Fundación
El Arenal
Fundación El Arenal Welcomes You
Who We Are
Fundación El Arenal, founded in 1997, is a non-profit community center for children and youth from Feria Libre, one of the poorest sectors of Cuenca, Ecuador. The foundation serves over 75 children and adolescents and offers an after-school program, educative counseling, and a nutritional lunch program. El Arenal is committed to offering basic services to marginalized local groups, such as the rural, indigenous migrants who come to the city’s craft market to sell their wares. With its work, El Arenal hopes to support the children and youth to reach their full potential through quality education and social and emotional learning, eventually breaking the cycle of poverty.
What We Do
After-School Program
Students aged 6 to 17 from local public schools come to Fundación El Arenal's after-school program to strengthen what they learned in class and do their homework with the support of tutors. Fundación El Arenal has three main workshops: Logic and Mathematics, Communication, and Art.
Nutritional Program
El Arenal has a nutritional program for children and adolescents approved by a nutritionist. Every day, all children have free lunch and free snacks at El Arenal before or after going to school.
Family Counseling
El Arenal has an in-house psychologist who provides counseling to the kids and their families to monitor the children's progress at school and parents' support at home. In addition, the psychologist provides counseling to families regarding personal and emotional issues that might affect the kids' performance at school.
Extracurricular Activities
The organization usually organizes fun extracurricular activities to complement the children's education. Some of the activities include cultural visits to museums, field trips, and holiday festivities' celebration such as Christmas and Carnaval.
"El Arenal is a safe haven for children. We help kids continue their education without having to worry about factors associated with poverty. Seeing the kids smile is what makes me wake up every single day full of energy."
Maribel - Director of Fundación El Arenal
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