The impact of the global food crisis for Ecuador has been a side effect that has been reflected especially in the rise in the prices of agricultural products that were imported from Europe. The rise in the price of agrochemicals has probably been the strongest impact of the war. Although this has directly affected the large agricultural producers, this sector employed many people who, with the increase in production costs, lost their jobs.

Added to this, is the fact that the export sector had to redirect itself to other countries that bought production at lower prices, impacting the employment of labor, and this in turn has generated a worrying increase in illegal migration accompanied by with all the insecurity problems, abuse and risk that it implies. The increase in the cost of agricultural products has determined that the costs of selling vegetables and cereals to the public rise in price, which has in turn made the basic family basket more expensive and this has exacerbated the food insecurity problem faced by our population, especially sectors indigenous people both in the mountains and in the Amazon, manifesting itself in serious problems of chronic child malnutrition.

The most urgent needs of the country are centered around the guarantee of the basic rights of all human beings: food, education, health and security, and this especially affects children and young people. Unfortunately, the level of inequality and corruption that we face means that the country's resources are not distributed fairly or adequately. This means that every time people living in poverty descend into a spiral of hopelessness and fear. Faced with this situation, it is the local church and Compassion International who have created a holistic development model that meets these basic needs and gives each child an opportunity, hope and purpose.

Some of our strategic priority areas focus on reaching the neediest children in the country and giving them an opportunity for holistic development. Once we get to where they are, we know that together with the local church these children will be known, loved and protected.

To achieve this purpose, we have developed an expansion strategy to go where no one is going to do what no one is doing for these children. Similarly, a strategic element is to develop a program proposal that generates a relevant and sustainable impact on the lives of children and young people. This is why the national team is focused on generating contextualized program alternatives that are useful, practical, contextualized, and realistic and allow us to see healthy children, with values, dreams, and hope as results, in such a way that through this we can equip these children so that one day they will be the leaders their communities and our country need.

God is good and his love and faithfulness are evident every day and in every life of our children. Considering the enormous challenge that we are experiencing in the country in facing poverty and fighting against it face to face, we see how God is the one who sows hope and life in the heart of each child. We see how God moves the people of the local churches to love these children, to go out of their comfort to give each child a better day and see them smile.

We see how God protects each child in the midst of the most terrible situations of insecurity and violence and how God has raised guardians in local churches to watch over these children and accompany them in their growth and development. We see God and his infinite love through his provision for Compassion, and through this provision impact over 90,000 children and their families.

Finally, we have seen God in each step we have taken, in each victory obtained in the lives of children and in each challenge, we have experienced, we see how He has been with us and has not abandoned us and how He has guided us and inspired. We have seen God in these almost 50 years of presence in Ecuador and we celebrate his faithfulness. We thank God because He is good and forever His mercy.

The impact of the sponsorship program is somewhat inspiring. Today we can reap what has been sown for years. Today we have adults who live lives based on values, today we have professionals who long ago were sponsored children who came to the program without dreams but who discovered their talents, their abilities and their purpose in life and are now living that dream. Today we see healthy families led by loving parents who are aware of the importance of the holistic development of their children and who were once sponsored by Compassion.

Today we see communities transformed by the efforts of a local Compassion partner church, communities that before did not want to open the doors to the church but when they see the work of this church with their children and the good results of these, they not only gave an opportunity to the church, but they got involved and now they are positively different. In summary, the impact is real, it is permanent, and it is spectacular because we could say that through the sponsorship program, God has given life to people and communities.