Community Partnerships: Working with Chaupitena

One of our longest-standing partnerships at our site in Ecuador has been with the local primary school Unidad Educativa Jijón Caamaño y Flores, which we refer to Chaupitena for short. This school is located in the neighborhood of Chaupitena, just a short walk down the road from the MPI community center. As many of the children and teenagers that attend MPI programs and spend time at our community center attend this school, it seemed only natural that a partnership with the school would be an important way to give back to the communities we serve.

Each year Manna Project Program Directors meet with the administration of Chaupitena to discuss the ways that we can best work together for the benefit of students and their families. This year, we decided together that helping students with English fluency would be the best way to accomplish this, and so our English club was born. Three times a week Program Directors lead an English Club for students, helping them work towards English fluency, an important skill for future jobs that can help them break the cycle of poverty for themselves and their families. Teaching at Chaupitena has been a great experience for Program Directors, and a way to get to know students in the community. We've also seen students get involved with other programs and events after first meeting us at English club, such as Children's Nutrition classes, our Teen Center, and more.

As the school year draws to a close at Chaupitena, we will definitely miss our students, but we look forward to seeing them spend more time at our community center and get involved with different summertime activities with Manna Project, like our summer reading club. Looking forward to the next school year, we hope to expand our impact at Chaupitena by working with English teachers to help them with their fluency as well, and developing more regular, school-wide activities to engage even more students and families.

Hornado Solidario & Time with Community Members

On Saturday, May 21st, in the main town plaza just down the street from our community center, we held our 2nd Annual Hornado Solidario, a traditional way in Ecuador to raise money for a good cause. I remember in my high school in the States we used to have chicken barbeque events to raise money for sports teams...but in Ecuador, we barbeque an entire pig, whole! By the end of the day we had raised nearly $1800 to benefit Manna Project's education, health, and livelihoods programs in Ecuador, a tremendous success that will allow us to continue and expand our impact in the community.

More than anything, it was a great day spending time with our wonderful community members, students, and friends who make our time in Ecuador so special. We were all so touched by the generosity of our community members, local businesses, and local volunteers who helped make this day a success. They were the true stars of the day and the reason Manna Project in Ecuador is where it is today! We took hundreds of pictures at the event, but here are some of just a few of our community members we've grown to know and love during our time with Manna Project:

The Granda Family

The Granda family has been involved with Manna Project since it was just getting started in the Chillos Valley, and generations of Program Directors will remember their warmth, kindness, and their enthusiasm for all things Manna Project! Over the years they have invited us over to eat, donated their time to help us with projects such as our Daddy and Me events at the community center, and much more. We even we able to see José (center) play with his band at the Casa de la Cultura in Quito! The whole family is enrolled in English classes with Manna Project, and it brightens our day everytime we see them in our community center.

Yeimmy Clemencia

Yeimmy recently immigrated to Ecuador from Colombia, and has enjoyed getting involved in our community center in any way she can. She takes English classes with us on Saturdays, and was also involved in our Women's Group meetings where we discussed women's issues in Latin America. Most recently, Yeimmy has been a faithful participant in our entrepreneurship classes taught in conjunction with the U.S.-based non-profit Education Global Access Program. She has been learning a lot about marketing, pricing strategies, and much more, and is getting ready to start her own business. We're so excited to have Yeimmy as part of our community here in Ecuador, and can't wait to see her business plans take off to help her and her daughter "seguir adelante," pressing on towards a better future.

Clemencia and Blanca

Clemencia and Blanca are two very special sisters who have been involved with Manna Project for years now, and have a special way of making Program Directors feel like they've found their long lost grandmothers in Ecuador. They first got involved with Manna Project through our partnership with Dr. Escobar at the Sangolqui Hospital where we host a Diabetes Club to help diabetes patients learn about healthy lifestyles. They have also hosted Program Directors in homestays, and were so giving of their time to help prepare and serve food at the Hornado Solidario; don't they look so professional in their blue aprons? We always know we can stop by for lunch with these amazing sisters any time, and are so thankful that we've been able to get to know them during our time living in Ecuador.

Professional Development with Manna Project International

working with Manna Project
is preparing me for a successful career

While our 5-, 7-, and 13-month volunteers at MPI are called Program Directors, they have the opportunity while working in Ecuador or Nicaragua to experience much more than just directing programs! During their time with Manna Project, Program Directors get involved with an array of organizational roles and responsibilities that prepare them well for future jobs in a variety of professional fields. Gaining practical experience through the the ins and outs of nonprofit management will make a difference for the rest of my career.

A Life-Changing Experience

As a Program Director with Manna Project, I've been able to work on communications for our Ecuador site, developing content for social media, blogging, and more. Communicating to our network of followers around the world doesn't just to keep Manna Project fresh in their minds; it's truly about connecting this community with the amazing work happening every day in Ecuador and Nicaragua, and inspiring them just as we are inspired. One of my favorite social media posts throughout the year has been our ongoing Star of the Week feature. It's been a great experience getting to share the story of our community members, and all the challenges and success that we've had in Ecuador this year.

learning valuable skills

I've also been able to work with our U.S.-based staff on researching and applying for grants, and working on other Manna Project fundraising efforts. For anyone interested in working in nonprofits in the future, this is an incredible opportunity to gain experience in one of the most important, high-demand fields of nonprofit management. Since I began with Manna Project, I have had the chance to research hundreds of grant opportunities online, make recommendations for fundraising priorities for our Ecuador site based on needs I've seen over the course of my time here, and more. It has been incredible to see grants that I have researched move from potential applications to real funding for our work in both Ecuador and Nicaragua.

Why MPI?

The flexibility that Manna Project provides its Program Directors to get involved in all aspects of nonprofit management is an important aspect of what drove me to work as a Program Director in Ecuador in the first place. Unlike a lot of other entry-level positions with nonprofits, the Program Director position with Manna Project has allowed me to gain practical experience in so many aspects of nonprofit work. When I return to the States after completing my contract with Manna Project, I will be well-prepared to make a difference for the rest of my career.

Apply for a position

Positions are filling quickly for the upcoming program year.

where are they now?

Learn how past participants have furthered their careers by serving as Program Directors:

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?