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 - Volunteers
Manglaralto Giving is so lucky to have faithful volunteers who help with every aspect of our social programs. We are also very proud to have a mix of local volunteers as well as folks from the expat community. We couldn't function without all their help and expertise.
One of the most heartwarming aspects of our volunteer team is that many families who receive services, whether from the food bank, the micro loan program, or senior lunch, come back to help us as volunteers in other programs.
For example, Cynthia, whose family receives help from our food bank, comes every Thursday to help in the kitchen for senior lunch. She helps cook, clean, and interacts with the senior citizens during our bingo games. Our librarian Betsy not only manages the library three days a week, but she helps us with our yard sales and senior lunches. Olga, who has volunteered with Manglaralto Giving since we first opened our doors five years ago, has come back to help after working on her post graduate education. Since our regular senior lunch chef Paquita is on an extended trip, Paola and Silvia from the community have offered to cook the senior lunches each week while she's gone.
Our expat volunteers share their many talents as well. Soraya and her husband Bill, not only work the senior lunches every week, they bake individual banana breads for every family in the food bank at Christmas time. We have so many expats who help with Christmas, from wrapping gifts, to putting together bicycles and installing batteries in the Christmas toys. We have volunteer artists add their creative touches to The Nest with murals and artwork. Community gardeners come and help with our vegetable garden. The list of volunteer help goes on and on.
With all this interaction we learn from each other about our different cultures, foods, customs and holidays. It's truly an international connection!
