2012 ProjectsIn January 2012, eleven volunteers spent 16 days in Mali, helping with a variety of community projects. They
helped build a grain bank for the village of Sal-Dimi and a latrine for the Kansongho cotton bank, as well as watering trees in the Kansongho orchard and participating in a soap-making training and a literacy class. They also found time to do lots of Dogon dancing, learn to speak some Tommo So, try drumming the traditional rhythms, visit a school and a mosque, participate in a wedding ceremony, and show villagers how to use new tools. The villagers in Sal-Dimi are thrilled to have a stock of grain in this very difficult year and a safe place to store it and escorted the volunteers out of the village with song and drumming to hide the sadness of the farewell. Our fourth
Mali Volunteer Vacation was a meaningful experience for all: "
we formed friendships and became fully immersed in the culture of Mali's Dogon region while providing aid for truly sustainable projects; And most importantly we worked right alongside WITH the community in the finishing of such projects, truly a collective effort allowing us to weave lasting friendships. The appreciation and welcome we received from these communities was like none other Ive ever experienced!" said volunteer Kelly McCosh.
Meanwhile, we have begun a literacy class for the women of Kansongho and Kani, Mali. Using the first books printed in Tommo So, 150 women enthusiastically practice writing letters and numbers with the help of a local teacher. We also provided a soap-making training to the women of Kansongho to help them diversify their sources of income. In Sal-Dimi, we have begun restoration and stabilization of the traditional well, which was in danger of collapse and needed constant repairs.
2011 Projects
In October 2011, nine health care volunteers joined four long-term volunteers, our intern, our Group Coordinator, and Tandana's director for our tenth Health Care Volunteer Vacation in Ecuador. With great camaraderie, commitment, and an everpresent sense of fun, they visited five communities to offer basic medical consultations. The providers treated 168 patients, while the dentist saw 85. Meanwhile, our team of nurses did an additional 251 pediatric check-ups and treated all of those children for parasites. The team also found time to take in the scenery at Mojanda Lakes, cook quimbolitos and other goodies with Claudia, visit a shaman and a master weaver, and celebrate two birthdays. Over the last five years, Tandana health care teams have seen over 3500 medical patients and 650 dental patients!
Also, in October, eight students and two leaders from Carpe Diem International Education joined us for a week in the community of Agualongo, Ecuador. They constructed acclimatization beds for tree seedlings at the UCINQUI native tree nursery and helped the community of Agualongo install a sink and countertop in the community center. Meanwhile, they also learned to bake bread with Agualongo women, went on a hike above the village with a host mother, played soccer with local kids, and learned about the family trees, food preparation practices, and culture of their host families. After the minga on Saturday, they sang a song in Kichwa at the farewell ceremony, ate soup, fava beans, potatoes, corn, colada morada, and tortillas de tiesto prepared by the community, and danced to the music of a local band. They left a mark on the community and carry many happy memories as they continue their journey through the Andes.
Five intrepid volunteers spent five weeks volunteering in Ecuador through our Summer Volunteer Program. Four worked with the Tandana intern to teach a month-long summer vacation English course, and one worked with local nurses and doctors in a rural health center. Volunteers stayed with host families around the communities of Panecillo and Quichinche and played countless games with all the neighborhood kids. They experienced traditional music and dancing during the fiestas of Inti Raymi in June, went to the thermal springs at Nangulvi, helped plant seedlings at a native tree nursery, rafted in the Chota Valley, hiked around Mojanda and Cuicocha Lakes and even 15,000 foot Imbabura Volcano. They also had two cooking classes with Tandana friend Claudia, and ate their way through every flavor of pie at the Pie Shop in Otavalo. They took two longer excursions, one to Atacames, a beach town on the coast, and a final trip to a jungle river lodge in the Amazonian eastern part of Ecuador. Relationships they formed their host families by sharing daily life, meals, work, and play were a highlight of the experience.
