gwennfar

So it´s been a long time since I´ve updated and much has happened. We finished up the project in Visote, in the end we made a garden of medicinal plants and vegitables, bought them 17 cuyes, did workshops on family planning, STDs, nutrition (2), sanitation, and first aid. The people there were so wonderful, I´m really going to miss that community. BUT I´m going to have to go back eventually, because on the last day we were there I became godmother of two children, Kevin Stalen (11 months) and Jessica Margoth (7 years). It more of a supprt thing than actually caring for them if something happens to thier parents, since there would be a lot of issues with me adopting an indigenous child from Ecuador I bet, but I agreed to help out where I ... read more

So we got a call on Sunday morning saying there was a meeting in Gradas that morning that were supposed to attend and be ready in 10 minutes. Half an hour later we headed up, and then we (and the rest of the coomunity) waited for two hours for the leader to show up. They we had a little private meeting with him where we explained that we had been trying to do workshops but no one shows up, and we went to Visote and the people there are really interested and basically we aren´t going to spend any more money in Gradas unless we start seeing some cooperation. He said he thinks the people are mad because he told them we were comign with 5 grand and now we don´t have it and they think ... read more

Well last weekend was so fun that I´m still recovering. Carmen´s grad was interesting, I guess her school in San Lorezo teaches music, so there were a few performances by the graduates during the ceremony (she specialized in administration though). After the ceremony we went up to the farm in Canduya for the party Manuela and Wilson were throwing. We helped prepare the massive pig they bought and we were like a big Ecuadorian family. Carmen´s brother and sister were there as well, and they were very friendly. We could only stay for the lunch (chicken soup, cuy, fritata, and potatoes) and not the dancing because we had to get back to Guaranda to have dinner with David´s parents. So much eating. Saturday morning we were up bright and early to catch a bus out to ... read more

So things at Gradas got off to a rocky start, but I think we´re making some progress. First, a bit about the project, they´re building an integral farm with fruits and vegetables, medicinal plants, and animals, all to be sustainable and organic. This farm is supposed to be a model for people in the community (they currently grow monocultures of corn or wheat and use a lot of pesticides and stuff) and they can volunteer to work there and learn how it all works together and then if they choose to make their own they will be given some of the startup supplies (like maybe seeds). It´s a good proposal, but a much bigger project than GOSA usually takes on. We´ll also be doing workshops in Gradas and the surrounding communities when we´re not on the ... read more

Here are some pictures from the fiesta de San Pedro... read more

Well we finished up in Canduya this week. It´s hard to believe that the project is already half over. We managed to finish the water filter, dig a hole for plastic garbage (not the best solution, but otherwise they burn it) put in two ´model´organic fertilized vegitable gardens for two families and paint a mural on the side of the school, in addition to all of our workshops. We said our goodbyes and there were a few tears, especially when saying goodbye to the family we´ve been living with there. They´ve invited us to thier daughter´s graduation party on Friday though, so hopefully we´ll see them then. We have to find out what our schedule is like in Gradas (the community we´re starting to work in on Monday) to see if we´ll be able to leave ... read more

picutres from my teleferico trip... read more