AmeriSpan: What motivated you to want to volunteer with children in Ecuador? Gabriel: Since I am a Spanish/Latin American studies major at California State University Monterey Bay, I always have had an interest in Ecuador, but knew little about it. This, for me, was part of the attraction. I wanted to get to know the people and the cultural perspective/reality that only a working experience and environment can give you. Therefore, I chose to work with children/adolescents. Also, I am interested in the field of social work and teaching and this gave me much needed experience that I was looking for, while being able to contribute to the community.
AmeriSpan: Tell us about the work you did within this organization.
Gabriel: I did everything from teaching English, some Italian, correcting Spanish and other homework, some counseling, group activities, sex education (which myself and another volunteer organized), taught guitar lessons and donated a guitar, had a music day where we practiced with the kids, played sports and simply “hung out” with them. I felt like I was a teacher/mentor/friend.
AmeriSpan: What were some of the challenges you faced?
Gabriel: Some of the challenges were that there was a lot of slang that the kids used that I wasn’t familiar with at the time so it took me a little while to get used to the accent, but after that there weren’t too many difficulties. Mostly, I found it difficult that I had to spend a majority of my day disciplining the kids, for they don’t have much, if any, discipline at home.
AmeriSpan: How were you able to overcome them?
Gabriel: The way I overcame these challenges was to simply try and talk about/find different methods that worked with different kids and different groups/ages of kids at the project. With repetition and positivity, I felt that I could overcome these obstacles, and usually the kids were more responsive after they got to know me a bit more as well.
AmeriSpan: In your opinion, how do you think the children at Neque y mas Neque benefited by your presence and that of other volunteers?
Gabriel: I think we served as positive role models, teachers and mentors for them. I think they need people to look up to who can tell them that they can succeed and that there is another world out there other than the poverty, drug-stricken neighborhood in the valley that they live in. They don’t know that other things and opportunities exist, and showing them that many things are possible was a grand realization for them. Sometimes they just wanted someone to hang out and listen to them or get a little bit of positive attention, and we could provide that for them. I think they will remember me as I will remember them. I get a few emails a week from the kids, and they say that they are waiting for me to come back…and that is a very good feeling inside to have. To know that my presence and efforts there were appreciated not just by the staff, but mostly by the kids, is a wonderful feeling.
AmeriSpan: I’m sure you were able to teach the children at Neque y mas Neque lots of new things. In turn, what have you learned from them about children, life, etc?
Gabriel: I learned a lot about their mentality and approach to life. I learned that life is hard in the position they are in. It made me appreciate even more the little things that I am fortunate to have and usually take for granted. They don’t take anything for granted. Poverty and its derivatives can have devastating effects on children and teenagers, but with support and hope (in my beliefs mostly through education) things can be changed. I was very inspired by the attitudes and maturity of these kids, who sometimes were only ten or twelve years old.
