Vanderbilt Spring Break Group!

This week the Manna Ecua site is hosting 11 awesome volunteers from Vanderbilt University! They are here helping us prepare for the 5 year anniversary party of our community center and library. So far the week has been filled with Carnaval celebrations, revamping the library space with a new coat of paint and some new tables for the class rooms, and a day touring Quito. 


Here is a short overview of the first day from site leader Hannah Berg: 

Sunday  was our first full day in Ecuador, and we jumped in head first by heading to a Carnival parade in Amaguana. Before leaving, we learned that Carnaval is a weeklong celebration leading up to the Tuesday before Lent, and that it involves pelting people with foam, powder and colored eggs. The program directors did a great job of explaining, but nothing could have prepared us for what was to come.   

We rode to Amaguana in the back of a truck bed, which was bumpy but gave us an incredible view of the Ecuadorian countryside and mountains. As we approached the parade area we started to see more and more people carrying around espuma (foam) in spray cans. Almost the second we stepped off the truck I got sprayed full in the face with foam. Carnival had begun!

Within a few minutes we where all covered in a rainbow of colored powder and foam. Some of us (including me) got eggs in our hair. By the end of the day we were every color of the rainbow and had memories to last a lifetime. 

More stories and experiences from the Vandy group will be posted soon! 

Planting Party!

Last November our wonderful group of Vandy volunteers built a sustainable green house out of plastic water bottles, this week we finally where able to have our long awaited planting party! We filled two of the three planters with soil and planted celery, pepper, basil, thyme, and lemon verbena. The kids had a really fun time digging around in the soil and getting their hands dirty.

Planting master Cate showing them how its done

Prof Heather, Emily and Mateo

Profe Heather and Joel planting some peppers

After helping us plant in the planter boxes, the kids got to plant their own seeds in egg cartons, some of which will be used in the green house, others were taken home by the kids who planted them. It was a fun afternoon of planting and we are excited to watch the plants and seeds grow! Hopefully soon we will be able to use some of the plants in our Adult Cooking and Nutrition class.

Waiting in line to get seeds

Planting tomato and basil seeds

We hope to continue talks about the different environmental issues that are found here in the community where we work! 

Reading and Eating! Two New Programs in the Library

The library has recently developed a few new programs to get the kids excited about reading and making healthy snack choices. The new reading challenge created by PDs Torie Taylor and challenges kids to read a new book and write a small report on it. Every time they turn in a book report a new sticker is Placed next to Their Name on a board displaced in the library, after a certain number of book reports are turned in the participant will receive an ice cream treat! Once the kids caught onto the reading club poster filled with names and stickers! It has been a great way to challenge kids to read something new every time they come to the library. 

Children's Nutrition also recently adopted a new program on Friday afternoons, which encourages you the kids to make more educated choices when it comes to snacking. It is very common to see kids in the library with chips, candy or ice cream every day so PDs Cate, Claudia, Nick, and Abby thought it would be a good idea to introduce a new healthy to snack to every week, Accompanied with a short talk (chat) about  what makes this food a better choice then the very commonly sighted junk food. The first few lectures have gone really well with high attendance and kids gobbling up the snacks as fast as then can!

Hormigas En Un Palo

Today in Children's Nutrition we broke out the celery, peanut butter, and raisins for some hands on learning with a healthy snack, Hormigas en un Palo (Ant on a Log). Profe Claudia began the class by talking to the students about why it is important to understand where your food comes from, and how preparing food helps give insight into what you are eating. Then came snack time, the kids lined up to assemble their own 'Ants on a Log' and then chowed down. It was definitely a new snack for many of them and it seemed to be a success! 

Hormigas En Un Palo

Claudia and Cate showing the students how it is done!

Snack time!

Fiesta en la Biblioteca!

After a long winter break, we, the PDs of MPI Ecuador decided the kids of Rumiloma needed reminding of just how fun and awesome the library can be, so we decided to throw a party.  With a turn out of about 35 kids the party was a huge success, complete with a water balloon toss, musical chairs, a turtle making art craft and enough popcorn and cookies to fill a cruise ship.

It's not a party if someone isn't reading!

Profe Cate with some fiesta going niños

Mateo and Jonathan about to lay down the law with some water balloons.