The impact of human values

The universal human values build the core element of “our” school and are reflected in its emblem, a flower containing the words verdad (truth), no violencia (nonviolence), accion correcta (right conduct), amor (love) and paz (peace). From Tuesday to Friday, the first lecture for all classes at 7:00 am is devoted to “valores”, with the aim of fostering character development and the active practice of human values in daily life.

The school also acts as a link to the community by holding regular workshops on related topics, for example nonviolent communication in the family. The loving school culture is also visible in many small details around the school, such as the colourful decorations in the classrooms and gardens. There’s so much kindness and laughter all around that it is easy to forget the hardships that many families face on a daily basis here in Bahia outside of the school gates.

A new Monday morning

Each Monday at the school starts with a special celebratory ritual. All teachers and students unite at the Auditorium Ventus Spei at 7am to greet the new week with different songs. Next, a group of students give a presentation about a topic that was prepared in the previous school week. Today, for instance, five children of 5th grade talked about Juan José Flores, the first President of the new Republic of Ecuador. After that, all children who had their birthdays in the preceding week walk to the stage to be celebrated with a candle, several rounds of “Happy Birthday to you…” in different languages and loud cheers of their classmates. Finally, all children settle down again for a peaceful meditation and prayer. With renewed energy and focus, everybody then quietly returns to their classroom for a new week of learning.

More than volunteering

For the first time, a volunteer has travelled to the school with her kids. We were not only blessed with Karin’s help in teaching English, but also new friendships were made as her sons (11 and 9) joined the regular classes with the local children. “It has been a wonderful and enriching experience and I am deeply impressed about how much is being achieved here with such a limited amount of resources!” Karin says. “The two resident English teachers, Mozhdeh from Iran and Eduardo from Ecuador, are doing a fantastic job. However, with over 340 students at the school, more permanent English teachers are urgently needed in order for all students to follow a solid curriculum throughout their primary education.” We couldn’t agree more and thank Karin for being part of Ventus Spei.

Building the Kfouri Science Center

We are very excited to share our newest project with you!

Thanks to the generosity of our late friend Dr Alex kfouri we will be able to build a science center for the school in Bahia. Now why is this so important? Up to now, our students had to finish their last three years of college in another school, because we did not have the resources for the mandatory science classes. This will change now and our students will be able to obtain their college degree in our school.

The construction has already started. We will keep you posted on the progress.

A new beginning

We celebrated this week the start of the school year 2019 - 2020 with the amazing number of over 340 students! Previously, workshops were held with the parents of the new students as their support is crucial for the success of their kids.

If you also would like to support with a scholarship, please contact us. There are many students who don’t have this important financial support yet.

Graduation Celebration 2019

Thanks to your relentless support, our kids are celebrating another successful year in Bahía de Caráquez. We wish them all the success for their future careers!

Feliz Navidad

In the name of our students, we thank you for your ongoing support and are grateful for your generosity. We wish you a happy holiday season and joyful moments with your families.

Kids march for love

Invited by their neighbour village to participate in their yearly celebrations, children from Bahía de Caráquez played music and marched through the streets of San Vicente, sharing some of the fundamental values they cherish: love, righteousness and peace.

Music Festival in the Auditorio Ventus Spei

We are happy that the Auditorio Ventus Spei serves several purposes. As promised a year ago, Alfredo, Rosa and their team are hosting the second Music Festival in Bahía de Caraquez. Students have worked very hard to make this celebration possible. Let the party begin! 

Celebrating Graduation

Congratulations to Alison and Fiorella and all their classmates on their graduation. We are proud of you!

Ecuador: Mourning Victor

We are deeply saddened by the loss of Victor, student at Sathya Sai school in Bahía de Caraquez; Victor was 14 when he lost his fight against a long illness. Our deepest sympathies go out to his family, his classmates and his teachers.

When we visited Ecuador in 2016, a few month after the earthqake, we organised a writing workshop on the word "Esperanza" for Victor and his classmates. Victor was already fighting illness with incredible courage, eager to learn, surrounded by all his friends; his words, full of wisdom, now resonate even stronger.

Teaching Fair Play

Our Volunteer Philippe is taking his new role on the field very seriously, leading the Yellow Team to victory, bearing in mind what Baron Pierre de Coubertin's used to say: "The important thing in life is not the triumph, but the fight; the essential thing is not to have won, but to have fought well." Above all, Philippe wants to share his values of sport: Respect, Integrity, Solidarity, Equality, Friendship, Team Spirit, Tolerance, and Joy!

A Truly Wonderful Handover

Last night was all about sharing Knowledge and Experience for our two volunteers who met in our Geneva office. Helena traveled to Ecuador in June; Philippe, who is departing towards Bahía de Caráquez as we are writing these lines, joins our Volunteering Program for three months. Both wanted to get together to exchange ideas and tips. Philippe will continue Helena's sports project. His first action was to pack his suitcase with football gear and equipment for our kids. We wish him a safe flight and thank him in advance for his engagement.

Fête de la Musique

Founded in France in 1982, World Music Day is now celebrated every 21st of June in more than 100 countries worldwide. This year, Sathya Sai joined the movement, thanks to the determination of Alfredo, Rosa and their Team, with the support of our volunteer Helena. The first Music Festival was a huge success as more than 50 musicians from all over the region gathered in Sathya Sai to performe live in the school's Auditorium. We can already proudly announce that the second festival will happen on 21 June 2018! Many thanks to all the musicians who made this celebration possible.

Bienvenida Helena!

Our volunteer Helena arrived safely in Bahía de Caráquez today. She received a warm welcome from the school's Director, Rosa, our Ambassadors, Alison and Fiorella and their classmates. Let the adventure begin!

Our New Volunteer is Ready!

Our new volunteer, Helena, will be travelling to Ecuador on 19 June 2017 where she will work one month with our kids in Bahía de Caráquez! Helena studies at the Institut de hautes études internationales et du développement, University of Geneva. She will teach music and work on different projects for our Association. We thank her in advance for her engagement and wish her all the best for her volunteering experience. Follow her work on facebook!

Celebrating Children's Day

On June 1st, kids and teachers gathered in their new auditorium to celebrate Children's Day with special guests Minnie and Winnie the Pooh. On the programme, singing, dancing, playing music and eating cake! But most importantly, enjoying life and sharing time together.

Inaugurating Auditorium Ventus Spei

A dream has come true! After almost a year of construction, the Auditorium Ventus Spei was inaugurated this weekend. The community, the school officials as well as special guests attended the ceremony where the ribbon was cut. The inauguration was accompanied by the school's orchestra. Ventus Spei received a special recognition that was handed to our Ambassadors, Alison and Fiorella. 

The auditorium will host the music department of the school with a practice room and storage for instruments. The idea for this was born last year after the terrible earthquake when the students had no place to practice music. We are deeply touched that, thanks to our supporters, we were able to finance this auditorium and give the orchestra a new home.

Sponsor a Child

We are proud to announce our 19th Sponsorship in Ecuador, thanks to the generosity of a new Padrino who joined our movement. If you too wish to sponsor a child from Ecuador, you can visit our Donate page. For more information about our Sponsorship Program, contact us at info@ventus-spei.ch.

Back to School!

As children head back to the classroom in Baíha de Caráquez today, we wish to thank our Madrinas and Padrinos for their outstanding support. Thanks to their generosity, our Association is now sponsoring 18 children in Bahía, amongst which Alison and Fiorella, our new Ambassadors, who visited Switzerland a month ago. We wish them all a good start to the school year!