Valeria has a strong character and a strong sense of purpose. She has decided she would like to be a lawyer and is working hard to get the qualifications to study law at university. Her family background is difficult. She has a teenage brother who has just become a father. He and the three month old baby live with Valeria and her mother. The whole family is supported by the mother's work cleaning houses. Valeria has already made a mark in Quito - in a rather unusual way. Three years ago, she was part of a class a psychologist organised for our Trust on sex education and preventing teenage pregnancies. As part of the class discussion, Valeria was brave enough to recount how she had been sexually harassed on the bus. As a result of this incident, the psychologist suggested to the city authorities in Quito that they should run a campaign to try and eradicate sexual harassment on public transport. They agreed and the campaign started last year. Not only was Valeria the impetus for this campaign, it has also given her the dream of studying law in order to help women from poor backgrounds.
School Year 2015
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.
School Year 2015