Chongón, Ecuador is a small but growing community approximately 40 minutes outside of Guayaquil, Ecuador's second largest city. In this community, most families make ends meet through unskilled work, and many adults are under-educated. Here, only approximately 20 percent of children graduate high school, making it difficult for them to break out of the cycles of poverty they were born into.

As Young Living Founder D. Gary Young was exploring land for the Finca Botanica farm in Chongón in the 2000's, he recognized that investing in education could transform this community's prospects. Each day, he passed a small brick building on his way to the farm, and realized the single-room building was a school. Inside, 42 children in kindergarten through sixth grade were sitting at broken desks receiving lessons from a volunteer teacher on an old chalkboard. Recognizing the potential within each of these students, he set out to build a school that would provide a world-class education to these children, so they could actualize their talents. 

Since the Young Living Academy opened its doors to 67 students in 2009, we've grown to accommodate 350 students in pre-K through twelfth grade. Over the years, we've celebrated:

• 112 total students graduated 
• 94 of whom are currently studying at university 
• 12 students who hold current college degrees 
• 32 students awarded scholarships from the D. Gary Young, Young

And the best part is that its impact is entirely fueled…. BY YOU!! Our Young Living brand partners who step in to sponsor students at the Academy. Our sponsors’ support of their student makes a lifelong impact on that child and their community, instilling in them a lifelong practice of looking out for the welfare of those around them.