Condor Trust for Education

Genesis lives with her mother and older brother in a rented room on the outskirts of the city. Her father abandoned the family some years ago. They share a kitchen and a bathroom with other families. Her mother works selling food to local people when she can, but she has severe health problems and often cannot work. Genesis enjoys going to school and has always tried hard to attend regularly. This has not been easy, as she sometimes has to look after her mother when she is ill. The financial and other support Condor Trust has given over the past year has helped, and her first year at secondary school has been successful. Genesis is very keen to do well. She is a mature girl and knows that in the long run education is the best way for her to improve her own and her mother's situation.

Valeria lives with her mother and older sister. Her father left the family when she was a baby, and does not provide any support. Valeria got very good grades last year and likes studying, particularly natural sciences. She also likes to read in her spare time and spends a lot of time playing with her two cats.

Karen is the second youngest of six children aged between 6 and 19. She lives with her brothers, sisters and parents in a small rented house with three rooms, a kitchen and a bathroom. The family income is low and there is often not enough money to go round. Before getting help from Condor Trust, she was often unable to complete tasks at school because she couldn't buy the necessary things. It has been a great relief to her to know that her educational expenses can now be paid and that she no longer loses out when there are special activities at school. She takes the challenge of being a good student very seriously and wants in the future to have a professional career, probably as an accountant, so she can help her parents as well as herself. When not studying, Karen loves to play football.

Whenever you see a group of our students laughing and smiling, you can be sure that Alex is at the heart of it. He has a warm and attractive personality which means he makes friends easily, and his facility with words makes him a natural story-teller among any group he joins. As well as being popular, he is good at sports and interested in computers. His dream of graduating with a degree in computer studies, which he has held for several years, is ever nearer to becoming a reality. It makes his mother, who he is very close to, extremely proud: he will be the first university graduate in his extensive family.

Maryuri lives with her father, mother and six year old sister. She is a bright girl with a keen sense of fun. She has recently begun to learn the guitar and loves to come to the lessons at the Condor Trust on Saturday mornings. Any other free time she likes to spend playing in the park. Maryuri is making good progress at school and is interested in lots of subjects, so she is finding it difficult to choose what she might like to do in the future.

Christian lives with his mother and sister high in the mountains on the outskirts of Quito. His mother has arthritis in her hands and has difficulty working, so both Christian and his sister help out as much as they can at home. Until recently, the family lived in a house without a bathroom and with a leaking roof and poorly fitting doors and windows. This meant that Christian was often ill and had difficulty going to school and studying. Help from the local community, other family members and the Condor Trust has enabled them to make substantial improvements. This has greatly helped Christian, who is now much healthier and doing well at school. He is interested in most subjects, and is also keen on doing voluntary work organized by the school. When he graduates from high school, he would like to spend a year volunteering in different parts of Ecuador.