Starting Over at SALEM Center

The SALEM Center is back in action! On Monday, September 7 2020 the SALEM Ecuador team welcomed the first children back into the educational and recreational spaces at the SALEM Center in Mindo, Ecuador. SALEM serves children that need educational reinforcement, emotional support, a hot meal and a safe place where they can play and relax from their stressful home and family situations.

Patricia, Edwin and Sylvana, SALEM’s guides for the children’s after school program, have lovingly prepared each space with attention to detail for their small groups. Listening, compassion, focused attention and love are the primary tools that the SALEM guides use to interact with the children. Activities like gardening, magic, and music are the highlights of the week. Fernanda, SALEM’s cook is excitedly preparing the kid’s favorite meals like “Sopa de bolas de verde” (Plantain dumpling soup) and “Muchines de Yuca” (Cassava Balls – see recipe here).

“It’s like starting over,” says SALEM Education Director Sulema Lita, “These kids have been through so much over the last 6 months and we haven’t been there for them. We are here now to show them that we care and that we can get through this pandemic together.”

SALEM attends to groups of 5 children and 1 guide in outdoor or well-ventilated areas. All participants wear masks and hand washing is required at least once an hour. All areas are disinfected 3 times a day. Each session lasts 2 hours and occurs every other day. With this schedule, we can attend to 60 children at the SALEM Center while maintaining a strict hygiene protocol and avoid the spread of COVID-19.

To learn more about the projects SALEM has been dedicated to over the last 6 months, read more here: Family Garden Initiative, Food Aid

Please support SALEM Ecuador today by signing up for a monthly donation here: Donate now