By Tania Songini | Chairperson
UBECI thanks all donors for the support provided in 2024, another year of impactful UBECI programmes in the markets of Southern Quito, Chilogallo, Huamani’, Sangolqui’. UBECI opened up two new playgroup sites in La Michelena and La Jota markets, reaching out to and engaging with over 400 children across all sites, contributing to reduce levels of child labour in these markets.
Education, emotional health and personal development are at the core of UBECI’s work.
Some of the main areas UBECI’s programmes focused on during the year to strengthen the children’s soft skills and resilience included
- Effective communication
- Management of emotions
- Team work
- Gender equality and respect for all human beings
In playgroups of 10-15, the children are given the space to write, draw, paint, sing and dance. UBECI engages them in role plays, team work and games to learn how to solve problems together, and teaches basic techniques to recognise and manage emotions such as frustration, stress and sadness, increasing their resilience in dealing with the physical and emotional violence they are often subjected to at home.
Through the interaction with foreign volunteers working at the markets together with UBECI’s social workers, the children become aware of the existence of different cultures. They try to communicate with the volunteers and are thrilled to be able to converse with them. At the same time, attention is given in the playgroups to strengthening the children’s identity and identification with their own culture, including teaching Kitchwa, an indigenous language.
Emma, a 5-year old girl, attending UBECI’s playgroup at La Michelena says:
‘’I’m always really happy and full of energy when I take party in UBECI’s playgroups. I sometimes have to work with my father, but prefer attending classes with UBECI’s teachers. I like to learn new things and meet new teachers that are fun and kind, even though they speak another language’’.
An equally important and complementary aspect of UBECI’s work continues to be the engagement with the children’s mothers, to help improve family relations and the children’s wellbeing.
This work is aimed at providing emotional support to women who face difficult family and work challenges. Poor emotional health, lack of communication and empathy, and domestic violence are all issues that these women need support dealing with. UBECI involves them in workshops aimed at improving their self-esteem, learning about new ways of educating their children and to tackle domestic violence, helping the children grow up in a more positive environment.
All of this valuable work is made possible only through the continued support of ViaNiños’ donors.
A big thank you to all of you.
The Via Niños UK Team
By Tania Songini | Chairperson
By Tania Songini | Chairperson
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