Caring for
Manglaralto
Helping the community of Manglaralto, Ecuador.
We are a 501(c)(3) not-for-profit.
Our Story
Manglaralto Giving is an organization dedicated to improving the well-being of vulnerable families living in the Parroquia of Manglaralto. Our mission is to help improve the lives of the families we serve by supporting their basic food and living needs.
The Parroquia of Manglaralto relies heavily on tourism as its main source of income. Other industries include shrimp farming, offshore fishing, and construction. By June 2024, a quarter of Ecuadorians were living below the national poverty line, with nearly one in ten living in extreme poverty. These adverse conditions have worsened existing regional disparities, with moderate poverty (measured at national poverty lines) affecting 43.2% of rural populations. The minimum wage is Ecuador is currently $470 per month.
Nearly 35% of children living in the Manglaralto area suffer the effects of malnutrition.
The Nest
The Nest is the first of its kind community center which provides social programs and support for residents of the Parroquia of Manglaralto.
In 2024, Manglaralto Giving joined forces with our local government leaders from GAD Parroquial Manglaralto and the Catholic Diocis of Santa Elena to open El Nido (The Nest). The Nest is located in a building directly behind the church in Manglaralto. It houses all the programs of Manglaralto Giving as well as our weekly senior citizen lunch. We also provide offices and workspace for social services such as physical and occupational therapy and psychological services.
Our Photo Gallery
Take a visual tour of many of our past Manglaralto Giving activities.
Our Programs
Manglaralto Giving focuses on five main programs:
BAMA (Banco de Alimentos Manglaralto) is our food bank program. We currently serve seventy-five families, every other week with food staples as well as fresh fruits and vegetables.
ManoAmigo program offers interest-free loans to existing, small businesses in our area.
ABCViky supports educational programs.
MiHogar provides items to help improve living conditions, such as new mattresses or cooktops.
El Nido is our home base to provide the senior lunch as well as a variety of other social services.
News-Children's Library
Seven years ago a children's library was begun by some generous donors who had moved to Manglaralto. The couple had shipped down hundreds of children's books (in Spanish) from the US and started a small free library for the children in the community. The couple has since moved back to the US and the librarian, Betsy, was placed in charge of the little library. The community gave her a small space to move the books, but during the recent strong storms and heavy rains, the space was flooded and many books were damaged.
Manglaralto Giving invited Betsy to open the library in an unused space upstairs at The Nest! With the help of Betsy's family, new shelves were installed and the space was clean and organized. A few weeks ago, we were able to open the library once again! The library is open three days a week, during after-school hours.
We are working with Betsy to create programs and activities to create a culture of learning for the children in the community. We will begin a Story Time once a week where children can come to listen to a story and experience art activities based on the book of the week. We hope to one day start a Mommy and Baby time where new mothers can learn how to interact with board books with their little ones. We hope to have an after school homework club, comfy reading nook, reading club, etc...there are so many opportunities to introduce the joy of reading!
Books are SUPER expensive in Ecuador. For a family who might make $20 a day, a $15 book is an impossibility. We are searching for grant opportunities, donors, and sponsors to find more books to add to the library.
With this little library, children can check out books to take home, spend time with friends reading, playing games, or coloring. We're so excited to add this social service to our growing list of services provided at The Nest.
.jpeg)
