Travel Diaries: The Ecuadorian Cloud Forest

This week, I got the chance to spend some time seeing Ecuador from the eyes of a tourist again, as my cousin and his fiancée were able to take some time off work and school and visit me in Ecuador. It was the first time that my cousin had left the United States, and I am was so happy that Ecuador was the country he chose to first visit! It was also a particularly special time for me, as I recently got engaged and they were both able to meet my fiancé for the first time.

We spent the beginning of the week touring Quito - they had enough time to see all the highlights of the city, such as the historic center: the Presidential Palace, the Basilica, the Equator (known as Mitad del Mundo), and more. We also spent (probably too much) time enjoying delicious Ecuadorian food and some of my favorite restaurants in Quito.

But the real highlight of the trip came this weekend, when we travelled just two hours away from Quito to reach the amazing little town of Mindo, one of my favorite weekend trips from Quito and the gateway to the Ecuadorian Cloud Forest. We spent the weekend doing a variety of adrenaline-heavy activities like zip-lining, tubing down a fast-moving river, and canyoning, an activity that basically involves repelling off of waterfalls (I sat out for that one). And of course we also enjoyed all of Mindo's delicious restaurants and cafes as well.

Although I'm sad to see them go, it was a fantastic time to get to spend time with them and show them the country that I've grown to love during the last two years I've spent with Manna Project!

Spring Break Videos!

Operations at our site in Ecuador are better than ever,  thanks to the help of spring break volunteers who came to lend a hand this past month. The groups focused on projects for teenagers, health and nutrition projects, and construction and repairs for our community center and other partner organizations.

They also were able to spend a lot of time getting to know the area of the Chillos Valley and Quito, as well as spending valuable time with community members and learning about the culture of Ecuador.

Since both group's time with us in Ecuador, we've seen increased attendance at the Teen Center thanks to all the help by the University of Georgia. We've also had triple and quadruple the average attendance at our Diabetes Club meetings in the newly remodeled and painted kitchen space in the community center, thanks to the work of Vanderbilt University volunteers.

Check out these videos showing their time in Ecuador and the many projects they were able to help out with at our community center, with partner organizations, and around the community:

UGA

Vanderbilt

Interested in spending your next spring break with Manna Project in Ecuador or Nicaragua? 

Partner Organization Spotlight: Antorcha de la Vida

When I arrive at the gates of Antorcha de Vida every Wednesday morning, I am immediately greeted by hugs, smiles, handshakes, and knuckle-pounds. When you enter Antorcha, no matter if it is your first time or your forty-first, it feels like home. I breathe easy, knowing that the next two hours will be filled with ceaseless laughter and effervescent joy.

Antorcha de Vida is one of Manna Project International Ecuador’s local partner organizations, a foundation that serves children and adults with special needs; it is also one of my favorite programs. The foundation’s director, Nancy, is the kindest woman in the world and always addresses me as “mija,” a Spanish combination of the words “mi” and “hija,” meaning ‘my daughter.’ It’s touching (but from a United States perspective also a bit odd) to be treated with such love and affection by a woman I essentially work for, but such is the Ecuadorian way of life. Antorcha de Vida was largely inspired by Nancy’s youngest daughter Natalia, who has Down Syndrome - Nancy wanted Nati to have somewhere to go where she could spend her time in both a beneficial and fun way, and after realizing such a place did not exist, took it upon herself to create it.

One of my best buds at Antorcha is Freddy. He is basically the "Antorcha Dad," always grabbing the arm or hand of other students, leading them to where we are going, explaining what we are going to do, etc. Every time we do water therapy, Freddy is the most diligent about actually practicing his kicking, arm movements, and being sure to exercise his muscles. Even when we are in the small baby pool that is only a couple of feet deep, and most of the other students are just sitting and splashing each other, Freddy can be found with his hands on the side of the pool, practicing kicking. A couple of weeks ago I asked Freddy, "Why don't you get in the pool, I'll be back in a few minutes." When I came back, Freddy was standing on the side waiting for me, and when I asked why he had not gotten in, he responded, "It is better, it is more fun with you." That just about melted my heart.

