Our work in Ecuador the founding curriculum
Planting now, trusting we’ll reap for the next generation.
Why we work in Ecuador
Ecuador is home to some of the most humble, dedicated, and hardworking people we’ve had the privilege to serve alongside. It’s a culture built on family — an estimated 60% of local businesses are family-owned and family-run, passed from one generation to the next. That’s exactly where Hineni wants to stand: alongside these families, connecting them with partners and resources who can help them strengthen what they’ve already built and improve their path forward.
Working across a different culture and language is not without its challenges. But there is something wonderful about showing up, learning, and building trust with people whose daily life looks nothing like our own — and then watching what we’ve planted together begin to grow. We don’t measure this work in a single trip or a single season. We measure it the way a farmer does: we plant now, trusting we’ll reap the rewards for the next generation.
Hanukkah 2025: the trip that started it all
Hanukkah 2025 marked the very first trip to Quito, Ecuador. Before there was a Hineni Works Initiative, there was simply a prayer: Andrea and Orlando Sanchez had been praying about traveling to Quito to meet the people of peace God had for them there. They didn’t yet know what they were building; they only knew they wanted to celebrate Hanukkah, without knowing exactly where or with whom.
God answered that prayer by connecting them with Rabbi Tomer of Casa Chabad, and that first Hanukkah celebration in Quito became the seed that would grow into everything Hineni is today.
Hanukkah in Quito, December 2025
Passover 2025: training and certification
Later that year, the team returned to Quito for their first Passover celebration — and Andrea’s very first trip to Ecuador. This visit combined worship with hands-on work: the team trained a group in 5S and workplace safety principles, and six participants completed the training and earned their certifications. The group celebrated the milestone together over a shared meal — an early taste of the same “plant now, reap later” spirit that defines Hineni’s work in Ecuador today.
December 4-12, 2026
Join us in Quito for Hanukkah 2026
This December, we’re traveling to Quito, Ecuador to celebrate Hanukkah together with the Jewish community there — eight days of light, gratitude, and celebration. And we’re inviting you to join us.
Hanukkah is a season of reflection — a time to look back at everything God has done, and to trust Him for everything still ahead. There’s something powerful about celebrating that light alongside a community on the other side of the world, and we’d love for you to be part of it, whether that means traveling with us or partnering from home.
Trip cost, registration, and group details are being finalized. Tell us you’re interested and we’ll send them as soon as they’re ready.
The menorah in Quito, December 2025