Light in the Darkness

“Effective poverty alleviation requires a holistic approach that addresses the physical, emotional, social, and spiritual needs of individuals and communities” (Corbett, 2014) Light in the Darkness is a refurbished abandoned school nestled amongst housing on the hill known in Ecuador as the Panecillo. A light in the darkness, the foundation is located directly under the largest idol in Quito. Functioning as a before and after school care, Light in the Darkness works with children to help prevent them from entering the human trafficking industry. The foundation’s principle focus strives to love and serve the entire community in their general vicinity, starting with the children. Broken down, the foundation serves in many ways.

Once accepted into the program, students receive, amongst other things, uniforms, school supplies, limited medical assistance, hot meals, Bible lessons, prayer, scholastic support, psychological care, and loving attention from the entire staff. However, this ministry does not stop there. Light in the Darkness is committed to making a difference not just in the children's lives but in their families' lives as well. Parents and family members are allowed to serve at the foundation in a variety of ways. Having recognized that “True transformation happens when individuals and communities are given the tools and resources to create sustainable change,” Light in the Darkness is committed to helping teach family members valuable trades that can eventually turn into self-sustaining micro businesses (Corbett, 2014).

My Work at Light in the Darkness

When I first began serving at Light in the Darkness, they had recently moved out of their old building (total capacity of 35) and into an abandoned school (total capacity of 1,000 [500 in the morning, 500 in the afternoon]) given to them (free of charge) by the Ecuadorian government. Abandoned for nine years, the school was in pretty bad shape. The first two months of my internship were spent with the other interns and staff doing (amongst other things: learning about what it takes to manage and sustain a ministry, preparing schedules for the arrival of kids, teaching the Ecuadorian staff about self-care and American children's games, and translating between patients and doctors in a Christian medical clinic) manual labor to get the school ready to house kids (pouring concrete, laying electrical, moving rocks, placing pavers, sealing walls, painting, cleaning, weeding, and loading dump trucks). These first two months were hard, strenuous, and filled with the subtle doubt that we might never get to see any kids before we had to leave Ecuador. Despite times of doubt, the foundation opened in Ecuadorian fashion on March 9th, 2024 with a grand inauguration. Our time since has been spent doing exactly what the foundation was started to do.