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The Indiana-Ecuador Partnership for Sustainable Development engages students in a wide variety of service-learning & internship opportunities related to the sustainable development of Ecuador. The following organizations have expressed a need for assistance from qualified individuals in the areas of Education, Environment/Ecological Restoration, Health, Microfinance, Tourism, and Technology/Informatics.

Organization Description

CEPESIU (http://www.cepesiu.org/)

Center for Promotion and Employment for the Informal Urban Sector

With over 21 years of experience, CEPESIU is a microfinance institution that provides a variety of financial and education services to some of Ecuador’s most vulnerable population.

Services provided by CEPESIU include

*Financial Services including micro-credit to microenterprises
*Business Development Services including knowledge management and training services for emerging micro-enterprises
*Local Economic Development Consulting including workshops and capital provision for self-forming systems of credit in rural and urban communities
*Community Bank Training to enhance the capacity of community-based systems of credit

FUNDAMYF/RANDIMPAK Project (http://www.fundamyf.org)

FUNDAMYF is a development organization working in diverse areas such as poverty eradication, public health, micro-credit, and ecological restoration. In pursuing an integrated approach to development, FUNDAMYF engages in projects that promote a model of economic and social well-being that build new relations of gender equality and social equity. The primary activities of FUNDAMYF include capacity-building workshops, project management consulting, and technical assistance.

RANDIMPAK PROJECT (Website forthcoming)

IEPSD collaborates with FUNDAMYF’s Randimpak project in the community of San Gerardo, one of 151 rural communities in central Ecuador that participate in the project. Randimpak seeks to reduce poverty through an integrated development strategy that comprises programs in education, health, microcredit, and agriculture, with emphasis on the improvement of production and commercialization. All programs are led by women and emphasize responsible environmental management.

Guamote Cheesemaker Association

Located in the Andean city of Guamote, a central hub for commerce in the mostly-indigenous province of Chimborazo, the Guamote Cheesemaker Association is a group of autonomous microenterprises working toward a common goal: to expand access to domestic and international markets and enhance the economic security of their communities through stable employment and a sustainable source of income.

INTI SISA (http://www.intisisa.org/)

The Belgium-based INTI SISA contributes to the development of the Guamote community through seven strategic areas, with emphasis on tourism and education. Tourists interested in exploring the ecological wonders of Chimborazo through hiking, backpacking, or on horseback stay at the INTI SISA guesthouse, whose income funds educational projects. Handicraft workshops organized by INTI SISA staff contribute to local indigenous communities’ economic independence and sense of self-respect, while the after-school homework sessions and additional education programs for primary and secondary schoolchildren brighten the prospects for the next generation of Ecuadorean men and women.

Jambi Kiwa

Created by an association of indigenous women, Jambi Kiwa is a co-operative business set up to grow, process, and market medicinal and aromatic plants. Drawing on indigenous knowledge and traditional forms of co-operative activity, Jambi Kiwa leverages local assets to secure trade relationships in both the domestic and international markets. Using techniques that respect the ecological integrity of the natural environment, Jambi Kiwa has pioneered methods of packaging sustainability and biodiversity.

KNH (kindernothilfe) Ecuador (www.kindernothilfe.org)

KNH-Ecuador is a German development organization specializing in the sustainable improvement of the living conditions for Ecuadorean children. KNH offers education, vocational training, nutrition services, and health care. This social service institution draws on the ¨everlasting character¨ of foundational philanthropy to ensure the long-term implementation of its programs.

SustainTours (http://www.sustaintours.com)

A Riobamba-based tourism agency that arranges unique, community-based tourism opportunities for Ecuadorians and foreigners.

Internship/Service Learning Opportunities

Education

* Inti Sisa Education Volunteer: assist Inti Sisa staff in after-school homework sessions for primary and secondary school children.
* RANDIMPAK Adult Education Intern: assist RANDIMPAK with the development of educational materials for their adult literacy program.
* KNH Summer Program Development Intern: assist KNH staff with the development of summer recreation programs in music, theatre, dance, etc., for children.
* Palacio Real Education Volunteer: assist the local educational institutions in English-language training programs.

