Despite this workload, Jimmy has also been working in his spare time as an unpaid volunteer with a European NGO which, in cooperation with UTE, is working to lessen the risks of natural disasters in Quito. This fits in very well with Jimmy's studies and he feels he has learnt a lot. Jimmy lives with his mother and is the second of three sons. His mother works as a cleaner; his father abandoned the family many years ago. Jimmy is very aware of and sensitive to the people and places around him, and is extremely grateful for all the help he has received from the Condor Trust and from Education Generation, which is helping him to attend a university with an excellent academic level and to travel ever closer to his goal of being a professional environmental manager. Jimmy has been part of the Condor Trust since 2005. With our support, he studied initially in a school run by the Lasallian Brothers. After he graduated from secondary school, he was chosen by the school to study and work for one year in other schools run by the Brothers. This was a very good experience for him, as it allowed him to learn and to work in remote parts of the country where whole communities suffer from severe economic problems. He is now in his third year at university, studying environmental and natural resources management. Jimmy is very aware of and sensitive to the people and places around him. He is a regular volunteer at our Trust, helping the younger children with their studies. He is also an invaluable support to his mother, his teachers and his fellow students. He has a pleasant character and a great sense of humour. Jimmy lives with his mother and is the second of three sons. His mother works as a cleaner; his father abandoned the family many years ago. It is a pleasure for the Trust to be able to help Jimmy, as he is a young man who likes to study, and who is responsible and committed. We are sure that in his future professional life he will make a great contribution to his country. This is a partial tuition scholarship for Jimmy, intended to cover his fees for the remainder of this school year. Condor Trust works to secure other sources of funding to cover the rest of his tuition and other educational costs.

Alex is a very active boy in class and sports. He is the third born in a family of six children. He joined Miondoni Mixed Day secondary School in the middle of 2011, thanks to the teachers who rescued him from herding cattle. After completing primary school, Alex could not proceed to high school due to lack of school fees. His single mother passed away in 2008 leaving the children under the care of their old grant parents. The family has been relying on donations from well-wishers for their upkeep. Alex is very grateful to the teachers for taking him back to school. He is in big arrears of school fees. His determination has kept him as the top scorer in his class. He sees education as the only hope of rescuing his family from abject poverty.

Precious writes: "My father was a driver but now deceased after he was involved in a fatal accident. This happened when I was 11 years old and in primary four, diverting all educational responsibilities to my mother who at the time only supported my father in his farm. She therefore could not afford to take care of my education and that of my siblings at the same time. Hence my grandparents whom I have been staying with since I was five years old opted to help pay for my education and that of one of my three siblings. The other two are with my mother. My grandfather is a peasant farmer who cultivates just what is enough to feed the home. This coupled with the fact that they have two other children to educate, makes it challenging for them to sustainably support my education. I am a determined young girl who believes that educating me is the greatest service I could ever do to myself, my community and my nation because I firmly believe in the saying...if..you educate a woman, you educate a nation. I therefore appeal to well wishers who believe in the girl child to assist me to pursue higher education to the university level and above to be able to achieve my goal of becoming a nurse in the near future. "

Purity is the first in her class. Despite the financial constraints that her family faces, Purity believes that her determination will allow her to remain a shining star in class. Purity is the second born in a family of four. Two of her other siblings are out of school and her younger sister is in grade seven at Chayamiti Primary School. Both parents are unemployed and they depend on subsistence farming for survival. The household rarely earns more than a monthly income of $10, which is not even enough to buy basic food items. At times Purity is barred from classes, as she is sent away to get money for her fees. Despite all these challenges, Purity always excels in class and she is confident that she will be able to study nursing after her graduation.