Cynthia lives with her parents and three younger brothers, aged nine, five and two, in a small rented house in a village in the mountains. Her father works on the land. His income is erratic: at times he cannot find work and at other times the severe mountain weather prevents him from working. Cynthia goes to the local school, although she will have to change schools at the end of the next academic year as her present school does not cater for the last three years of secondary education. This will mean a fairly long daily journey for Cynthia, as the nearest suitable school is several miles away. At the moment, she is happy with her friends in the local school. She particularly enjoys maths and eventually hopes to be able to find a job working with computers.

Genesis lives with her mother and an elder sister, who is 20. They live in a small house built by the government but had to take out a loan for it, which they are now working to pay back. Genesis is a very bright student and managed to get a place at one of the best state secondary schools in the city. This means a long daily journey from her house on the outskirts, as the school is in the middle of the city, but she says she doesn't mind this (most days!). She enjoys most subjects at school, and is also very fond of animals. This is why she would one day like to become a vet.

Alexander is a very intelligent boy - the best student in his class. He loves music and is learning to play the guitar. His teacher thinks he is very gifted at it. Alex lives with his parents and a younger brother. His parents are very keen for him to do well and they support him as much as they can. He is very mature for his age and takes life seriously.

Lesly lives with her mother, who has no regular work. She has two younger sisters. In her free time, Lesly likes reading and listening to music. Her ambition is to become a cardiologist.

Anita has so far had a very difficult life. She is an only child, although this wasn't always the case. A younger brother died of cancer four years ago and her father also died a few years previously. At the moment Anita lives with her mother. She is very dedicated to her studies. When she first came to the Condor Trust two years ago, she was very sad and shy, but this is changing little by little. Now she is beginning to dream about the future and what she might be able to do.

Sebastian lives with his mother, step-father and two siblings; his father has a regular but low-paid job, but his mother only has irregular work. Sebastian likes to play the guitar. He is also enjoying learning the Quichua language at school. In the future, he is hoping at the moment to work in gastronomy.

William lives in a household of seven people: his mother and father, two elder sisters, aged 21 and 16, a younger brother, aged 8, his 75-year old grandmother and William himself, who is 13. His father has a job which pays the minimum wage. His mother sometimes earns money by preparing and selling food at a local school, and the eldest sister has recently also found occasional work. William is a bright and keen student and enjoys going to school. His favorite subject is science and at the moment his ambition is to continue studying and to become a doctor. When he’s not studying, William likes to play the guitar. He attends the guitar classes that the Condor Trust runs every Saturday, thanks to a donation from the charity Keys of Change.

There are 8 people in Johnny's household: his mother and father, five brothers and sisters, and himself. Johnny calls himself number four - he has three older and two younger siblings. They all live in a large village in the mountains in a house with three small rooms and a patio. His father, mother and older brothers earn a living locally in agriculture, but the work is seasonal and insecure. Johnny has been doing well at school. He's particularly keen on maths but likes anything technical. His dream is to be able to qualify as an electrical engineer. When he's not at school or helping at home, he likes to play the guitar.

Cristofer lives with his mother, father and three brothers. It is unfortunately a family with a lot of health problems: one of Cristofer's brother has a heart problem and two have learning difficulties. Cristofer though is a healthy and ebullient student, and gets lots of support from both his parents. He is doing well at school and takes part in every activity he can, particularly sport and music. He is also learning to play the guitar at classes provided every Saturday by the Condor Trust. Although he's not yet totally sure, Cristofer thinks he'd like to be a computer engineer.