Mission Santa Maria is a U.S. charity that seeks to help the children and youth in Ecuador inspired by the work of a Swiss priest who has dedicated his life to help children in need. Thirty-five years ago, Fr. Othmar Staheli came to a small town on the coast Ecuador at the request of the bishop of Guayaquil. He soon opened a house for the orphaned children of the province. As time went on, more and more children were brought to the mission.  Thirty-five years later the mission is a large grandiose operation with an orphanage, a K-12 school, and smaller missions throughout the country. The mission was named “Santa Maria del Fiat” after the Mother of Christ.

            The main base of the mission is located at the edge of a small town 125 miles northwest of Guayaquil, the country’s largest city. Here you will find a hill overlooking the Pacific Ocean. On the top of this hill are the houses that give a home to 170 children. Each house is comprised of about thirty children separated by gender and age group. Living with the children in their house, one missionary is immediately responsible for the care of the children and order of the house.

            In addition to the home, the mission operates a K-12 school for the children in the surrounding towns. The children who come to the school come from very poor families and most find it difficult to pay for tuition ($15-$25 depending upon the grade level). Some children travel over an hour each way to school every day as this the only opportunity they will have for a quality education.

            Mission Santa Maria has funded scholarships the past few years and allowed over 120 children to attend school through the generosity donors.      

I came to, or should really say stumbled upon, a mission dedicated to children in Ecuador in 2007. I had been working in investment banking in New York for the past two and a half years after college but left my job to take some months doing mission work in South America. I was extremely happy to find a mission that did such great work.

While I was at the mission, I was surprised to hear that they do not receive any donations from the United States. The longer I was there, the more I saw the great work that the missionary sisters do for the children. I started a charity in the U.S. and created this web site in order to raise funds for the children and youth of Ecuador. With that vision, our charity supports the children of the mission as well as the school. Mission Santa Maria will allow people to make donations that will significantly improve the lives of many suffering children.