Edwin Medina is a math and general studies tutor and guide for the teens groups at SALEM. He is 19 years old and has worked in SALEM since 2019. Edwin loves information. He is able to explain difficult concepts in an innovative and friendly way. His favorite task these days is making videos for the…
Sebastian Orozco saw broccoli for the first time in his life at the SALEM center in Mindo, Ecuador. He was 10 years old and wary of the unfamiliar green trees, opting to hide them in his napkin. Before attending SALEM, Sebas hadn’t had many opportunities to try new things or consider eating a wider…
Sulema Lita, Educational Director at SALEM Ecuador is a woman in motion. Rarely has anyone actually seen her sitting down. Recently her limitless energy has been directed toward SALEM’s home visits. Sulema and Francia, a local clinical psychology intern, visit SALEM beneficiary families in their homes for a few hours several times each week. …
Johana Orozco first encountered the SALEM center in Mindo at the age of 8 when she’d walk by, watching how the children played. Home wasn’t a place where she wanted to spend much time. She wanted to play, and laugh and learn, so she went in. At SALEM, Johana experienced a safe place where kids…
Johana Orozco and Paola Rey have been walking the neighborhoods of Mindo for the last few weeks collecting short interviews and conversations with residents to learn more about the community. The data collected from over 60 households will be extremely useful for SALEM Ecuador. Thanks to Johanna and Paola’s research, we will have a better…
Christmas time is often not easy for the SALEM children. It should be a family celebration, but it’s often not so easy at home. Juan (15), Martín (10) and Sabina (8) live with their mother in a small, dark, and musty room. A few months ago, they fled gang violence from the province of Esmeraldas…
Peace is a path, not a state. It is something that we must constantly move towards. At SALEM Ecuador, we put peace into practice. We share with you our Christmas wish for peace: Women, children, and families living in violence-free homes. At this very moment we are developing an action plan for SALEM to give families…
This past Sunday, SALEM Ecuador volunteers prepared and delivered hundreds of seedlings and sacks of compost to local families that participate in the SALEM Ecuador Family Garden Initiative. Jonas Lange, Director of SALEM Ecuador gets to the heart of the matter, “The garden is a therapeutic space. The Family Garden Initiative is a perfect opportunity…
SALEM Handmade is a social enterprise start up. We are seeking angel investors who want to empower and enable women to create their own thriving social enterprise.