Monday June 6th 2016

There was a meeting at Keyner’s house. This meeting involved Lawyers, Engineers, Suppliers, Builders members of FOLM and the family of Keyner. This was, I believe, the first time all of these people had been together in one place.

There were still some documents that had to be signed, some contracts to be approved, but it is moving forward.

The people involved in Keyner’s new house, Suppliers, builders, family, and FOLM.

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Keyner Celorio Vera, 7 years old, has low moderate vision and lives with his mother and grandmother at El Pueblito, Canton Rocafuerte. The structure, walls and floor of his house were affected by the earthquake, leaving it uninhabitable. Keyner needs a new house because he and his aunt are still living there in spite of the danger posed to them.

Keyner Celorio Vera, 7 years old, has low moderate vision.

I first met Keyner at a park in Portoviejo. He was laughing  on the teeter totters and enjoying himself as 7 year old boy do. He has low vision capabilities, so he wasn’t running around much.

The day in the park playing with other Children ( part of the work the Fundation Oswald Loor does ) was a great respite for him and his family. This is one of the goals of the FOLM luz program, to allow visually impaired people to meet with others who are like them.

Vision impaired children interacting at a FOLM event.

The next time I met him was when we visited his house. His family lives in the delta of the Portoviejo river ( Rio Portoviejo). This area is full of small rice fields, and other small farms. Most of the people who live in the delta do not have a lot of money. This is evident in the houses. Keyner’s house showed this… it was a small 2 room bamboo structure.

Keyner Celorio Vera, 7 years old, has low moderate vision

Then the earthquake.

I next visited him to help document the damage created by the quake. The small house was still standing but had visible shifted. He and his aunt are still living in the house.

Yesterday I learned that his family had been chosen to receive the first house in the proyecto resurgir/resurgence project. I will be documenting the building of his house so people can see where the funds are going….Now FOLM is going to build him a new house, a place he can feel safe.

I feel happy for him, but I also feel sad for the others that we can’t help rebuild their lives…

If you can help please donate.

Donate  Outside of Ecuador you can send me funds through my paypal ( I will post an update accounting for these funds), inside Ecuador you can deposit directly in the bank account of FDOL.  You can also send the funds directly to this account from outside Ecuador!   We are setting up a gofundme, but the 8% in fees that are charged could be better spent on houses.

Link to Paypal donation record page

Thank you for reading and any help would be appreciated.