Ten students and two teachers from Headwaters Academy in Bozeman, Montana spent a week in the community of Padre Chupa in early May. They were welcomed by the students and the entire community with a procession to the school, bringing firewood to make a huge bonfire, where everyone ate hot dogs and s’mores. They worked in the school garden alongside the 24 Padre Chupa students, and the community came together to install new soccer goals and volleyball posts in the soccer field. Needless to say, much soccer was played throughout the week! The Headwaters students also planned and taught lessons and activities to the Padre Chupa kids (including line dancing and Red Rover), and took a hike down into the valley to a waterfall. They took the Padre Chupa students to the thermal springs at Chachimbiro, an excursion that was enjoyed by all. They also made time during their brief stay in Otavalo to stop by the market, visit some local friends, and see a traditional weaving demonstration. The kids were sad to say goodbye to their new friends in Padre Chupa, but proud of all they had accomplished!
Carpe Diem International Education joined Tandana for 2 weeks in March, doing homestays in the community of Agualongo and helping with projects from trash cleanup with local kids to weeding and transplanting native tree seedlings to teaching English and computer classes, preparing books for a new school library, and even Tandana's health care work in rural communities. During their time with Tandana, the students and their leaders not only experienced the Ecuadorian minga but also cooked and ate traditional foods, played soccer, joined in water fights for Carnaval, and danced in the parade opening the Quichinche festivals alongside the students they had been teaching during the week.
Tandana's ninth Health Care Volunteer Vacation, in March 2011, was a great success. We worked in a different community every day, including two nearby and three more remote communities. Volunteers worked to take patients’ histories and vitals, interpreted for the doctors, dispensed medication in the pharmacy, and were runners between each station. The doctors saw a total of 133 patients in 5 community centers, and the local dentist saw 74 patients. Afternoon activities for the volunteers included going to the Peguche waterfall, having a cooking class (followed by a delicious dinner), visiting the Condor Park, shopping at the famous Otavalo market, and visiting Cotacachi, a town known for its leather goods. They also participated in Tandana's first ever float and dance troupe in the parade opening the Quichinche festivals!
During the first week of March, a group of 12 students from Boston’s Northeastern University spent their spring break working on various community service projects in the rural communities surrounding Otavalo, Ecuador. Students were greeted by the community of La Banda with a welcome ceremony featuring traditional music and a communal lunch. During the week, they dug and hauled dirt and mixed cement to build a new bus stop. The covered bus stop will provide much-needed protection from heavy rain and intense sun for residents of La Banda, who ride the bus for their daily commute to Otavalo. Other community projects included organizing and inventorying books for a new library in the local elementary school and working in a native tree nursery. In their free time, the students enjoyed a cooking class and delicious dinner with a local family. They prepared and ate guinea pig, chicken, marinated tomato and onion salad, llapingachos (spiced and fried mashed potato pancakes), mote (steamed fresh corn), and quimbolitos (banana leaf wrapped pastries). They also challenged the local kids to a soccer game, visited both traditional and modern weavers, learned about traditional musical instruments, hiked around Cuicocha Lake, went to the Peguche Waterfall, and celebrated Carnaval with a water balloon fight. Our local friends were grateful to the students for their willingness to work hard and leave a lasting legacy in their community.
