother and two sisters. Her mother does not have a stable job.

Jose is the oldest of three children. He loves sports and at school enjoys maths but doesn't know yet what he'd like to do once he's graduated. He lives with his parents and siblings on the outskirts of Quito.

Susana lives with her mother and two brothers. Her younger sister lives with her father, who left the family home when Susana was small. She is a very lively girl, who has done well at school so far. Susana is very keen on music and dancing, and loves to help other children who are not as advanced as her.

Yanela is an only child and is sad that she has no father and no brothers or sisters. She is a determined student and has done well at school. In her spare time, she listens to music and loves to swim. When she is older, she would like to become a swimming teacher.

Alison lives with her mother in a village just outside Quito. She likes listening to music in her spare time. At school her favourite subjects are Spanish and maths. In the future she'd like to work as a policewoman.