Mil gracias - Many Thanks to our friends at COMIL!

For the second year in a row we have been blessed with donations and support from the wonderfully compassionate and generous STUDENTS at the Militar High School "Combatientes de Tapi N.6" in Riobamba, Ecuador.  That's right, other high school students have taken it upon themselves to donate new and gently used books, notebooks, and other items to their new friends at Starfish here in Guayaquil as part of their Values class.  This year in particular, they helped us double the size of our Starfish library, which was created last year with their generous donations!  This was all made possible through a great initiative we call "Kids Supporting Kids", started by our friend Monica.  Check out her blog to hear more about some of her other initiatives!

Some of the "ayudantes" helping to sort through and categorize books for our growing library!

We're really excited to receive donations from another part of Ecuador.  While we are forever grateful for all of the support we have received from the U.S. and around the world, receiving donations from another city here in Ecuador has been an eye-opening experience for our Scholars.  They are able to learn first-hand the important lesson of how inter-connected we all are - and the great responsibility we all have to each other as global citizens.

Some of the students and teachers from COMIL plan to visit us at Starfish during the school year and we hope to keep in touch through a pen pal program so that we can continue to exchange ideas, inspiration and friendship with these inspiring youth!

Kids Supporting Kids!

This week we announce an exciting new initiative called "Kids Supporting Kids" created by Tamoja and Starfish friend & supporter, Monica!  Monica was born in Ecuador and on her recent trip to Ecuador she decided to put her talent and passion to work for Starfish.  In less than a week she made contacts and coordinated with COMIL, a school in Riobamba (in the mountains here in Ecuador), to donate school supplies to our students as the school year is ending in the mountains and just beginning here on the coast.

Students at COMIL, "TAMOJA creating, "Kids Supporting Kids", sponsored by COMIL - Colegio Militar Combatientes de Tapi N.6 with The Starfish Foundation"

I sent Monica a short list of supplies we could use during tutoring and was absolutely amazed and overwhelmed by the response she got from the students.  She was able to send 6 giant boxes from Riobamba to Guayaquil filled with school supplies for our students to use both at school and during our tutoring program.

The boxes on their way to Guayaquil! 

These 6 boxes included not only notebooks, pens, pencils, rulers and other useful school supplies - but one entire box of books - both academic and novels - to begin a small library in each neighborhood.  We are so excited for the opportunities this will give our students to go above & beyond in their studies.

Some of the books & other generous donations we received from COMIL!

In her blog, Kids Supporting Kids, Monica writes, 

"But education is not only memorizing things by heart, it is not only a teacher giving a lecture to their students, it is not even googling and copying...it is an integral process, that requires the whole society to be involved in.  Parents, neighbors, educators, kids should participate actively in the sharing process of education."

At Starfish we couldn't agree with this more.  Our students may pass their classes, but we want them to understand what they are being tested on and put it into practice in their lives.  We want to empower leaders.  Monica and COMIL have made a giant step in the right direction by giving hope to our students' dreams of a better future, while at the same time learning an important lesson about solidarity and service.

Students at COMIL lined up for morning role call!

We are so grateful to Monica for her energy and efforts in coordination, as well as Vice President of the Parents, Chela and Director of the school, Hugo for their dedication and drive to teach the values of solidarity and service to the students of COMIL - Colegio Militar Combatientes de Tapi N. 6. We hope this is a partnership that continues to be successful for many years to come!

Mil gracias!