Site: Argelia Alta

Location of site: South Quito

Primary Contact Person: Ramiro Maldonado

Site Description: Very poor neighborhood nestled above the hills outlining south Quito. It is an official Compassion site. Also, Ramiro has started his own non-profit organization, Remanzo de Amor, which helps supplement funds above and beyond those of Compassion. It is a daytime facility for kids after school, where they receive food, classes from volunteers and biblical instruction. Two basic sites, the new construction of a church/meeting center for the kids, and also the old building, currently where classes and activities are held for neighborhood little guys.

Ministry Description: Ministry here is again twofold. One is manual labor and construction, helping to build the new church/meeting center. The other is with the kids. This includes teaching classes in English or doing Bible programs. VBS usually happens here. There is a decent size field adjacent to the building great for outdoor games. There can be any number of kids, and it depends on the day. Anywhere from 20 to 70.
    Kids are pretty wild here. Many of them come from broken, abusive homes. Ramiro does not care at all about the size of the teams. He desperately wants help, and will put anyone to work. Larger teams should be prepared to split up, half doing construction, the other half simply loving the children. Larger teams should also bring more tools, as their supply of tools as of now accommodates about 15 people.
    Doing a church service here is surely an option. Testimonies, preaching, kids programs, songs ... pretty much everything.
    Teams could be here for as long as possible. There is no real shortage of things to do, and we seek to encourage Ramiro in his ministry at Argelia.

Ministry Prep: Kids programs must be prepared in advance – crafts, songs, lessons, dramas. Ramiro gives a great orientation and vision casting for the project. Clothing should be always long pants, tennis shoes, ready for construction, as plans can change at any time. Teams going on Sundays should bring a change of clothes for after-church manual labor.