So… A Lot Has Happened at OSSO Lately

Life Inside OSSO: The Volunteer Experience

Fall Semester = Wrapped

Honestly, the last few weeks have been busy — in a good way. We wrapped up a semester, welcomed new volunteer leaders, made some big shifts at a couple of sites, and kicked off a brand-new program. Here’s a quick rundown.

Christmas in Cuenca with the Cox Family

Over Christmas and New Year’s, the Cox family volunteered with us in Cuenca. Their time looked pretty simple — baking cookies, hanging out, hosting small get-togethers, and just being present with the kids.

That kind of low-key, everyday time matters a lot, especially during the holidays.

Meet the New DOVEs

We’ve also welcomed several new Directors of Volunteer Experience (DOVEs) — basically the people who help keep things running smoothly for volunteers day-to-day.

Cuenca - Michael and Marbell Payne

Teachers who bring strong organization skills and a calm, thoughtful approach. They’ve already been a great support for volunteers in Cuenca.

Quito - Kyle and Launi Ahlstrom

The Ahlstroms come with lots of international teaching and volunteer experience, plus backgrounds in education, health care, and ESL. Kyle’s often out playing sports with the kids, and Launi brings a lot of experience supporting both volunteers and children.

Tepoztlán - Britta Taylor and Brisa Fuentes

Both have strong volunteer and leadership backgrounds. They’re using this season before grad school or full-time careers to serve intentionally and bring a lot of maturity and consistency to the Mexico site.

Relief DOVEs - Cooper and Sophie Sibley

They jump in wherever they’re needed, helping cover transitions or busy seasons. They bring Spanish fluency, cross-cultural experience, and a real heart for working with kids.

All of them have already made a noticeable difference.

Relief DOVEs serve as flexible, on-call leadership, stepping in across sites as needed to support volunteers, maintain continuity, and provide additional coverage during transitions or high-need periods.

A Big Move in Quito

In Quito, we recently moved our volunteer program headquarters from San Vicente de Paul to the Henry Davis Foundation. This change helps us better match volunteer support with current needs, and so far, it’s been a really positive shift.

A New ESL Program Is Coming

We’re getting ready to launch a new, custom ESL curriculum made specifically for our volunteer setting. It was developed by a certified ESL teacher and is designed to help volunteers connect more easily with kids through language — especially older kids.

More on this soon.

New Ways to Serve (Without Traveling)

You don’t have to hop on a plane to help. After hearing from so many church and service groups asking how they could get involved, we asked the orphanages what they actually need, turned that into a list of humanitarian service kits, and built a simple page where groups can sign up and get started. Signups are now available through the OSSO website.

https://ossocares.org/donate/kits

Two New Babies 💜

One of the orphanages we support, Hogar de Jesucristo, recently welcomed two newborn babies. Volunteers will be helping support their care as they settle in.

Mexico Program = Officially Live

And finally — our Mexico volunteer program is officially up and running. After months of planning, we’re working closely with Tashirat and local partners in a beautiful area with strong community support. Safety has been a big priority from the start, and we’re grateful for the relationships that make this program possible.