In January, we hosted our third Mali Volunteer Vacation. After making mudcloths in Djenne, the group traveled to the village of Yarou Plateau, where they were welcomed with performances by horsemen, hunters, and women. Volunteers and students planted mango trees in the new school garden and visited the storehouse for the the school lunch program, both projects made possible by Tandana. In Kori-Maounde, the volunteers also helped students plant fruit trees and visited the caves where village ancestors hid from enemies before and during the French occupation. The highlight of the trip was the week spent in the village of Kansongho, reconnecting with old friends and making new ones. Villagers and volunteers danced in celebration of the group's arrival, then got to work building a storehouse for the new cotton bank, which will allow the women of the village to manage a large stock of cotton so that it is always available on credit and at a good price for them to transform and generate income. The children of the village did a mask dance and the young adults did a skit about cotton and a bendie dance performance, showcasing aspects of their culture that are in danger of being lost. Finally, the volunteers visited Sal-Dimi, where Tandana is restoring a well, then spent two days relaxing on the Niger River and reflecting on the amazing projects, celebration, and sharing they had participated in.2010 Projects In October, we completed our 8th round of Health Care Volunteer Vacations. Since we began four years ago, we've been able to greatly improve our health care work with better systems, the appropriate supplies and information, and more connections in the local health care world. This month, our volunteer groups were able to see 262 patients for medical care and 205 patients for dental care, in addition to treating 159 schoolchildren for parasites. 526 people benefited from our visits to 10 rural communities in the Otavalo canton, and some of them received follow-up care with the help of our intern and two wonderful volunteers. In addition to an emergency room physician, two Physician Assistants, a registered nurse, and an occupational therapy assistant, we also had the help of a group of 11 students and 2 leaders from Carpe Diem International Education, a gap-year semester program. The students lived with host families in the rural community of Agualongo, and each week half of them helped with our medical work while the others took Spanish classes. They formed strong bonds with their host families, attended a traditional wedding ceremony, baked bread with Agualongo's president's family, and volunteered in a native tree nursery. The volunteers also learned about traditional healing from a shaman, visited a master weaver, and saw volcanoes Cotopaxi, Altisana, Cayambe, Cotacachi, and Imbabura while driving to remote mountain villages to provide health care.
Our scholarship program is going strong with 45 secondary students and our first university scholarship student benefiting! Margarita Fuerez, who is our first university scholarship recipient is a bright and motivated young woman who has overcome many obstacles in her life. She is studying accounting and is already working on a project to create a youth council in her area to get young people involved in serving their community.
Three volunteers spent six weeks in Ecuador through our summer volunteer program. They started with a week in Otavalo where they began to learn about what life in the rural Ecuadorian highlands would be like through walks in the nearby communities, visits with local friends, and an introduction to shopping in the market. They further explored the area by attending an Inti Raymi (Incan Sun) festival in the leather town of Cotocachi and a hike around the rim of the volcanic lake Cuicocha. Next, the volunteers settled into life with their host families and began their volunteer placements at subcentros (rural health centers) or teaching summer classes for Tandana’s scholarship students. Although everyone was busy with their volunteer work and spending time with their host families, the group got together every Friday to take the summer class students on field trips to waterfalls, lakes, and swimming pools. They also met up for weekend adventures to go hiking and rafting. The program concluded with a trip to the coast to enjoy a few days of whale watching and wildlife viewing on Isla de la Plata. About 50 students benefited from the summer enrichment classes in their most difficult subjects, and two rural health centers received support in their work to take care of the patients in their areas.
In June, The Tandana Foundation hosted 14 volunteers from North Carolina and Georgia in service projects in two communities just outside of Otavalo, Ecuador. The all-women group enthusiastically dove into all aspects of their Ecuadorian experience. From mornings in Larcacunga trimming baby trees in the local native plant nursery and shoveling rocks and cement at the community center in La Banda to afternoons visiting indigenous artisans and hiking to sacred waterfalls, they embraced every opportunity to get to know this new place and all of their new friends. One of the group’s favorite afternoon activities was spent at our friend Claudia’s house for a cooking lesson. The group learned how to make llapingachos (spiced and fried mashed potato pancakes), quimbolitos (banana leaf wrapped pastries), mote (steamed fresh corn), marinated tomato and onion salad, and a delicious spiced beef. That night, they feasted wonderful foods, but Claudia’s incredible warmth and hospitality was the greatest treat of all. All of the volunteers worked hard and our local friends were pleased with their efforts. On our final night in Quito, everyone brainstormed ideas for further service projects and all of the friends and family members they wish to bring along on the next Tandana adventure.
In April, the eighth grade class from Headwaters Academy in Montana spent a week living and working with the rural community of Padre Chupa. After a breathtaking ride to reach the community, they were put to work right away. They joined local parents in creating a school garden by preparing the soil, building a protective fence, and planting seeds. In the following days everyone stayed very active while participating in hikes led by the school children to a nearby waterfall, to visit a sugar cane press, and to a ridge with a beautiful view of the surrounding area. Together, the two groups of students also baked bread, built a campfire to make s'mores, and painted a sign for the school. The week concluded with a trip to the Chachimbiro hot springs where many of the students from Padre Chupa got the chance to go swimming for the first time in their lives.In February and March, Tandana coordinated 2
service projects, hosted a
benefit trip, and put on 2
health care volunteer vacations in Ecuador.