At Antorcha I have learned how to make mani dulce (a delicious caramelized peanut snack), I have learned how to administer successful water therapy, but mostly I have learned joyful and how individualistic each of the students are. Freddy is time-oriented, asking the nurses where the bus is if it is even one minute late, Shirley LOVES the children’s song “Los Pollitos” and motions for me to sing it every time she sees me, Mesías always wants to be the center of attention, Nati is shy but likes to dance if given the encouragement to do so, Pablito and Marlon have fun racing and seeing which of them is fastest, etc. All of the students inspire me as they face constant cultural discrimination and a daily uphill battle of proving to people that although they are people with special needs, they are first and foremost people.

The ‘niños especiales’ of Antorcha have helped me so much more than I have helped them, and I think that is such a beautiful side to community development that friends and family at home often do not see. Yes we are working in these communities to affect change, but we are working alongside the communities, alongside community members, helping each other. I am no savior, I am not single-handedly changing the world, but rather I am I am having my own world changed by the incredible communities with whom I work.

Eduardo Galeano said, “I don’t believe in charity. I believe in solidarity. Charity is vertical, so it’s humiliating. It goes from the top to the bottom. Solidarity is horizontal. It respects the other and learns from the other. I have a lot to learn from other people.” This is the world of co-learning, of co-growing, of co-serving in which I live, and it is a beautiful world indeed.

Ecuador Earthquake

Responding to the Earthquake in Ecuador

As you have likely already heard, Ecuador experienced a 7.8-magnitude earthquake on the evening of April 16th. Our team and the community we serve are safe, and there was no damage to the Manna house or the Community Center.

The earthquake most affected the coast of Ecuador, about 5 hours away from where Manna Project is located. With extreme sadness we know that many homes and buildings were destroyed, thousands of people were injured and several hundred lost their lives.

Our primary focus with MPI Ecuador will be to support our Program Directors in dealing with this tragedy. Experiencing a strong earthquake can be quite alarming, and watching the country you currently call home deal with the aftermaths of such a natural disaster will likely be emotional and difficult. We will take the time as a team to discuss personal experiences of the earthquake as well as our thoughts and feelings of the event and the aftermath. We will also help prepare the Program Directors to interact with community members and assist in any way we can.  

If you were impacted by the earthquake, it is important to know that your reactions, feelings and concerns are normal. It is likely that you will experience a number of emotions over the coming days and weeks.

As an organization, we offer our sincere condolences to those families affected. We are thankful for the many governmental agencies and international NGOs who have so quickly responded with appropriate aid in the regions most affected. Our Ecuadorian government counterparts have reached out with opportunities to assist with donation coordination near Quito. It is our desire to help as much as possible locally, though we believe it is in the best interest of our staff and Program Directors to not travel to the affected areas at this time.

The safety and well-being of our volunteers continues to be a top priority for Manna Project International.  If you have any additional questions or concerns please feel free to contact Executive Director Lori Scharffenberg directly at lori@mannaproject.org.

If you would like to make a donation to earthquake relief efforts, we recommend donating to the Red Cross of Ecuador. Click below to be redirected to their site. Thank you!

Quarter 3 Retreat: The Beach!

Over the past three days, the Manna Project Ecuador team took a much-needed break as we headed to the coast for our Quarter 3 retreat. We headed out of the Andes mountains, home to our MPI site in the Los Chillos Valley, and down to the coast, to the beautiful beach paradise of Súa, Ecuador.

Ecuador is home to three distinct regions on its mainland: the coast, the mountains, and the Amazon rainforest; in all of our retreats we've been able to experience all of them! Although I'll always be partial to the mountains that we call home with Manna Project, the coast of Ecuador has some of the most beautiful beaches in all of South America, and it was so relaxing to spend some time on the beautiful white sand in front of the ocean!

One of the highlights of our trip was the incredible seafood that we ate at almost every meal. Súa is in the Esmeraldas province, and region with a mix of different influences and cultures, which gives it a unique and special cuisine. Some of the culinary highlights we enjoyed included:

Arroz con Camarón, a delicious dish shrimp, vegetables, and a special fried rice

Encebollado, one of Ecuador's most traditional dishes, a soup made from white fish and yucca, a root vegetable.

Ceviche, a dish made from fresh raw fish or shrimp, cured in lime juice and mixed with tomato, onion, and cilantro

...and every type of fish and seafood dish you can imagine!

It was wonderful relaxing at the beach with my fellow Program Directors and spending some time getting to know another area of Ecuador that's so different from the area of Quito and the Los Chillos Valley we've gotten to know so well during our time with Manna Project.