We've been busy at the house lately. We just hosted a group of people from "Ecuador Mi Pais," an organization who funded our current computer lab and library and are currently funding scholarships for about 15 children from our neighborhood. They came by and were able to see all the families that have benefited from the money given to Casa Victoria.


(click the photo for the latest snapshots)

So, a short story explaining a little aspect of the work we're doing in the house (and will help explain some of the photos). Through the organization, "Ecuador Mi Pais," we provide scholarships for children who cannot afford to go to school (the only decent schooling here in Ecuador is private). So we also have to use our best judgment in choosing which students need the scholarships most. We visit each and every house of the children who apply for these scholarships to get to know them better.

A lot of the photos above are from a "trip" Esteban (one of the guys who lives/works at the house) and I took up "la Montaña." Basically, when you look up the street from Casa Victoria, you can see houses that go all the way up a cliff. I had always wanted to go, but never thought I'd get the chance, until Esteban told me he wanted me to take photos of a family we were supporting. So we waited at the bottom of the cliff, got a ride from a stranger up the switch backs (a single, one-lane road), then proceeded to the family's "house." As you can see from the photos...


(click the photo to see more of this house)

...the family (single mother (father died recently), 4 kids under 7 yrs old) lives in one room with 2 beds, a TV, and an INCREDIBLE view of Quito. (quite the contrast). On our way back down the cliff, I had to "hide" my camera in its case as to not "tempt" the many people (la Montaña is a very poor and also very dangerous community) staring at the gringo walking by.

GET THIS: Ohhh, also on our way down the hill, Esteban and I almost got malled by a St. Bernard dog (the size of a flipping small COW) who's owner kindly said to Esteban (after two of her friends dragged the beast away from us) "Lo siento, quiere comer la cara de desconocidos" translated: "Sorry, He likes to eat the faces of strangers." How comforting when you're the only gringo within a square mile.

More to come later. As always, you can support Casa Victoria by purchasing some of the new photos (CLICK HERE) I put up.