Spring Break in Ecuador

It was a busy week in Ecuador: we had not one, but TWO incredible spring break groups on site participating in programs, revamping the community center and more. We love hosting short-term volunteers on site during the spring and fall. Visiting teams give us a fresh perspective on programs as well as provide the time and manpower to complete innovative and fun projects. But the best part about welcoming visiting teams is watching them grow through the opportunity to use their passions and talents to give back to underserved communities in Latin America.

Vanderbilt University

Students from Vanderbilt planned and participated in health and wellness projects. They also lent a helping hand painting the kitchen in the community center, building desks for our education programs, and making a beautiful mural at a preschool in Fajardo, a nearby school district.

While Program Directors were occupied teaching English on Saturday morning, the Vanderbilt team also surprised us with an incredible mural, the first thing community members will see when they enter the community center. We finished out the week with a beautiful and relaxing hike at Molinuco, a nearby ecological refuge with a series of stunning waterfalls.

The University of Georgia

Students from the University of Georgia worked on projects for teenagers in our community. They got to know the students by hosting a teen center movie night and carnival day, and also conducting a spelling bee with English students at Chaupitena, a local primary school where Program Directors teach English.

They also left their mark on the teen center by giving it a fresh coat of paint! After a long week of hard work, UGA students headed to Quito to visit the equator, tour the Ecuador historical center, and enjoy some wonderful Ecuadorian food!

Our incredible community members

A highlight of the trip for both groups was dinner in the home of some of our incredible community members. We were so touched by their hospitality (and cooking skills!), and they were excited to get the chance to know our amazing and dedicated spring break volunteers. Manna Project wouldn't be where it is today without the support and participation of our dedicated community members!

Thank you to our wonderful spring break teams!
 

Experience all the Ecuador has to offer - work with MPI this summer as an intern!
Applications due March 25th.

Do you want the full experience? Apply to work as a Program Director.
Applications are due April 5th.

Quito Is a Top Ten City!

Quito is an incredible city, and just a 40 minute bus ride away from our Manna Project Ecuador site in the Los Chillos Valley, it becomes a home away from home for many Program Directors. With its beautiful architecture, constant rotation of festivals celebrating food, culture, and cinema, and its gleaming new malls, cafés, and restaurants, there is aways plenty to do in the city for a Program Director on their time off!

We are not the first ones to praise Quito for all it has to offer. Do a Google search on Quito and you'll find that it is regularly praised by travel guides, magazines, and the like as one of the hot destinations for all kinds of travelers. Lonely Planet even named it the #2 destination among its Top Ten Cities to visit in 2016!

Here are some of Program Directors' favorite places to visit in Quito!

Historic Center

The Historic Center of Quito has been named a UNESCO World Heritage Site because of its incredible Spanish colonial architecture. It is the best-preserved and least-altered historic center in all of Latin America.

There are many beautiful churches and historic buildings to visit. Last week, I visited the Presidential Palace for the first time, where visitors can see the ornate rooms and lavish gifts given by visiting presidents and diplomats from around the world.

Guayasamin Museum

The Guayasamin museum transformed the home of Ecuador's most famous painter, Eduardo Guayasamin, into one of Quito's biggest tourist attractions and loveliest sites. Not only do visitors get the chance to see Guayasamin's most famous works of art, they also get to see his impressive collection of colonial art and take in an amazing view of Quito spilling over the mountains. Program Directors also enjoy the delicious coffee, juice, and snacks at Omama Cafe just one block away...we even spent time there during our Quarter 4 retreat last year!

The Cafés

(and skull donuts)

There are plenty of cafés sprouting up all over the city, celebrating the world-class coffee of Ecuador, and Program Directors keep a running list of favorites. Although Ecuador has some of the best coffee in the world, there aren't that many cafés in the Los Chillos Valley where we live, so Program Directors will often take their laptops into Quito and work on MPI projects, or take a book and their journal to reflect and relax. One of my personal favorite cafes is Skull Donuts, a delicious café near La Mariscal district with coffee and donuts. Skull Donuts truly puts Dunkin Donuts to shame! They make fresh donuts every day from the most delicious (and creative!) ingredients, including a variety of fresh Ecuadorian fruit.