Environment

* RANDIMPAK Chimborazo Restoration Project Intern: assist RANDIMPAK in reforestation and soil & water conservation projects in the Chimborazo mountain region.
* RANDIMPAK Chimborazo Restoration Project Researcher: conduct studies on the efficacy of native plant species in soil water retention and ecosystem restoration efforts in the Chimborazo mountain region. Should have ecology/biology research experience. Preference is given to a master’s or doctoral candidate pursuing a relevant degree.
* RANDIMPAK Waste Management Intern: assist RANDIMPAK staff in the development and management of a sustainable waste management and recycling system for both rural and urban communities in the Chimborazo province.
* JAMBI KIWA Sustainable Agriculture Volunteer: volunteers are needed in assisting JAMBI KIWA staff in the sustainable design of irrigation systems and terrace-farming operations in rural, indigenous communities.

Health

* RANDIMPAK Public Health Intern: assist RANDIMPAK in training workshops for community health promoters in first-aid, basic nursing, midwifery, family planning, disease prevention, etc.
* RANDIMPAK Environmental Health Intern: assist RANDIMPAK staff in drinking water treatment techniques, water potabilization projects, and the construction of latrines.
* RANDIMPAK Nutrition Intern: assist RANDIMPAK in training workshops for community health promoters in the areas of nutrition and healthy eating.

Micro-finance

* CEPESIU Micro-Credit Intern: assist CEPESIU in implementing their strategic plan, conduct program outreach, and aid in internal systems improvement efforts for their micro-credit initiatives.
* Jambi Kiwa Micro-Finance Intern: assist Jambi Kiwa staff in securing small-scale financing for the women’s micro-enterprise from external micro-credit granting individuals and institutions.

Micro-enterprise

* Inti Sisa Crafts Intern: assist Inti Sisa staff in the operational aspects of sewing and embroidery workshops for the indigenous women of Guamote.
* Jambi Kiwa Business Development Intern: assist Jambi Kiwa in marketing, packaging and new product development. Individuals with business skills and knowledge of fair-trade markets are preferred.
* RANDIMPAK Indigenous Grain Commercialization Intern: assist RANDIMPAK in business plan development, commercialization and marketing of grains produced by indigenous, organic farming operations.
* Guamote Cheesemaker Association Administrative and Management Assistant: train the members of the GCA in administrative and management techniques. Individuals with adviministrative and/or management experience are preferred.

Tourism

* SustainTours Eco-Tourism Intern: assist the staff of SustainTours in the day-to-day business operations involving project management and planning. Help with marketing and dealing with foreign clients.
* Inti Sisa Tourism Intern: assist Inti Sisa staff with the daily operations of the Guamote guest house, as well as planned outdoor adventure excursions including mountain biking, horse riding, and hiking.
* Palacio Real Community Tourism Volunteer: assist the staff of Palacio Real in the day-to-day activities of their community tourism operations. Currently, the most pressing need is assistance of the kitchen staff in preparing meals for the community´s tourists. Individuals with cooking experience are ideal.

Technology/Informatics

* KNH Computer and Internet Training Volunteer: train students in Internet and computer use in the newly constructed school computer lab.
* RANDIMPAK Computer Training Intern: assist RANDIMPAK personnel in computer workshops for members of community organizations who are in the beginning stages of integrating computer technologies into their operations. Individuals with experience and knowledge of Microsoft programs preferred.

* RANDIMPAK Internal Database Management Intern: assist RANDIMPAK staff in the creation of an internal database management system for information relevant to the various programs and projects run by RANDIMPAK. Individuals with knowledge of and experience using Microsoft database management software programs including Microsoft Access and Microsoft Excel preferred.

Maria Ramona and our beet; readying to dye!

Narciza Felicidad washing the habas

Dyed Cabuya

We also went on a tour of several community organizations in the Riobamba area to garner ideas for SGCP and to find possible placements for interns who want to learn more about how NGOs are tackling the issues of poverty and health and educations problems in their areas. We got an enthusiastic response from everyone we met and look forward to developing better relationships with them to the benefit of San Gerardo, our partner NGOS, and future interns. Some of the organizations we met with include the following:

Threshing with Randimpak

-Randimpak – Provides an integrated development backbone in several communities, based on the organic production of quinoa
-Jambi Kiwa (http://www.coady.stfx.ca/resources/abcd/JAMBIenglihsfin1.pdf)
-Inti Sisa (http://www.intisisa.org/) – Provides workshops to local communities in Guamote
-Asociacion Queseros – Guamote – Cooperation of cheese producers
-Sumak Kawsay – Community tourism project featuring llama-based products

Elliot is currently working on a draft of all possible intern placements that should be published within the coming weeks on here or our soon-to-be website (which has been delayed by IU server issues).

