In Ecuador, a recent charity challenge covered the costs of 5 more children being able to go through secondary school, a truly amazing effort and further donations can help yet more children achieve this dream. Many of these children cannot afford to go to school as there children work in fields barely making ebough to cloth and feed.  

Results coming in from the previous quarters are impressive and as we start to concentrate on the next phase of the programme which is further education into college and beyond, thanks to donations now and in the future. 

Over the years this school will teach thousands. Because it will be run and funded by local communities in the future, it wil also foster strong communities and ensure the indigenous popluations are not swallowed up by development and ruralisation.

For the past few years, we have trialled 'Plan Moo' a sustainability project. Whereby a child going into secondary school receives a milking-cow. 

Milking cows are an excellent investment and a stable form of income. As milk is a staple part of most peoples diets as well as the health benefits of milk in the community. The proceeds of the sale of milk covers secondary school fee's and costs for the students. 

Delightfully, It has been a huge success and the hopes of purchasing more cows, costing around $800 each, can create a herd that can benefit other areas in the community, like food programs and local teacher salaries. 

We plan to increase the herd in the future, depending on funds.    

This week a lighthearted update from Ecuador, project manager Zoe shares some news from the field covering the three communities we work in:

‘At Larcacunga, 1st grade were learning different types of tastes and the senses – so, of course, we tried the “Marmite, te gusta o no te gusta” test! They pretty much universally hated it, but we may still send the results into Marmite anyway – here's a picture of little Estrella “enjoying” her first taste!

At Muenala, music lessons included an introduction to music theory and scales, and some fun with “push/pull forces” in second grade

And at Huayrapungo, the 5th grade had their first lessons in tectonic plates. A world map jigsaw was made out of polystyrene, which the children then had to piece together again. They also had to depict how plates were pushed together to form mountains, and how the continents were formed, using plasticine.

On top of this, the team were preparing themselves for the 2nd Ecuador Challenge started this weekend – mentally and physically, as they prepare to climb 4 volcanoes to raise funds for the project, including Cotopaxi, higher than Kilimanjaro and -22c on the summit! Good luck guys!’

We would like to share the most recent trustee report from the GVI Charitable Trust. This report covers the six month period from July to December 2011.

We are delighted to share that this has been by far our most successful period, raising in six months nearly as much as we did the whole of the previous year. This increase in funding has brought a corresponding increase in the impact we have been able to create on our programs around the world.

During this period we have invested in sustainable education across Latin America including support for the elderly in Guatemala and income generation schemes to support education in Honduras and Ecuador. In Mexico we have worked with a community to establish a recycling centre and in Kenya our partners in Mombasa will now realise their goal of seeing impoverished students through to completion of the primary education earning recognised qualifications for the first time. 

These are just a few highlights of an amazing, productive and rewarding six months. Thank you to everyone who has supported us and played a crucial role in these achievements.

• July - December 2011 Trustee Report (PDF)
  

As we draw to the end off another great year in Otavalo, Ecuador, we can reflect on massive advances achieved in 2011.

Initiatives to fund secondary education such as 'Plan Moo' (cows producing milk, cheese and other products) and 'Plan Cuy' (Breeding and selling Guinea Pigs, a popular delicacy in Ecuador) have proven a huge success which put the emphasis on community participation whilst empowering local people.

New timetables and a new community centre have also been introduced which have brought huge benefits to the program.

To raise funds for the project a team of hardy project staff and volunteers scaled three impressive peaks bring in amazing funds to support the children and communities we work with. Next year another impressive challenge is already planned which will see the challengers taking in the impressive Cotopaxi volcano. The name sends shivers down the spine of many!

Thank you so much to everyone who has shown support for this project in 2011, we look forward to more progression in 2012 and will keep you all updated.

Have a wonderful Christmas and New Year.

Plan Moo

While the concept of attending school during one´s vacation period may seem somewhat repugnant to many students around the world, the opposite proved to be true in Ecuador. For six weeks in July and August, all the kids at Laracunga, Muenela and Hyayarapungo enjoyed themselves at summer school.

With the general theme of “Ecuador mi pais”, summer school emphasised a reinforcement of the student’s knowledge in math, language, and social science, as well as the inclusion of activities in music, art, and PE. For the high school children it was a fun packed two days of active English lessons!

Further, these weeks proved to be productive for the Phoenix project in terms of community development, with the construction of 4 cuy houses. Cuy (the Kitchwa word for guinea pigs) are considered a culinary delicacy in Ecuador, with the sale of each fetching upwards of US$5. With each house potentially holding 60-100 cuy, these facilities provide the families with an independent means of economic sustainability that goes straight to supporting their high school education.

Finally, the students partook in a special school day designed entirely around the legend of the phoenix. As a fun end to this day, an art competition was held with each student designing their own phoenix to be used as the new Phoenix Ecuador logo. Congratulations to Beatriz from Larcacunga for her winning design!

In the final week of term children from rural communities Huayrapungo and Muenala planned a school trip. All 30 children from Muenala, alongside parents and volunteers headed out for a day trip to Cielo Verde in the Intag region just outside of Otavalo. An early start and clearly excited children we all head out into banana and coffee country. A lovely day was had by all, swimming in the local rivers and hot springs, and being invited by the local community to share their fruit crops - the kids will be enjoying plenty of bananas and papayas for next few weeks.