Parque Carolina

Ecuadorians are lovers of parks, and on the weekends (particularly Sundays), Quito's parks are filled with families spending time together. Parque Carolina is one of the largest and liveliest parks in Quito, and it has so many things to see and do on the weekends: bike rentals, paddle boat rides, and a variety of food stands selling everything you could imagine and more. Parque Carolina is a great place for a picnic or people watching!

Join us - apply to become a Program Director today. 

Carley Clement | Senior Program Director
Sangolqui, Rumiñahui, Ecuador

8 Beautiful Photos of Rural Ecuador

One of the best parts of the Valle de los Chillos, the community that Manna Project International serves, is the proximity to both rural and urban landscapes. Within what seems like just a few minutes bus ride, Program Directors have access to both the bustling metropolitan city of Quito and also the lush, tranquil fields and forests of rural Ecuador.

Last week Program Directors were joined all of Ecuador in a five day celebration of the Carnaval holiday. Many chose to head out into the countryside to relax. Here's your chance to fall in love with rural Ecuador, just as we have:

Amaguaña

Zumbahua

Come work with Manna Project and experience the beauties of Ecuador.

Program Director applications  are due April 5th. 

Carnaval 2016

This Carnaval, Ecuador Program Directors headed south from Quito to Baños for the weekend. Carnaval is celebrated right before Ash Wednesday, so is the equivalent of Mardi Gras in the US. It is typical to throw foam, flour, and eggs (and even mud or paint in some areas) during Carnaval. Thankfully, Baños was just a relatively tame, drizzly landscape of "carioka," the famous white spray foam everyone has for Carnaval.

As gringas, we were prime targets for this holiday fun. Each of us bought a can (or two) of carioka and we spent one afternoon out playing. The streets were full with people running and spraying their foam at any and all who passed by. This community-wide foam battle lasted all through the night, and we had to wait until a friendly (yet very messy) crowd subsided before we were to able to exit our restaurant after dinner one night!

On Sunday, we hopped on a bus an hour away to Ambato, where a famous fruit and flower parade is held every year. We arrived in Ambato and met up with some friends, and spent the morning into the early afternoon enjoying the bands, dance groups, and gorgeously decorated floats of pure fruit and flowers.

While our Carnaval experience was a fairly clean one, other towns got crazy with paint throwing, like here in Amaguaña. It's all in good fun.

Feliz Carnaval!

Meet Tracy Lucas, MPI Ecuador’s newest Program Director!

Name: Tracy Lucas

Hometown: Basking Ridge, NJ

College: The College of New Jersey

Major: Business Management, Philosophy

Why did you choose Ecuador?

After graduating, I knew I wanted to go somewhere new where I could experience a different lifestyle and contribute to that community. I discovered Manna Project International through a Google search for international volunteering opportunities and immediately felt like MPI was right for me. Upon researching Ecuador and reading about its diverse geography and fascinating culture, I felt confident that Ecuador would be everything I was looking for in a new home.

What do you hope to accomplish here as a Program Director in these next seven months?

I mostly just want to contribute to the best of my ability and better the lives of the people I interact with in whatever way I can.

Do you have any cool travel plans for your time here?

I plan to travel around Ecuador whenever I get the chance on weekends; I really want to absorb as much of the country and culture that I can. I imagine these seven months will fly by and I plan to make the most of my time here.

What are you most excited about?

I am really excited about being a Program Director for the Small Business Development program- a program that is currently being restructured. The program's restructuring allows for me to play a big role in designing how the program will run and shaping its future.

Have you ever traveled before?

I studied abroad in Belgium a few years ago and it really solidified my love for traveling. During my time abroad, I of course explored much of Belgium but also ventured to other countries such as Morocco, Portugal, and Holland.

What are some of your hobbies?

I enjoy trying new things, traveling, and watching television. I am passionate about continual self improvement, philosophical discussion with a focus in morality, and bettering the world around me.

What is one thing you hope to take out from this experience?

Overall in life, I aim to gain a better understanding of the world; to achieve this, I must understand the world's components as a means to better understand the whole. Ecuador is one component, and I hope living here will serve as one step towards a clearer view of the world and the people that live in it.