When did you start getting involved in volunteering?
At the age of 16, during a Youth Day in my country, I was struck by the testimony of a volunteer. So in 2013 I joined a group of volunteers which organizes two-week missions every year in different locations. I took part in three missions in Cerro Chato, a city in the interior of Uruguay, and in the city of Mercedes. Two weeks in which we give ourselves entirely to the children who live there, always different realities. In Cerro Chato, for example, there was no light where we slept, while at Mercedes we were in a school with light and fans. But in the end it is not comfort that matters, but our working with children.
How did the opportunity to volunteer in Ecuador come about?
Last year, after completing the mission in Mercedes, I felt a desire to go on a mission abroad for a year. And then I started to feel that it was not just a whim of mine, but that it was a summons from God. With the spiritual accompaniment of Salesian José Pérez, I was able to discern and understand what elements were part of God's call and what elements were just my wishes.
What will Nader's contribution to the children and young people of Esmeralda be?
I think that before leaving Uruguay one thinks of the many things one might give, but in truth the principal thing is what they will give to me. Although I have a lot of experience to share and I am here to be close to them, be at their level, I will especially have a heart that is available to love: to love children, love culture, love the community, love Esmeraldas and love Ecuador in general. What will most occupy my heart this year will be to love.