The first project was for The Traveling School, who did their fifth village stay and
service project in Agualongo. The girls and their teachers attended a traditional wedding ceremony on their first day in the community, then taught English classes for local children and helped to replace the roof on the community center. They went on a hike in the surrounding mountains and baked bread with local women, visited Tandana's scholarship coordinator for a math lesson, and went to a community-owned native tree nursery for science class. A highlight for many was helping to prepare guinea pig for the celebration feast on their last day in the village, and their memories of the week in Agualongo remain strong as they continue their journey through the Andes.
Next, a group of enthusiastic, energetic women from Northeastern University arrived to
work with the community of La Banda. A ceremony featuring a communal lunch, traditional dances, demonstrations of traditional dress, and "ollas encantadas" a local version of piñatas, welcomed them to the community. During the week, they hauled sand and gravel up a steep hill, dug a trench, carried bricks, and helped community members build a water filtration tank to provide clean drinking water for the village. They also helped at the native tree nursery, visited both traditional and modern weavers, baked bread with community members, and visited Cuicocha Lake. The group's excitement about their experience has led them to recommend traveling with Tandana to their friends back in Boston.
We also had our second benefit trip,
In the Sierra of Ecuador, hosted by Nik Millhouse and Hacienda Cusin. The group enjoyed a wonderful tour, featuring world-class Pakacuna gardens, Haciendas Cusin and Pinsaqui, colonial Quito, a meeting with Tandana scholarship students, and visits to several communities where Tandana works, a master weaver, and leather and woodcarving craft towns. They are excited about seeing Tandana's work and the beautiful Andean countryside, and their support of our efforts is tremendously appreciated.
Finally, in March we had two wonderful groups of volunteers who helped provide health care to rural communities in our seventh round of
Health Care Volunteer Vacations. Both groups became efficient teams, allowing local access to important health services and also enjoyed visiting local friends, cooking class and baking bread in local homes, seeing waterfalls and lakes, and singing our new Kichwa health care song. We now have our own dental equipment and were able to hire a local dentist to fill cavities and extract teeth on site with us while we work. She did a fantastic job, treating 15-20 patients during each morning of work. The groups saw 428 patients in 7 communities, treating everything from parasites and conjunctivitis to arthritis, hypertension, and pharyngitis.
In January 2010, Tandana's
Mali Volunteer Vacation group enjoyed a meaningful and rewarding experience of village life and travel. After traveling from Bamako, and making mudcloths with artisans in Djenne, they visited the
Kori-Maounde school garden, where students showed how they were taking advantage of Tandana's first project in Mali. Next, they hiked down the Bandiagara cliff to Tereli, where they helped students plant fruit trees in the
school garden, also funded by Tandana, and were treated to a mask dance as a show of appreciation from the community. Then they went out to the village of Kansongho, where the whole group was blown away by the reception they received. Rifle shots, singing, dancing, Dogon masks, speeches, gifts, and skits celebrated their arrival. They visited the
grain bank, which Tandana helped start, and soon got to work constructing a rock wall to protect a new orchard and planting 300 fruit trees. While in the village, they tried their hands at pounding millet, participated in a church service, learned to dance Dogon-style, and had their feet or hands tattooed with henna. The joy, friendships, and lessons the people of Kansongho shared with our group were deeply inspiring, and the volunteers have returned home with many ideas of ways to continue to help the village and a new perspective on life.
2009 Projects
In September 2009, Tandana held its sixth round of Health Care Volunteer Vacations. The two groups of volunteers were able to see 359 patients in seven communities outside of Otavalo, treating them for parasites, h. pylori, respiratory infections, and many other diseases. They also enjoyed making bread with a local family, riding bikes down the mountain from Mojanda Lakes, sharing fish and soccer with local families at Yahuarcocha, practicing their Kichwa, and boating on San Pablo Lake. An Ecuadorian medical student was among the volunteers, increasing the cross-cultural sharing for everyone and having a blast discovering new parts of his country. "All the smile and strength that you have is admirable," he said.
