I will be training and leading a group of college students to live in
Ecuador for several months and help improve the plight of ?ninos
trabajadores? (working kids) in Quito, having participated in the same
program last year.  In order to ensure that our work is as helpful and
sustainable as possible, I need to know the political, cultural, and
social factors that contribute to the existence and life of working
kids in Ecuador, and other important facts.

Specifically, Where do they originate?  What is their home life
typically like?  What are the most common lines of work of their
parents?  What is the political response in Quito (how does the
existence of working kids affect local politics)?  What resources are
available to them?  How far do they get in formal education?  What
happens to working kids that leave publicly funded shelters (because
they age-out or otherwise)?  What are their employment patterns?  How
many working kids end up in better economic conditions than the ones
in which they were raised?  What are their family lives as an adult? 
How does the physical and mental health of Quiteno working kids
compare with more wealthy Quiteno kids?  What is the social/cultural
response to working kids of wealthier families?  What stereotypes of
the working kids persist among other Quitenos?  What influence does
indigenous culture have on the family life of street kids?