Elliot with our dear San Gerardians

We’ve been delighted by the great response to IEPSD’s call-out for volunteers in Bloomington. Until we get the website up and running-which should be a matter of days now-we’d like to clarify a few things here for all of you who are interested in helping out either in Bloomington or in Ecuador.

As I written to some of you, the working group descriptions we sent out applications for are for positions for people who will be in Bloomington next year. The work they will be doing will be critical to the development of markets for the microfinance initiatives in Ecuador, as well as raising the funds for our operations there.

If you want to intern in Ecuador, what you do will depend on where your interests lie. We have several partner NGOs that you can work within, in areas like agriculture, microfinance, health, and education. You will also help us institute and maintain our projects within San Gerardo on our health campaigns, developing the microenterprises, and helping in after-school programs with the children. We don’t have specific schedules or programs for interns; everything depends on their skill level and interest. We are happy to work with each intern individually to find the right situation for them. And they are not required to be a part of IEPSD in order to intern in Ecuador.

Interns in Ecuador are required to cover their expenses and trip costs. Flights can range from $600 to over $1000. Living expenses are relatively low, depending on your personal needs. We will arrange for housing while you are on-site at the project in San Gerardo. There are several grants available to IU students for travel and internships abroad, though much less for non-students.

All the best,
Erica

Isabel and Mercedes holding court

As you can see from pictures from Sunday’s meetings, both microenterprises are hard at work.

Spinning the wool

-With funds raised at the benefit dinners in Bloomington and Louisville, the “Las Flores” Women’s Organization will receive courses in natural dyes and knitting techniques from Mercedes, a Riobamba artisan who has worked with several foundations to train microenterprises in the area.

Josefina Maria with two of her cabuya shigras

Spinning together under the sun

Hanging around

Pedro with his products

-Pedro and Segundo, the promoters of the health center, have enlisted the SG schoolchildren, hotels, and restaurants in guarding their used water and juice bottles. They will then fill these with their natural shampoos and soaps. In the process, they cut down on the amount of toxins released into the environment through trash burning and have a very cheap source of packaging. Bought with money raised in the hygiene drive, they will be providing a bottle of shampoo and a bar of soap to each schoolchild in San Gerardo.

We have developed five key working groups for next year that will organize our efforts in Bloomington:
Fundraising
Outreach and Development
Microenterprise Project Development
Grant Writing
Sustainable Development Outreach

We are asking interested individuals to fill out applications to help us decide how they would be best able to contribute to the project.

This Spring and Summer we will also be joined by a few other IU students -San Gerardo’s first interns:

-Elliot, a grad student in IU-Bloomington’s Master’s in Public Affairs and Master’s in Science in Environmental Science Program at the School of Public and Environmental Affairs, will be doing a needs assessment for alternative energy systems in S.G. He will work in local NGOs to explore alternative energy programs in S.G. and beyond.

-Alyssa and Nathaniel, undergraduates at IU-Bloomington, will be developing business plans for the emerging Las Flores Designs micro-enterprise and the health center’s hygiene product micro-enterprise

-Michael, an undergraduate in journalism at IU-Southeast, will be exploring service-learning and the local environs for a US journal or magazine.

We hope these four will be only the firsts in a series of interns to come from the IU community to develop their skills while improving the livelihoods of the people of San Gerardo.

The Indiana-Ecuador Partnership for Sustainable Development, in
partnership with the Trockman Microfinance Initiative and the Indiana
Public Interest Research Group, invites you to a night of Ecuadorian
food and live Ecuadorian music to benefit the San Gerardo Community
Project in Ecuador. Proceeds from the benefit will provide
seed funds for two emerging microenterprises in the rural, indigenous
community of San Gerardo and contribute to the community’s Solar
Energy Project Fund.

Tickets are $15 for students, $20 for non-students.

For tickets and further information, please contact Isabel Estevez at
iestevez5@gmail.com or 502 718 6697.

