Meet Shirley Melissa in Ecuador | Children International | Child Sponsorship in Africa, India, South America, & USA

About me & my family

Name: Shirley Melissa
Waiting for sponsorship: 349 days
Avg Family Income in Community: $460.00
Gender: Female
Age: 16
Personality: Creative, Mature, practical, Open-minded, tolerant, flexible
Interests: , Drawing, painting, or coloring, Participating in sports
Siblings:
Noemí Betsabe, 14, Female
Lives with: Parents
Language: Spanish
School: Yes
Child ID #: 1395685

Learn more about education in this child's country.

About my house

Water source: Community water source
Level of Overcrowding: Adequate privacy
Access to Internet:
Access to Telephone: Never

Learn more about homes in this child's country.

Learn more about water in this child's country.

Poverty in Ecuador

Children growing up in poverty in Ecuador face serious barriers that can limit their opportunities — including unsafe environments, disrupted education, health and nutrition challenges, and few pathways to meaningful work.

That’s why our approach focuses on helping children stay in school, gain confidence and thrive in safe, supportive spaces — building the skills they need for the future. Through educational support, health and nutrition resources and other programs led by trained local staff, children develop self-assurance, resilience, and a solid foundation to grow into healthy, capable young adults who can shape their own futures.

Sponsor Her Now

How will you use
my $39 monthly gift?

Your confidence in our work is extremely important to us. We’ve established stringent accounting and financial reporting procedures to ensure your gifts have the maximum impact on sponsored children, their families and communities. Your sponsorship contributions are pooled and transferred directly to the field agencies, where our expert field professional staff makes sure they’re used responsibly and efficiently to provide benefits and services tailored to each child.

How child sponsorship works

What does my child receive?

Your support provides your sponsored child with access to life-changing benefits through our innovative, holistic approach, such as medical and mental wellness care, empowerment initiatives, education programs, and more. The interventions you make possible are focused on giving children the support and tools they need to be healthy, stay in school, graduate with the skills needed to pursue meaningful work, and create lasting change in their community.

Additionally, your monthly donation delivers:

Support from our dedicated local staff who are embedded in the community and are committed to helping your child succeed.  
A personal connection with someone (you!) and the invaluable knowledge that they are special and loved. 
A chance for a better life, free from poverty.

What do I receive?

As a sponsor, your $39 monthly gift includes:

A quick-start guide to becoming a child sponsor, along with more info about your child, including a photo. 
Photos and updates about your child, on a regular basis. 
Letters from your child, often with words of thanks from them and their parents or other family members.   
Access to MyCI, your online account, where you can view photos and learn more about your child, read and write letters, manage your giving, and much more.  
Seeing your impact in action through updates and monthly emails. And you have the option of visiting your child and witnessing our life-changing programs in action.  
A unique, rewarding opportunity to make a lasting and meaningful difference for vulnerable children.