Week(s) in Review

A lot happens in the weeks that lead up to spring break, including running around Quito writing down directions, finalizing trip budgets, and setting up bunk beds / moving me and Erik into the house for the month. Thanks to Haley and the other group leaders, we feel pretty confident that things will good pretty smoothly come next Friday!

In the midst of all the planning, a number of other things have been happening that we've neglected to mention - a myriad of enthusiastic art classes, Erik's birthday, really professional grant writing meetings, and a fantastic visit from SETH! - Felicitaciones from the Manna house to him and his fiance, Johanna, who got engaged just a few weeks ago right here in Quito! I smell a reunion for your wedding (wink wink)?!

Here's a rundown through pictures of what we've been up to...

Erik turns 22, holler back youngin'!


Sarah and Bibi duke it out to see who gets to write the Gates Foundation grant (other match ups include: Mike vs. Chet, Haley vs. Krysta, more or less everyone else vs. Bibi)


Lucia, Marjorie, Johanna, Seth, and Shawn celebrating in Quito!


All of the art students hold up their masks in-progress

Emily and Mateo painting away


Wendy decorates with style

Stay tuned this week for notes from our first home stay, a rundown about a new 6th grade nutrition/class garden education program starting on Tuesday, updates from preventative health progress... and of course, spring break arrivals on Friday!

until next time,
Jackie

Survey Says...

This week's blog comes from Chet Polson, our resident e-card sender for any major and minor holiday, petty cash administrator, and most of all, the only person who has given us his guest blog on time (even early!) every single time he's scheduled. For all of those reasons and many more, WE LOVE YOU CHET.

"Ahoy 'Scrubs' Fans,

All of our first courses for the quarter are winding down, but rather than reflect on our first round of classes I am going to fill you in on something a bit more timeless: microfinance. Erik and I set a lot of big goals for the quarter (including starting to shadow with EPV and getting ready to teach the small business class we were trained for in the fall) but one of our most interesting goals is trying to survey the small business climate in the communities we work with. Now I can hear your eye-muscles contract as you are thinking, “Why on Earth would they want to SURVEY the place?”

Well sure, we already have SOCAT, the large community survey that was conducted two years ago. But SOCAT holds a snapshot of community assets (like skills) and areas where there is interest for possible growth. We are interested in a more robust picture of current business practices to get an idea of how small business is conducted currently and for possible ways to improve it. Right now, we are most interested in how businesses get what they are selling. Let me illustrate our interest with an example.

While there are many tiendas in Rumiloma, there is one I visit frequently about a block from the bus stop on the way into the Centro. I pop in and try to buy a 20 cent, glass bottle, returnable Coke before class when the mood strikes me (it strikes frequently). However, when the owner happens to be out of Coke, it will literally take her weeks to restock. I would probably buy a whole palette’s worth of Coke in the time it takes to restock, so she is losing out on a profit. During these “times of thirst” she literally has to tell me every time I walk in “Oh, Tuesday,” or whatever the next random day may be, so she knows she is out and someone wants to buy one. Many of the other tiendas don’t even sell coke in this size bottle.

This is the kind of example that makes Erik and I want to know more about overall current business practices than just anecdotal evidence. If our assumptions hold, there might be room for business cooperatives. To stick with the Coke example, maybe it would be best for all the tiendas in the area to place one big order directly with Coke, have it delivered weekly, and then just split up. But the honest answer is we just don’t know enough about how businesses work where we are, which is why we need to start with a survey.

We put some time into crafting this survey, and in one page, it covers a lot of areas of possible interest. We ask about business name (a basic question, but useful for advertising), number of employees, where they get their supplies, accounting procedures, and current loans and plans for future growth. The goal is to survey every business in the area: every tienda, every furniture maker, every welder, every internet café. Our official goal is to survey 50 businesses by the end of the quarter, and while we plan to do that, we very well could be surveying for the next several months. Erik and I will be administering the surveys orally to business owners in the area, so it will be a good chance to practice my Spanish and meet some community members who may not have visited our program space just yet. Hopefully by the end of the quarter we will have a big enough sample to see some general trends and have the ability to increase the business capital in the area in some form.

I’d attach a copy of the official survey as well, but I’m sure I am already over my word limit.