Throughout the month of July 2009, Tandana offered free English and math classes for elementary and secondary students in Quichinche, Ecuador. About 80 students showed up on a daily basis for English classes, taught by Tandana intern Lauren Armstrong and Putney Student Travel volunteers. About 30 students attended math classes, taught by local teacher Alfredo Flores. In addition to classes, the students also participated in service projects and field trips, including cleaning up trash at the sacred Lechero tree, picnicking at the Peguche waterfall, and planting flowers at the Quichinche school. Many of our 45 scholarship students participated and enjoyed the opportunity. "This class helps us a lot with the English language," said Rupay, a scholarship student from Panecillo.
March 2009 saw four Tandana groups visit Ecuador. Our first benefit group enjoyed a wonderful tour, featuring world-class Pakacuna gardens, Haciendas Cusin and Pinsaqui, colonial Quito, a meeting with Tandana scholarship students, and visits to a community-run native tree nursery, a master weaver, and leather and woodcarving craft towns. They are excited about seeing Tandana's work and the beautiful Andean countryside and are planning to return next year with friends and relatives.
Next came three weeks of health care, two for Tandana's Health Care Volunteer Vacations and one for a group of faculty and students from the University of Utah Medical School. They treated 566 patients in 12 communities for everything from headaches to h. pylori or infected wounds. The volunteers enjoyed working in some gorgeous locations on steep hillsides high in the mountains and also visiting waterfalls, discussing bilingual education, listening to local music, learning about traditional healing from a yachac, and picnicking with local friends at Cuicocha volcanic lake.
Meanwhile, we have great news for Mali also. Julie and Mick, who participated in the Mali Volunteer Vacation returned to their community, shared photos and stories, and raised over $7000 to purchase more millet for the Kansongho grain bank. The bank's managing committee received this news as a miracle; they have already sold over half of their original stock and knew they would run out before the next harvest. The villagers and their relatives in the cities were very worried about how to feed their families through the year. Aware of the global economic difficulties, they did not expect such a boon in this time. They are thrilled and so grateful for the additional 16 tons of millet that will be added to the bank's stock.
In January 2009, The Tandana Foundation coordinated its first two volunteer programs in Mali. The first was a 3-day service project for a group organized by Women Worldwide and Adventures in Rock. In between travels through the country and enjoying the music of the Festival in the Desert, this group took time to give back to the Kori-Maounde primary school. Volunteers helped the villagers and children dig holes and plant 54 fruit trees in the school garden. The children will care for the trees and sell their fruit to earn money for school supplies. The volunteers also helped the villagers dig a trench, lay a pipe, and create a watering basin, so that the children can water the trees more easily. They found time to play frisbee with the kids, teach them "head, shoulders, knees, and toes," and lead them with call-and-response to a water hole to bring water for the trees. They also visited a nearby historic site where the villagers' ancestors hid from their adversaries in cave dwellings and an old iron smelter. In the evenings, they gave English lessons to middle school students at a dormitory. You can read a great description of their experience at Craig and Steph's Vacation Blog.
Next, Tandana's
Mali Volunteer Vacation group arrived. We had a wonderful, diverse group of travelers who really appreciated every opportunity and enjoyed sharing their insights with each other. After traveling from Bamako, catching a bit of music in Segou, and making mudcloths and visiting artisans in Djenne, they hiked down the Bandiagara cliff to Tereli, where they visited the school and its
garden that was funded by Tandana. Next, they went out to the village of Kansongho, where the whole group was blown away by the reception they received. Rifle shots, singing, dancing, Dogon masks, speeches, gifts, and skits marked the inauguration of the
well Tandana helped to restore last year and also the celebration of our group's arrival. The village had already begun construction of the building for the new
grain bank, and the volunteers pitched in, carrying rocks, drawing water and bringing it from the well, and plastering the interior with mud. They also helped to build anti-erosion dikes in the fields, hoe up the old millet stalks to prepare for next year's planting, and collect firewood for cooking. While in the village, they tried their hands at spinning and weaving, participated in a church service, learned to dance Dogon-style, helped with cooking, and, for some, had their feet tattooed with henna. The joy, friendships, and lessons the people of Kansongho shared with our group were deeply inspiring. The village is thrilled to be starting the
grain bank. They have elected the committee that will manage it, and the first shipment of millet has arrived. Before the group left, the chief of Kansongho made a gift of a plot of land to The Tandana Foundation. You can read more on
the arts foundry blog.
