Giving Back
We are committed to support the local Ecuadorian artisans who carefully design and craft these unique, one-of-a-kind shoes and boots. One of the primary goals in developing our partnership is to support the creation of jobs in the Baños region. As we work together, these local artisans not only support their families but they also create and build local businesses in order to strengthen their community. Our collective vision is not only to support the economy but also to provide assistance to the Baños children in need. ANDIZ donates a portion of every shoe and boot sale to children in need by providing books, school supplies, clothing, and other basic necessities. Here is a list of some of the foundations we will be supporting:
San Vicente Paul Orphanage, Quito, Ecuador
The Ecuadorian government provides very little for the care of orphans. Therefore, abandoned children need to rely on the kindness and generosity of private organizations and individuals to avoid becoming street children. San Vicente de Paul is a Catholic-run orphanage located in downtown Quito. It is the home of over 150 children who have been abandoned or removed from their home due to extreme neglect. The majority are awaiting adoption by either Ecuadorean or international families.
A group of nuns administer the facility. They depend on the generosity of organizations such as ANDIZ in order to provide for the very basic needs of children.
Henry Davis Foundation, Conocoto, Ecuador
The Henry Davis Foundation is an orphanage that serves approximately 130 children. The orphanage, located in an area south of the city of Quito, was founded by Henry Davis, a North American missionary, in the 1960s. The children live in houses in groups of 10-13 with a “house mother.” There is a school on the premises that the children attend, as well as a church and a stable area where the children raise “cueys” (guinea pig) for food and to sell. The Henry Davis Foundation has been praised by local authorities for their ability to raise troubled children and turn them into stable adults.
http://cenitecuador.org/donations/how-to-make-a-donation/
Foreign to most of us, in many countries, young children have to work and fend for themselves. CENIT, El Centro de la Niña Trabajadora, or the Center for the Working Girl (as it is known in English), is a Catholic, non-profit organization devoted to helping working children (especially girls) and their families overcome grinding poverty and improve their quality of life through recreation, medical, social, and psychological services, nutrition programs, education, and vocational training.
http://www.globalgiving.org/projects/buildaclassroom-at-yachana/
Yachana Foundation is dedicated to providing community-based solutions to poverty and environmental degradation in the Ecuadorian Amazon. Currently Yachana, “place for learning” in Quichua educates, inspires, and empowers 200 Amazonian youth to have a positive impact on the eco-sustainability of their region.
http://www.andeschildrensfoundation.org/
Since Craig Keeland’s (founder of Andes Children Foundation) first visit to Vilcabamba in 1991, he has had a special place in his heart for the children of Vilcabamba. One of the first things he noticed about the local schools was their lack of adequate supplies and technology to prepare its students for a life in the ever-advancing, technology-based world, as well as a lack of access to the information provided by the Internet. In 2003, the Andes Children’s Foundation (ACF) was established in order to give back to the people of a region that has given so much to the world. Jaime Mendoza, a local resident and community leader, was named the first Director of ACF.
Compassion International exists as a Christian child advocacy ministry that releases children from spiritual, economic, social and physical poverty and enables them to become responsible, fulfilled Christian adults. Today, Compassion helps more than 1.5 million children in 26 countries.
–LUIS TIRADO, OWNER ANDIZ SHOES