Summer Break - Ecuador
Location: Quito, Ecuador
Partner: Merge Ministries
Dates: May 15-31
Leaders: Federico Borman, Becca Hurliman
Group Size: 15
Estimated Cost: $2,000+
Applications available: October 1st
Applications due: December 5th
Trip Description:
We will travel to different regions of Ecuador, from the Andean Highlands down to the
Amazon jungle and the Pacific Coast. During this time we will stay with host families
and gain insight on what day to day life is like in these remote communities.
This trip will have an emphasis on learning about Ecuadorian culture and ways of life
while challenging ourselves to develop an understanding of what it means to be a Christian
in a globalized world.
Information about our Partner Organization
Covenant Merge Ministries coordinates one and two week
mission trips throughout the world. In the last 13 years
more than 8,600 participants from over 100 Covenant churches
have served in a wide variety of people ministries and construction projects.
Teams have done ministry at churches, children's homes,
Christian schools, and camps in various countries
Regional/Country Info
Ecuador has 14.5 million inhabitants and has the land size of Colorado.
Spanish is the official language, Quichua is spoken in the Andes Sierra,
and various tribal languages are spoken in the Amazon River basin.
Ecuador is 95% Catholic, 4% Protestant
In many rural areas Roman Catholicism is syncretized with indigenous beliefs and icons.
Ecuadorís per capita income is $7,500 annually compared with $46,900 in the U.S.A.
56% of the population is underemployed meaning wages do not equal cost of living
Ecuador has the highest population density in South America
Helpful links
Political history:
http://countrystudies.us/ecuador/56.htm
Culture:
http://www.kwintessential.co.uk/resources/global-etiquette/ecuador.html