Past Projects
In September, 2008, The Tandana Foundation hosted its fourth round of Health Care Volunteer Vacations. Volunteers from all over the United States joined with Ecuadorian professionals to offer affordable, accessible, and respectful health care to five communties in the Quichinche parish of Ecuador. This time, we added dentistry to our services, and that was a big hit. We were able to fill cavities for 55 patients. Our doctors and P.A.s, meanwhile, saw 427 patients, helping cure them of H. pylori, parasites, infections, and many other problems. It was a wonderful experience for the volunteers, also, who got to experience baptism celebrations, hikes with our scholarship students to beautiful locations, and meetings with fascinating community members.
From June 25 - August 7, 2008, the Tandana Foundation held its first Ecuador Summer Volunteer Program. Volunteers lived with indigenous families in a small community near Otavalo, Ecuador. Work projects included teaching summer school English classes to students in the community, assisting public health workers in administering vaccinations to children and dogs, and translating a book of traditional Quichua legends into English. Volunteers also took part in the indigenous celebration of Inti Raymi, visited a sacred waterfall, hiked around Cuicocha Lake, shopped in the world-famous Otavalo market, and learned how to prepare several traditional indigenous dishes. For the final week of the program, volunteers ventured to the Amazon, where they stayed in a jungle lodge, viewed wildlife, and went hiking and river rafting.
Meanwhile, in
Mali, work began on the new
school garden at Tereli. This is the second school garden that Tandana has funded, and it will allow the students to grow fruits and vegetables, learn about horticulture, and also become more self-sufficient as they sell the produce to earn money for school supplies. A fruit tree nursery was also begun for the
Kori-Maounde school garden, which Tandana helped to start last year. The
well restoration project in Kansongho was completed, and the villagers are thrilled to have a secure, year-round water source.
In February 2008, The Tandana Foundation coordinated a weeklong village stay and service project in highland Ecuador for The Traveling School. Students and teachers lived in the homes of families and shared in daily activities in the village of Agualongo. They taught English to the local children and helped build a new bathroom for the village kindergarten. Meanwhile, they learned to bake bread in a wood-fired oven, hiked to the peak above the village, visited Cuicocha Lake with their hosts, and danced with the village in their going-away ceremony.
Then, in March, Tandana hosted its third and largest round of health care volunteer vacations. Three groups of volunteers, working different weeks, provided health care to almost 600 patients in 14 communities. The volunteers formed powerful teams working together to serve the patients and also found time to enjoy making local friends, Holy Week activities, eating fanesca soup, visiting with a local shaman and intercultural education leaders, and dancing with a local band.
See the Columbus Dispatch article about The Tandana Foundation
In September 2007, a second group of volunteers traveled to Ecuador to provide health care to rural villagers. They saw hundreds of patients in five communities and enjoyed working with local professionals, meeting with community members, and taking in the amazing natural beauty of the Andes. Building on our experience in March, we improved our techniques in this second health care volunteer vacation, creating better patient records and strategies for organizing our pharmacy.
In February 2007, The Tandana Foundation coordinated a weeklong village stay and service project in highland Ecuador for The Traveling School. Students and teachers lived in the homes of families and shared in daily activities in the village of Agualongo. They taught English to the local children and helped the community pave a muddy area next to the community center. Meanwhile, they also learned to peel potatoes, hiked to the peak above the village to take in the amazing Andean landscape, celebrated Carnaval by joining in a huge water fight, and gained new "parents, brothers, and sisters," whom they can't wait to visit again.
