Happiness Foundation | Humanitarian

Ecuador

As I get ready to head back to Ecuador and the Happiness Foundation next month (!!!!!), I realized I never blogged any photos from last year’s trip to the Foundation. These photos are some of my favorites I’ve ever taken. Not because they all have the best lighting, or perfect framing… But because of what they represent and the stories they tell.

I first visited the Foundation the summer before my senior year of high school. Some families from my church, including my best friend and her family, had just moved to Ecuador as missionaries. It was my first time to Ecuador and it was such a special time (minus the altitude sickness and staff infection… but that’s a whole different story!) of being with my best friend and seeing where she would spend her senior year of high school. I never would have imagined, at 17 years old, that I would find myself, years and years later, being asked to come back to the Foundation to photograph the incredible work that they do.

So what does the Happiness Foundation do? The Happiness Foundation holistically and whole-heartedly embraces neglected, abused, and abandoned children in Ecuador. They focus on providing “abundant care, so that, beyond having their basic needs met, our children may know of the abundant life in Christ. This means that the basic care we provide is wrapped up in the love of a Christian household, campus disciplemaking programs, professional social workers and psychologist, and a quality education in our private Christian school. Further, we provide university assistance and vocational guidance in an effort to launch our young adults out into the community as Godly men and women and seeds of impact for Ecuador.” Ok, how incredible is that?!

It was such an honor to be at the Foundation last summer, building relationships and seeing this abundant care first-hand. I hope these photos give you a glimpse into how loved, cherished, strengthened, and empowered these children are.