The Huayrapungo community decided it was time to head south to Mindo and enjoy the cascadas there. A feast of potatoes, broad beans, mejoco (from the potato family), corn tostadas, chili, and cuy (guinea pig) was enjoyed by all before heading down to visit the local waterfalls. The kids, mums and dads and volunteers all enjoyed splashing around and cooling off before clambering back, tired and exhausted, on the bus home.

What was your favourite book when you were little? Was it "The Cat in the Hat" or maybe "The Hungry Caterpillar"? Sadly, many children in Ecuador can't answer this question.

The availability of books is something most of us take for granted. In Ecuador, books are very expensive and beyond the reach of many of the families in Larcacunga, Muenala and Huayrapungo.

However, thanks to the kind donations of past and present to this project, we have been able to assist our children to purchase textbooks at a subsidised cost. Also, at Christmas time, the kids received gifts of story books and much needed gumboots.

So, next time you're reading your favourite book, spare a thought for the kids in Ecuador that are able to experience the joy of reading thanks to donations! 

GVI Ecuador project manager Tracey has come up with a great fundraising initiative for our sustainable community schemes.

The cows and guinea pig enclosures are expensive so to make this option available to more donors Tracey and her team have made artwork to value the different aspects of the cow and the value of a guinea pig and reached out to donors. By breaking a larger goal down it becomes more accessible and many of your have responded to this campaign with generous donations.

These plans are already working very well on the ground and we are very happy with the progress. News to follow soon.

Buy a Guinea Pig!

All three schools in which we work got a new coat of paint inside and out, plus some well needed DIY ahead of the start of the new school year. Thanks and congratulations on a fantastic job go out all the volunteers and staff who worked long hours over a 2 week period to get the job finished.

The teachers and children, plus community members were delighted with the results – well done everyone!

Artistic skills

Everyone got stuck in

Once again we got to celebrate the graduation of our 7th graders at the 3 schools in which we work in Ecuador. Up at Huayrapungo, Diana and Luisa, the two inaugural beneficiaries of our new High School sustainable initiative, Plan Cuy, enjoyed a quiet day of celebrations with volunteers and the children. Plan Cuy (or Guinnea Pig) involves providing families with a suitable pen and breeding Cuy which can generate food and income and ultimately keep the kids in school.

And the great news is….all of this year’s graduates will be going to High School with the support of GVI!!

At the community Larcacunga Senorita Fanny organized a big party to mark the end of term, it was great to see the community celebrating and the kids succeeding.

Thank you so much for your support!

The first three months of the year has seen huge progress with the children, especially as many teachers are missing school for new training, we are able to continue all education so the children do not miss out. The children in secondary school are still afforind their secondary educations with the proceeds from Plan Moo, the cows donated to the families. Many thanks

The Plan Moo scheme we set up last year has seen its first year of results, with most of the children from one of our communities managing to pay their own way in secondary school with the proceeds from selling milk from their cows. In other communities, utensils were handed out to the children making the step up and they are well on the way in the educational year. Thanks for everyone's support and Happy New Year cheers

Prized asset

Outside classes

Greetings. Our schools in Ecuador have begun the new scholastic year well, with new children now heading off to secondary school, and previous kids moving up a grade, which is a great achievment. To start fundraising for next year, I will be embarking on a Charity Challenge this weekend in Guatemala, climbing 4 volcanoes in 6 days, so please, if you can, spare a penny or two to help raise funds for such a good cause. cheers

Our ids who we have put through secondary school have finished the educational year with a fine set of results. The Plan Moo scheme, which we are testing in one community, whereby the family receives a cow and the milk and cheese proceeds go towards their children¿'t education, has proven successful, and we plan to role this out into other communities over the next year, purchasing more cows.

As we continue to provide resources for children to move on to secndary school, we are also looking into more plans tomake the communities sustainable in this area, with our cow scheme going strong, further down the line, we are looking into trout farms aswell...a potential income generator for the families. The children in secondary school are doing well, and recently received positive marks in their inter-term tests...it works! cheers

Plan Moo

Secondary school awaits

We have finished our first steps of our new trial project, Plan Moo, whereby we have provided milk producing cows (ie, with young) to members of one community. The idea being, the money made from the sales of the milk goes towards secondary education for years to come. If the pilot proves successful, we will role out Plan Moo in many more communities. The rule is the children must go to school and the calf must be returned to us, to keep the scheme ticking over. Many thanks in advnace.

The average rate of transition into secondary school is less than 10% for indigenous children in Ecuador. In our communities we are now looking at an 80% transition rate into secondary school for next year! Almost 20 children will be starting secondary school education in September, adding to the seven children who started secondary education last year and will move up a grade.

The future is looking up

Preparation

Links:

• GVI Phoenix Blog

Together with GlobalGiving and other sources we have now raised well over $10,000 with a potential promise of more from a UK Grant agency, so things are moving forward nicely. A partnership between GVI and local partners is also being ratified by the Ecuadorian government as I write so things are moving forward. What we desperately need now is a good push to raise enough funds to move away from scholarships and into the building of a fully functional secondary school, which can cater for so many more.

Links:

• Learn spanish and teach kids in Ecuador with GVI

• Before and after shots of a primary school GVI is working in. (DOC)