Then, later in March, a group of adults traveled to Ecuador to provide healthcare for underserved villagers. They saw hundreds of patients in four communities and also found time to experience the culture and area in amazing depth for a visit of just one week. They met with traditional healers, indigenous leaders, students, and a master weaver and hiked to sacred sites such as the Lechero tree and the Peguche waterfall. Throughout their stay, they reveled in the opportunity to interact as friends rather than tourists and to take in the region's natural beauty.
We have begun work in Mali, where we have funded the creation of a school garden and the reconstruction of a well. We hope to offer volunteer vacations and service projects there in the future. Correspondence programs and sister city or school relationships are also available, and we are working on a Malian folktale book project that will benefit the village of those who shared the stories with us.
In 2004, The Tandana Foundation was begun with the goal of promoting cross-cultural learning opportunities and service projects. Operating under the auspices of the
Deer Hill Foundation, in July 2005 we were able to include two Ecuadorian participants in the Deer Hill Expeditions
Expedicion Ecuador program, allowing them to travel around their country with North American students and then host these new friends in their village as they all worked together on community projects. It was an experience that still resonates in their hearts; Claudia, one of the local scholarship recipients, recently sent an email saying, "I wrote like a book about the trip and this year I reread it, saying last year I was there and there.... this is something unforgettable that I have experienced and I will never experience it again. Thank you so much again for everything." We were also able to provide partial scholarships to several North American students, enabling them to participate in this exciting program and experience Ecuadorian culture as few visitors are able.
In the summer of 2006, we offered two Ecuadorian students the once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to travel to the United States and participate in Deer Hill's Canyon Country program. Cristina and Elsa, who had never dreamed they would travel on an airplane, flew from Quito to Houston, Denver, and then Cortez, Colorado. Smiling in the sun in their traditional Otavelena dress, they awaited my pickup and the adventure of their lives. Joining their North American and French groupmates, they set off on a week-long raft trip on the Green River. They loved running the rapids in inflatable kayaks, cooking strange new American foods when it was their turn in the kitchen, and making friends with the young people in their group. After hiking in the La Sal Mountains and taking in an alpine beauty different from that of their Andean home, they journeyed to the village of Lower Moencopi on the Hopi Nation, where they encountered the highlight of their trip. Both they and the Hopi hosts were thrilled with the opportunity to share customs, traditions, and techniques with people of another indigenous American culture. Corn is central to the lifestyles of both, and they traded beliefs, processing techniques, and favorite dishes related to that crop. During our stay there, Lower Moencopi was also visited by Native Youth Cultural Exchange, a group of Native Hawaiian, Californian, and Hopi youth. Cristina and Elsa were able to join the young people from each of those cultures in presenting songs, dances, and traditions from their homeland at a cultural exchange potluck.
Their experience in the United States not only gave them a chance to learn about other cultures and make new friends, it also helped them value their own culture more, enlarged their perspective on the world, and gave them experience that will help in their future careers in the tourism industry in Ecuador. After the trip, Cristina wrote, "I am so happy and grateful to all of those who made possible my dream. I had many wonderful experiences, I learned to converse in English, and I also got to know the Hopi culture, in which they have conserved many of their ancestral traditions. I learned to value my culture... I know that this experience will serve me in my professional and personal life, because my dream is to become a professional tourism guide. This experience was a great practical and observation trip and I learned much more than I have in the classroom." The other members of their group also enjoyed and benefited from the opportunity their presence offered to form cross-cultural friendships and learn about a different perspective.
In addition to making possible these amazing experiences for Cristina and Elsa, we were also able to coordinate a week-long village stay and service project for The Traveling School and a month-long volunteer vacation for a family from Montana. The Traveling School students and teachers stayed with host families in the village of Agualongo, taught English to the local children, helped the village paint their community center, played soccer with the mothers, and were amazed by the appreciation feast they were offered. The week there was a highlight of their three-month journey through the Andes because of the unique opportunity it offered for real cultural experience, friendship, and the chance to make a difference. Then, in June, a family of four from Montana journeyed to Ecuador and stayed with a family in the community of Rey Loma. They joined in festival activities with their hosts, supported the community soccer team, helped a school replace a badly-damaged roof, prepared Elsa and Cristina for their trip to the United States, and experienced so much that a typical visitor would never see.
--Anna Taft, founder