Fe y Alegría Ecuador became a Loyola Foundation grant recipient for the first time in its history this past July, as it was awarded a $5,000 grant for a new infrastructure project. The proposal—which will benefit the “Padre José Antonio González de Durana SJ” School, located in Ciudadela Mariana de Jesús, a town on the outskirts of Guayaquil—was developed in coordination with Friends of Fe y Alegría in the United States.

The project, which will renovate a school playground and three classrooms to meet Ecuadorean Ministry of Health standards, will benefit 260 children from the neighborhood, thus giving them a safer and more appropriate school environment.

“We are committed to projects that improve the quality of our schools and as a result, the quality of our education,” said Maria Dolores Briceño, Public Advocacy Coordinator at Fe y Alegría Ecuador. “We believe that the most effective way to achieve equitable and sustainable development for the most vulnerable groups—for our students—is to increase access to schools with appropriate educational spaces.”

Briceño also praised the partnership with Friends of Fe y Alegría. “Together with Friends of Fe y Alegría in the United States we have opened new frontiers to work in and to create strategic alliances, particularly with Latino communities in the U.S. We also now have new opportunities to raise awareness of the importance of defending the right to a quality education for our children.”

The Loyola Foundation, which was founded in 1957, is an American charity dedicated to supporting international organizations and programs associated with the Catholic Church, especially those in the global south. The foundation primarily focuses its support on capital projects with budgets under $10,000 USD (construction, equipment, vehicles, etc.).

The project also received support from multiple U.S. donors through the “Safe Schools, Brighter Futures” campaign, which was launched last April by Friends of Fe y Alegría in the United States.