Project Ecuador
Giving Hope and a Future
Sunday, 17 March 2013
Thursday, 7 March 2013
The importance of Education
Education is so important; essential to be able to achieve your goals and dreams in life. I was privileged to receive an excellent school and university education in Britain, which equipped me with the skills I can now use in life. I love the sponsorship scheme of Project Ecuador because it shares this gift of education with so many more children.
However, sometimes I worry that living in the backwaters of Ecuador my girls will not have the same opportunities as I did. The level of education in schools is somewhat basic, though they will learn reading, writing and arithmetic.
However growing up here does have certain advantages too - not least that they are growing up bilingual. This in itself will open up many doors of opportunity to them in the future.
A trip to visit a local family on Saturday also got me thinking. Head knowledge is very important, but moulding a heart so much more so.
The family we visited consists of the young parents, an eight year old girl and a 3 year old boy. We went as a family to visit them in their tiny wooden shack, which measures 3 by 4 metres. My girls happily went inside to play with the children, while Vlady and I inspected their small plot and talked with the parents about the possibility of building them a more adequate house. My oldest, now 4 years old, was full of questions; why the children did not have any toys, why they did not have a bathroom, why they only had one bed. What an education this is for my daughters as they see first hand how so many people around us live. In a world gone mad with consumerism they can see how little other children have. Their eyes are open to the great need of our neighbours, and their hearts open to help them.
I think in the scheme of things a motivated person can learn what they wish to know if they are given the basic skills of reading and writing.
What a privilege to be able to bring my daughters up also conscious of what it means to live in community and to love one´s neighbour.
However, sometimes I worry that living in the backwaters of Ecuador my girls will not have the same opportunities as I did. The level of education in schools is somewhat basic, though they will learn reading, writing and arithmetic.
However growing up here does have certain advantages too - not least that they are growing up bilingual. This in itself will open up many doors of opportunity to them in the future.
A trip to visit a local family on Saturday also got me thinking. Head knowledge is very important, but moulding a heart so much more so.
The family we visited consists of the young parents, an eight year old girl and a 3 year old boy. We went as a family to visit them in their tiny wooden shack, which measures 3 by 4 metres. My girls happily went inside to play with the children, while Vlady and I inspected their small plot and talked with the parents about the possibility of building them a more adequate house. My oldest, now 4 years old, was full of questions; why the children did not have any toys, why they did not have a bathroom, why they only had one bed. What an education this is for my daughters as they see first hand how so many people around us live. In a world gone mad with consumerism they can see how little other children have. Their eyes are open to the great need of our neighbours, and their hearts open to help them.
I think in the scheme of things a motivated person can learn what they wish to know if they are given the basic skills of reading and writing.
What a privilege to be able to bring my daughters up also conscious of what it means to live in community and to love one´s neighbour.
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