Song of the Blog: “Voice of the Voiceless,” by Rage Against the Machine "

What Chet does when he isn't microfinance-ing or teaching

- Jackie

Pssst...

HAPPY BIRTHDAY ERIK!

The birthday boy would be the one of the left

LoOOOoOOoOOoOOOOOooOOoove,

Your Housemates :)

It's That Time Again...

... time for PD Interviews! Wooohooooooo!

For those of you who have not been religiously following the blog since this time last year, let me explain. Last year's PDs had the great idea of interviewing each PD individually and posting the interviews on the blog. It gave a better look into Manna life in Ecuador, as well as allowed people to get to know the PDs "face-to-face"... because well, there's only so much one can convey through a blog post. Now that we've been here long enough to (kind of?) know what we're talking about, and to expound on what we've learned and all of that fun self-reflective stuff, we're ready to get on with the interviews.

So how is this going to work? I'm hoping to conduct, edit, and post an interview once every 3 weeks (give or take). About 5 days before the actual interview, I'll write a post on the blog requesting questions for whomever is being interviewed that week. Then, I'll use your questions during the interview, edit the thing down to about 5-8 minutes, and post it. Rinse and repeat. Nine times.

Who's up first? None other than the mysterious MIKE GABRYS! Work-wise, Mike is known around these parts for his involvement in the library, Teen Center, and for teaching the newest Adult English class in Ruminahui with Chet. Non-work-wise, Mike is known for being the last candidate training for the full Quito marathon in June (the other candidate is wussing out and opting for the half marathon...), baking explosive (literally) brownies with Sonia at least once every two weeks, and being the extreme organizer of the laundry room.

Mike poses for his official Manna website photo...

I will be interviewing Mike THIS FRIDAY (2/26) at NOON... so please, send questions to sarah.scott@mannaproject.org or post them in the comments section of this post BEFORE noon on Friday!

Thanks in advance!

Sarah

A Taste of Heaven

This week's guest blog comes from Erik Swanson, my apartment-mate until next week when we migrate to the house for spring break - something tells me we might have a little adjusting to do after months of seclusion. After spending Carnaval on the coast, Erik has a lot to say about the beautiful beaches and people he encountered!

"Forty-five years ago, as the story is told, a group of surfers set out to travel the Ecuadorian coast in search of the perfect wave. When they found their ideal wave, they brought their families to a place that is now known as Ayampe to live in tranquility. Never straying from its roots of relaxation and moderate isolation, it is currently a town of no more than 400 easy-going inhabitants. The marriage of its climate, landscape, and culture make it nothing short of breathtaking. When one takes into account the addition of its surf, this small town may, perhaps, appear to be an outpost of heaven on Earth.

The town is small and charming, with its only paved road being the highway that runs from North to South along the coast. There are many small restaurants in the area that serve incredible seafood brought in fresh from the sea and even a small pool hall along the main road of town. Travelers can expect to be greeted with smiles and welcoming locals during the day and to be lulled to sleep by the soft chirping of insects accompanied by the constantly rolling waves at night.

Upon examining the beach itself, one can expect to be struck by all of the magnificent features that contributed to a group of surfers deciding to make it their private paradise. Surrounded by the last tropical forest in Ecuador, not to be confused with the rain forests of the east, and dissected by a river, this small strip of coast is a testament to Ecuador’s natural beauty. Adding to the ambiance of picturesque isolation, the beach’s northern and southern extremities are clearly marked by enormous, impassable rock faces. Completing the scenery, there is a small island formed by two pillars rising almost 100 feet above the waves located due west of the center of the beach. Once a year, the forces that be bless the locals with a stunning sunset that falls directly between the two pillars.

Erik takes a shot of friends at a beach-side bonfire

I had the pleasure of spending the four days of the Carnaval weekend in Ayampe. During a weekend that, at least in Latin America, is typically marked by the over-consumption of alcohol and onsets of temporary madness, I had the pleasure of a weekend filled with sun, surfing, and the company of good friends. My main suggestion for anyone with interest in visiting Ayampe is to bring multiple good books. I’d like to thank Kurt Vonnegut and Jean-Paul Sartre for fulfilling my every literary want and need. "