We’ve enjoyed a very restful month and a half back in the States and hope you all have had a wonderful holiday season. Despite appearances on this blog, we are still very much involved in helping the San Gerardo community.

Isabel has written a grant to find funding for the solar project, but we are still waiting to hear what will come of it (we’re hoping to write some more grants for the project—if this is an area of expertise for you and you’d like to help, do get in touch with us). We’ve had a wonderful response from IU faculty and administration officials on the internship program. We hope to have our first interns visit the San Gerardo community early this summer, to learn about the local way of life, intern at our partner NGOs and help them improve their projects in San Gerardo and beyond.

In late December, we gave an informal presentation to members of the Louisville Ecuadorian community during a lovely evening of fantastic food and plenty of music.

Last Friday, the Indiana-Ecuador Partnership for Sustainable Development (IEP) had its first meeting of the new year. IEP is the IU student group that will be facilitating our work in Ecuador by providing fundraising and helping in the creation of a student intern program between the University and the San Gerardo community.

We have two fundraising projects in the works for the coming semester.

1.      Hygiene drive: An in-cash hygiene drive held on the IU-Bloomington campus will raise money for the purchase of hygiene products for San Gerardo school children. Raising cash, rather than products, will decrease the costs of shipment and allow us to buy cheaper goods in Ecuador, while benefiting the local economy.

2.      Benefit dinner: In early March, we will host a benefit dinner, again on the IU-Bloomington campus. It should be a fun night of good food, entertainment, and great company. Proceeds will go to benefit the training of the women’s micro-enterprise and to funding the solar-heated showers project.

Please let us know if you are interested in helping out or in attending!

Also, feel free to contact us with questions about our summer internship program.

Keep warm,

Erica and Isabel

Or at least making some progress, with mucho help from our friends back home.

We now have both a logo and a name for the project and the IU student group. The student group will be named the Indiana-Ecuador Partnership for Sustainable Development. Many thanks to its members for their hard work in all of this: Elliot, Alex, Laura, and Alyssa. You also can see our fantastic new logo below in the brochure and catalog, created by the fabulous Emily. A thousand thanks to all of you.

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We just finished making an informational brochure about the organization, a catalog for the women’s artesanias that will be taken around to businesses over the upcoming breaks, and are close to finishing a project proposal to present to foundations, NGOs, etc.

You can check out the files (and send them to all your friends) here: Las Flores Designs Catalog 

We met with the national director of education last week, courtesy of Isabel’s mom, and he accomplished in about 3 and a half minutes what was taking us weeks to do. He arranged meetings with some important folks and saved us hours of scouring the Internet by directing us to the pertinent ministries we should contact for other projects.

We just got back again from three days in the community. As before, we spent much of the time trying to keep warm in our four layers of clothing and fleece vests, while the kids run around in t-shirts warm and happy. We’ve started teaching English to the younger children–kindergarten- and first grade- aged. We have to oscillate between versions of Professor Snape and Bozo the Clown to try to keep these little ones focused. And we’re sure getting a lot of singing practice teaching “Mary had a Little Lamb” and “Itsy bitsy Spider.”

We spent numerous hours this week crisscrossing the calles of Riobamba, trying to track down local education officials about getting a classroom built, hiring a Quichua teacher, and getting the federally mandated internet hook-up at the school. In comparison with our earlier experiences negotiating the bureaucracy of Quito, the officials we met were far more helpful. Unfortunately, there is usually someone above that must be consulted first, and this person is invariably at a far-away conference or out to lunch for the next four hours.

The week was still fairly productive, or at least felt that way. We drew up some very pretty contracts for the women artisans, as a sort of incentive to keep working on their crafts. Isabel went to electromagnetic therapy for her knee, which has pained her for months now. The therapy is apparently really a massage – at the molecular level. We googled the treatment and, as it turns out, the pharmaceutical lobby in the US is trying to get it banned for being more effective than Advil.

We are spending the rest of the week here in Quito, coming up with a project proposal to present to government officials and foundations, in the hopes of getting money for the community and for ourselves to return to continue our work. We may also be spending quite a bit of time trying to view the latest episodes of our favorite American sitcoms, which we desperately miss.

Wishing you all nights as starry as ours, but a lot warmer, and better access to the new season of 30 Rock (go Tina Fey!),

Erica and Isabel