How did you learn about the Salesians and what motivated you to volunteer?
My entire educational journey, about 15 years, took place with the Salesians. Then I went to university to study Mathematics and when I returned I started working with the Salesians. Currently, I am a teacher of Mathematics and an assistant in Youth Ministry. I received permission to go to Quito and then I will return to put into practice all that I have learned.
What did they tell you about the volunteer project in Ecuador?
At the Latin American level, I think it is the most established and organized volunteer service, which has the best project both for the volunteers who arrive there and for the children whom it serves. The structure is very well defined, there is a good accompaniment and, above all, Salesian spirituality is lived with street people, who are the people that Don Bosco always wanted to accompany.
Who encouraged you to come here?
It was Father Víctor, who accompanied me spiritually, with him we discovered this process. Moreover, for one of those designs of God, the Provincial of Ecuador came to visit in Santiago, Chile, a long time ago, and we had a simple meeting, we spoke and he immediately said to me: "you are welcome!"
What is your expectation of the work you are going to do?
To give myself to young people and with young people and to grow as a Christian, as a Salesian and as a young person; and also that those children that I accompany grow in turn. The expectation is that it is an exchange of love and knowledge and, above all, that they discover the Lord day after day.
Why leave work and have this experience?
There is a fundamental idea that the Lord tells us in the Gospel: that He often calls us and that we must leave everything behind: the family, the bonds that we have, our own "comfort zone", the money ... it is a matter of going and living the experience without a salary, putting oneself only at the disposal of the Salesians in Ecuador.
