(October sunset over the Andes)September saw a number of exciting changes for MPIEcuador in terms of programs expansions, project enactments, and our inner-house community. Luckily I have 9 more monthly updates to cover everything, thus each month I will be focusing the Manna lens on one or two projects.
Last year's PDs, drawing from methodologies developed by the World Bank and Northwestern University, conducted community surveys and dialogues aimed at identifying the existing institutions, networks, and individuals which stood as assets in the communities in which we work. As we've analyzed the data from these surveys in the past few months, the number of respondents who identified a desire to start their own small business was a staggering 65%. To this end, Dunc Fulton and Eliah McCalla organized (and participated in) a two week business course for community members at neighboring FEVI University.
Partnered with the local Cooperative and the Center for Innovation and Small Business Development at FEVI, the class taught basic business skills to 14 community members (and two Gringos!), covering topics such as entrepreneurial characteristics, formulation of business ideas, marketing, and the creation of detailed business and financial plans. As a final project, the participants created their own actual business plans, evaluated by leaders of the Cooperativa Esperanza y Progreso del Valle. We all attended the final project presentations, and it was incredibly touching to listen to each participant thank Manna Project and the Cooperative for working side by side to put on the class and for taking seriously their individual dreams of being small business owners.
(The small business class (spot the gringo!), with their diplomas)We also welcomed our 9th Program Director, Dana Conway, a fellow Coloradan and ski bum, on September 23. As I write this, Dana is still living in Quito and working her way through the many Spanish verb tenses at language school, but will join us in a week down in the Valley. Already adapting wonderfully to Ecuadorian life, Dana has spent the past few weeks exploring Quito, traveling with us all to Cuenca for our yearly PD retreat, participating in our intensive weekly meetings (which somehow always seem to take over two hours), and practicing for her turn as head chef. Having found her niche in the house dynamic somewhere between the personality extremes perfectly represented by cousins Dunc and Jocelyn, we couldn't be more excited to add Dana to our Manna family.
Stay tuned next month for updates on our women's exercise and adult literacy classes, slated to begin in a little over a week. And don't forget to keep up with the Daily Life Blog (found at www.openhandsdirtyfeet.blogspot.com) if you're ever searching for more detailed depictions of Manna life, Ecuador style.
Thank you for your continued support, and happy autumn! Think of us next time you pass an orange pumpkin or crunch over brightly colored leaves!
Holly
(Country Director Mark Hand demonstrating the correct technique for 'bus surfing')
(Jocelyn Lancaster evades capture during a football break from Apoyo Escolar)
(Dunc Fulton takes part in a business strategy game during small business class)
(Serena Zhou and Holly Ward start the long clean up in the community-wide river Minga)
(Seth Harlan, Jocelyn, Dana Conway, Luke Lockwood, and Serena goof around in Cuenca)
(Manna Ecuador boys (Seth, Dunc, Luke and Mark) lounge in the pool)
(Jocelyn, Serena and Holly model their new Panama hats, purchased in Cuenca!)
(the team covers all the ground in Cajas National Park)