Adelphos Foundation: Efforts to Build Trust and Bonds Among Different Neighborhoods in the City of Quito

One of the most notable characteristics of the city of Quito, Ecuador, is how people's location reflects their social class.Neighborhoods of lower socioeconomic status are usually situated on the slopes of the Pichincha volcano and, in almost all cases, are part of the city's periphery.The people living in these neighborhoods are often marginalized from the productive sectors of society, facing high rates of unemployment or participation in the informal economy.Their social exclusion has deepened in recent years due to rising violence and the emergence of gangs and criminal organizations fueled by drug trafficking; distrust has become the bitter fruit of this worsening crisis.In 2015, the Adelphos Foundation was established -first in practice and then in legal form -to promote visits to the homes of individuals living in these peripheral neighborhoods, with the goal of establishing direct dialogue in a relaxed environment.The Foundation's aim is to achieve mutual understanding and learning, creating bonds of trust and breaking prejudices among the various social groups of the Ecuadorian capital.By 2022, 610 homes had been visited, fostering relationships that opened up job opportunities.Since late 2022, in response to the country's economic crisis, the visits have focused on accompanying and supporting families, ensuring -among other things -that daughters and granddaughters of domestic workers, if they so wish, can access some form of higher education.The connections have fostered