This whole experience started when I decided to spend a month in Cuenca, Ecuador. Steph and I discussed traveling together after my program was finished, and she mentioned offhand that the child she sponsors through Compassion International lived in Ecuador.
For those of you who don't know, Compassion International is an international (go figure) sponsorship program that connects willing and able donors to children in need of physical and spiritual assistance/guidance all around the world. The choir that Steph and I sang in for six years, Joyful Noise!, worked with and raised money for Compassion and I specifically helped run the table at concerts where we would help/encourage people to sponsor children.
I thought 'cool, maybe we could see her' but didn't give it too much thought since she couldn't remember exactly where in Ecuador Angie lived.
But it turns out, Angie lives in Quito, the capital of Ecuador, and the city I would be flying in and out of. So we decided that, regardless of our other travel plans, we would try to spend some time in Quito at the beginning of our trip and maybe see Angie. Steph had waited until about 8 weeks before our travel dates to set up the trip, so I just went along and planned other things.
I was on the outside of the planning process, so I don't know much of what it entailed. I had to fill out information for a background check, as well as provide Steph with information about where we would be staying and my contact number in Ecuador. Then she sent me the itinerary/general plan that she received from Compassion.
The day of the visit, July 2, we received a call from Steph's contact in the Ecuador Compassion office. She reiterated the plan and told us to expect Angie and Ruth, the translator/coordinator, to arrive at 10. It was as we sat outside the hostel that I realized I didn't even know what Angie looked like. This day was really all up to and for Steph. And then she arrived. This cute little Ecuadorian girl with big poofy hair holding a drawing for her madrina. "Madrina" in Spanish means godmother, and while there is a more direct translation for sponsor ("patrocinador"), I think that this is the perfect term to describe the role of a Compassion sponsor. The money that Steph sends every month not only assists with Angie's living situation, food, and other necessaries, it also fosters her spiritual growth. And the connection made between them was facilitated through spiritual and religious organizations.
I maintained my role as photographer throughout the day, since I wanted to be sure that Steph got everything she wanted out of the day. I don't think Angie even noticed I was there too much. She just wanted to hold Steph's hand and hug Steph. Even though they were both nervous and couldn't think of too many things to say/ask one another, just being together was enough. We went up the teleferico to the top of a mountain outside of Quito, then to Parque Vulcan for some state park-esque games and rides, followed by KFC for lunch. All accompanied by Angie's mom and Sonia, one of the teachers from the Compassion center. This was great fun for Angie and Steph, spending time together and learning about each other, and a great experience for me getting to see and document it all.
After lunch was the visit to Angie's home and the Compassion center. I wasn't sure what to expect from this part of the day. We found out that Angie lives on the outside edge of Quito, in an area dominated by gangs on a street filled with speeding cars. She shares a room with her older brother and a bed with her mother and 2 year old brother. There is one other bedroom and then a living-dining-kitchen-closet room. They rent their apartment and keep their dog Muñeco ("doll") up on the roof. She walks to school every day and often comes home to an empty house because her parents are both at work. On Thursdays and Fridays, she goes to the Compassion center for lunch and classes. The center serves around 160 children, 130 of them teenagers. They currently support their students until 18, but are looking into extending the program until 22. Next year, Angie will enter high school ("colegio") which is 6 years long here in Ecuador. She wants to study gastronomia ("cooking") when she finishes high school.
All that's left is the end of the visit. The saying goodbye was the hardest part for both of them. They didn't want to stop hugging and they did not want to let go. Angie's mother could not stop thanking us for visiting and Steph for helping Angie. The center staff implored us to return. Angie is certainly in capable hands, and I know she will do amazing things. There are many more bits and pieces of this day that I could write about, but I think I've summed most of it up.
For those of you who don't know, Compassion International is an international (go figure) sponsorship program that connects willing and able donors to children in need of physical and spiritual assistance/guidance all around the world. The choir that Steph and I sang in for six years, Joyful Noise!, worked with and raised money for Compassion and I specifically helped run the table at concerts where we would help/encourage people to sponsor children.
I thought 'cool, maybe we could see her' but didn't give it too much thought since she couldn't remember exactly where in Ecuador Angie lived.
But it turns out, Angie lives in Quito, the capital of Ecuador, and the city I would be flying in and out of. So we decided that, regardless of our other travel plans, we would try to spend some time in Quito at the beginning of our trip and maybe see Angie. Steph had waited until about 8 weeks before our travel dates to set up the trip, so I just went along and planned other things.
I was on the outside of the planning process, so I don't know much of what it entailed. I had to fill out information for a background check, as well as provide Steph with information about where we would be staying and my contact number in Ecuador. Then she sent me the itinerary/general plan that she received from Compassion.
The day of the visit, July 2, we received a call from Steph's contact in the Ecuador Compassion office. She reiterated the plan and told us to expect Angie and Ruth, the translator/coordinator, to arrive at 10. It was as we sat outside the hostel that I realized I didn't even know what Angie looked like. This day was really all up to and for Steph. And then she arrived. This cute little Ecuadorian girl with big poofy hair holding a drawing for her madrina. "Madrina" in Spanish means godmother, and while there is a more direct translation for sponsor ("patrocinador"), I think that this is the perfect term to describe the role of a Compassion sponsor. The money that Steph sends every month not only assists with Angie's living situation, food, and other necessaries, it also fosters her spiritual growth. And the connection made between them was facilitated through spiritual and religious organizations.
I maintained my role as photographer throughout the day, since I wanted to be sure that Steph got everything she wanted out of the day. I don't think Angie even noticed I was there too much. She just wanted to hold Steph's hand and hug Steph. Even though they were both nervous and couldn't think of too many things to say/ask one another, just being together was enough. We went up the teleferico to the top of a mountain outside of Quito, then to Parque Vulcan for some state park-esque games and rides, followed by KFC for lunch. All accompanied by Angie's mom and Sonia, one of the teachers from the Compassion center. This was great fun for Angie and Steph, spending time together and learning about each other, and a great experience for me getting to see and document it all.
After lunch was the visit to Angie's home and the Compassion center. I wasn't sure what to expect from this part of the day. We found out that Angie lives on the outside edge of Quito, in an area dominated by gangs on a street filled with speeding cars. She shares a room with her older brother and a bed with her mother and 2 year old brother. There is one other bedroom and then a living-dining-kitchen-closet room. They rent their apartment and keep their dog Muñeco ("doll") up on the roof. She walks to school every day and often comes home to an empty house because her parents are both at work. On Thursdays and Fridays, she goes to the Compassion center for lunch and classes. The center serves around 160 children, 130 of them teenagers. They currently support their students until 18, but are looking into extending the program until 22. Next year, Angie will enter high school ("colegio") which is 6 years long here in Ecuador. She wants to study gastronomia ("cooking") when she finishes high school.
All that's left is the end of the visit. The saying goodbye was the hardest part for both of them. They didn't want to stop hugging and they did not want to let go. Angie's mother could not stop thanking us for visiting and Steph for helping Angie. The center staff implored us to return. Angie is certainly in capable hands, and I know she will do amazing things. There are many more bits and pieces of this day that I could write about, but I think I've summed most of it up.
No comments:
Post a Comment