Our Mission

Empower the poverty-stricken community in Guayaquil, Ecuador through providing quality education, community healthcare, and nutritional programs.  Empower the community by providing them the tools they need to be self-sufficient.

Vision

Alleviating poverty in Ecuador through education and health, replacing it with lives full of hope, stability, and health.

Education as a Protective Factor

Protective factors are characteristics within the individual child, the child's family, or the child's community that serve to decrease the likelihood of a child developing social and emotional problems in the face of adversity. Protective factors are characteristics specifically associated with children overcoming otherwise adverse circumstances and risk factors, such as poverty and parental conflict.

Community protective factors include effective schools, which include well-trained and well-compensated teachers, after-school programs, and school recreation resources. Other community protective factors include good public health care, access to recreational centers, and connections to caring adult mentors and pro-social peers.

SEA El-Carmen provides community protective factors through the Saint Vincent de Paul School for elementary education which is employed by competent and well-paid teachers, after-school programs, weekend programs, and a playground.  SEA- El Carmen also provides public health care for the community, access to the school resources, and child connections with caring adults at the school and clinic. (2008, Phares)**