Juan Hernando Vallecilla Castillo (Alumni Testimonial)

Juan Hernando Vallecilla Castillo

I am Juan Hernando Vallecilla Castillo, I was born in Limones*, a small village in Eloy Alfaro, a canton of the province Esmeraldas in Ecuador. I am 37 years old, and I come from a very poor and humble family.

In 2005, I had the privilege of joining La Fraternidad María del Paraíso, which is a welcoming home for young students, mostly from small villages, who want to achieve a college degree, and whose parents cannot afford to send their children to college.

I studied at the Universidad Central del Ecuador in Quito, at the Faculty of Administrative Sciences, School of Accounting and Auditing, obtaining the title of Engineer in Accounting and Auditing.

For me La Fraternidad was my second home. During my time living there, I experienced and learned things that I would not have learned in any other place.

It was a very nice time, where I learned to live in a community, to share and exchange customs, habits and resources with other young people from different towns and villages from Atacames, Eloy Alfaro, Esmeraldas, Quinindé, Muisne, Rioverde and San Lorenzo.

La Fraternidad is “a project of God”. It’s a blessing. It’s a space where young students find the possibility to grow in their personal, spiritual, intellectual and social areas.

La Fraternidad is based on 4 principles: faith, solidarity, academics, and family home-like life, these are the center and the main guide for living and sharing a fraternal life.

La Frate taught me many values, especially to be very responsible in order to be the author of my own story.

Becoming part of La Fraternidad is an opportunity God has given me to achieve a higher education, to become a professional in my field of study, to serve, and give back so that other low income boys can also get a higher education, become professionals, and achieve a better future for themselves and their families.