The Pérez Brothers

The Pérez brothers — Jefferson, Joel and Roberto (names changed) — are 13, 11 and 9 years old, and they all have sponsor parents through CENIT's Adopt-a-Dream program. Scraping out enough of a living to feed and clothe the family in the country proved to be impossible. Therfore, the family of ten moved from the country to Quito two years ago in search of a better life and more opportunities for their children. As happens all too frequently, the reality of life in Quito was nearly as hard as the one they had left behind. Both parents and the older children spend long, hard days working in the Camal market and barely make enough to get by, much less to enrol the children in school. Through CENIT's market program in the Camal, our volunteers met the Pérez boys and got to know their family's situation. With their help, all of the school-age children were enrolled in CENIT's school. After proving to be exceptional students, the three oldest boys were enrolled in Adopt-a-Dream, matching them with sponsor parents who pay for all of their school costs, as well as a monthly food allowance for their family. Last year, Jefferson finished primary school in CENIT's ESTAR program and became the first-ever member of his family to enrol in high school. Joel and Roberto continue to be some of the best students in CENIT's primary school.

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Dentist Program

When?

This position is available from Summer 2010, please contact us for the exact date. Preferred stay of six months.

Job Description

Amongst CENIT's children and their families there is a lack of knowledge about dental hygiene. The result is that the children often have very bad teeth. Your role is in part to educate children and families about dental hygiene and also to ensure they receive the required treatment. You will work with all of CENIT's children as well as across all market sectors.

Responsibilities include:

Working with other volunteers to ensure they are teaching the children how to brush their teeth
Educating parents and children about dental hygiene
Identifying children in the markets with serious dental problems and taking these children to local dentists for treatment
Networking with other organizations and dentists to get free / low cost treatment
Working with the Universidad Central dental school to have all children in Cenit´s primary and secondary schools receive checkups and treatment
Keeping accurate records for the children
Making sure follow up appointments are kept
Managing the project budget
Administering the project

Salary

This is a volunteer position without financial compensation.

How to Apply

If you are interested, please email your resume or any questions you may have to contact@cenitecuador.org, or mail it to Centro de la Niña Trabajadora (CENIT), Voluntariado, Huacho 150 y José Peralta, Quito, Ecuador.