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Danielle Children’s Fund Danielle Children’s Fund
We began supporting Danielle Children’s Fund in Ecuador in 2024.
DCF’s mission is to contribute to the co-construction of healthy, protective families and communities that will prioritise the well being of children in this part of Ecuador.
They plan to achieve this through the development and enhancement of the capacities and strengths of families, communities and professionals involved in child protection.
They also encourage discussions that lead to social change.
For poor families in Ecuador, life can be difficult and often children are the victims of their parents’ powerlessness. By means of a three-year project, NGO Danielle Children’s Fund, together with parents and their children, is creating hope for a better future.
Poverty and ongoing social unrest has given rise to a range of challenges for many families, causing tension, along with feelings of helplessness.
Many parents lack a support system. They feel powerless when faced with their frustrations, and consequently some children face maltreatment, in the streets and also at home.
To support these families, the foundation is working closely with the local community to help build resilience. They are providing spaces where people can share their concerns, learn together and work collectively to put a stop to the current violence affecting both their town and their households.
Andean Trails’ donation this year will contribute to facilitating regular events at the community centre.
The donation covers refreshments and the cost of the equipment needed at film screenings in both indoor and outdoor community spaces. This is part of the work towards making greater use of public spaces and fostering the creation of safe spaces in the community for children, adolescents and women in particular.
Update March 2025:
In 2024, significant progress was made in strengthening relationships, building trust, and fostering collaboration.
Currently, there are several welcoming community spaces, including a library and an area for entrepreneurial activities such as a bakery and a kitchen. In 2024, 16 individuals received training in community leadership. More than 700 children and adults participated in family support programs, and clubs were established for children, teenagers, and parents to inspire and support one another.
Additionally, several community members came together to launch a community-based tourism initiative.
One of the children’s top priorities within the project is reclaiming safe spaces in the neighborhood. While this is an ongoing process, it is heartwarming to see that, with the support of the local municipality, some streets are closed off each month to host community movie nights. These events bring everyone together to enjoy children’s performances and a film with popcorn.
Over the next two years, we will continue working hand in hand with the children and people of Pifo to build peace, joy, and a sense of security in their community.
You can read more by visiting Danielle Children’s Fund
Testimonials
M. Cook and D. Heyburn, UK. Jan 2025, Paine Circuit Self-Guided.
My friend & I recently did the 8 day O Trek self guided which was organized by Andean Trails. We are so pleased we paid the extra to have all the camps set up & food included rather than carrying all our camping equipment & food. The camps were run by two different companies. One company looked after Seron, Frances & Central where we had tents on stilts. These came with a very comfortable mattress that filled the whole tent, sleeping bags & pillows. The other company looked after Dickson, Los Perros, Gray & Paine Grande where the tents were on the ground with individual mattresses & sleeping bags. I was very impressed with the tents on stilts & found them to be more comfortable & spacious.
The included food was very good & sometimes excellent! We appreciated having a welcome drink which we had before our three course dinner, either a glass of wine or a pisco sour! Very civilized especially as we were in the mountains.
We received plenty of information from Kathy at Andean Trails before the trek began & we received all our vouchers for the transfers into & out of the park & the camps. It was all very well organized.
We also received a welcome pack at the bus station in Puerto Natales which included a sleeping sheet liner, a large travel towel & a water bottle. I had brought my own but I need not have done although it was handy having two water bottles. I filled one with water & one with a fruit tea.
I have wanted to go trekking in Torres del Paine for many years & choose to do it as part of my 60th birthday celebration whilst I'm still fit & able! We are very pleased we choose the O Trek rather than the W Trek as we explored the whole circuit & the first four days from Central to Gray were much quieter & we made friends with some lovely people from all around the world. It was very special. The trek from Gray to Paine Grande was the busiest day on the trail as many people doing the W Trek were doing a day walk there & back. We were also there during peak time. We started the trek on 26th January.
We were very lucky with the weather. We only had one day of rain although it was on the longest day when we trekked over the John Gardner Pass from Los Perros to Gray. We were able to dry our wet clothes by pegging them up in the back porch of our tent & they dried overnight thanks to the wind!
My friend & I enjoyed taking our time every day except on the longest day as we had to be at El Paso ranger hut by 14.00 plus it was raining! We took our time to enjoy the scenery, take photos & we made our packed lunches last most of the day!
We also appreciated having a hot shower every evening except at Los Perros camp which is the most basic camp. Originally we were advised there would be no food provided there but we were offered a simple dinner which consisted of rehydrated food. It was better than nothing!!
It would have been good to have had an extra night at Frances then we could have had a more leisurely trek up to the Mirador Britanico although it would have been backtracking but it was less than 2kms to the Valle del Frances.
The last trek up to Mirador Base Torres was quite emotional. We saw many of the friends we had made on the O Trek plus it was goodbye to an Amazing Memorable Adventure. Thank you Andean Trails for your organization. We have been recommending you to all our friends!
M. Cook and D. Heyburn. Jan 2025, Paine Circuit Self-Guided. UK
» Paine O Circuit Full Trek: Self-Guided
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Deb O. and Lisa B., USA, Self-guided Tailormade Patagonia, Feb 2025. There were so many highlights! The summits and glacier excursions were magnificent. We were blessed with great weather most of the time. Having our own guide in Chalten was great and our guide was fantastic! There were a lot of details to this trip and they all came together nicely. The accommodations were very good. Very clean -no complaints. Guides were wonderful. Food was amazing -everything homemade. I think we benefited the local people. We acknowledged their services with appropriate tips and we patronized many local establishments while there. I can’t think of anything right now that I would do differently! Patagonia has been a “bucket list” trip for me. I will turn 60 and retire this year so it was my treat to myself. It was everything I hoped it would be. I hope it doesn’t change with the ever increasing tourism. It’s such a special place. They are very proud of their heritage and it deserves to be preserved. We found Andean Trails online and the e reviews were good and prices reasonable. It was a leap of faith that paid off. Thank you so much for bringing this experience to me.
» Patagonia Highlights Trekking Trip
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