Genesis of Ecuador Program

The Genesis Foundation of Ecuador is a non-profit organization committed to advancing education in Manabí, Ecuador. Vladir Villagran and Sandra Cox founded the Genesis Foundation, based out of Bahía de Caráquez, and its pilot school, Unidad Educativa Génesis, on May 5, 1997.

In our community, many public schools are grossly underfunded, lacking adequate facilities, books and teachers for students. In some cases, children walk for hours to get to school, and all grades learn together from one untrained teacher in a single room.

Throughout the country, only 60% of children go to school at all, and of that 60% only 20% graduate from high school.

Every day, the Genesis Foundation works to change these numbers and these realities for the Manabí community.

Through the support of local schools and the administration of our own top-notch private school in Bahía de Caráquez, we make high quality education a reality for hundreds of disenfranchised children.

The students who benefit most from the Genesis Foundation come from low-income families with parents who might sell candy or shine shoes for a living. Without help, these children go to overcrowded public schools or simply forsake their education to help their parents earn money.

At the Genesis Foundation, we believe that education is the key to improving the infrastructure, economy and sustainability of the Manabí region in the long term, and through our efforts we build a brighter future for our community and its children.