¡¡Saludos de Ecuador!! / Greetings from Ecuador!!
Since August 2009, I have been working with the Fundación Promoción Humana Diocesana de Guaranda (FPHDG) in rural community primary schools. We have organized group work on a variety of topics - self-esteem, life skills, art projects, small business development, nutrition, health, composting, recycling, child development, etc. Our work in these schools includes: starting school gardens, providing school scholarships, and organizing reading groups.
A common trend in all of these schools is lack of resources. In the rural communities in the Provence of Bolívar, schools struggle to provide equal education for their children. The Ministry of Education of Ecuador has put a high priority on reading and writing. However, where families are living off $2 a day, this priority has often become unimportant. Most children have NO access to books, and have not had the opportunity to explore literature and/ or the arts.
During my visits to the schools, two directors of small (less than 30 students) schools approached me about the need and desire to have books in their schools. It is an opportunity to give back to the children of Ecuador and their futures.
Currently, we are organizing reading circles at each school; utilizing a limited supply of children’s books (available at a Cultural Center 1-2 hours from these rural schools). The school libraries will provide resources in each school, not only bringing literature and stories into their classrooms, but to bring new ways of thinking and methods of teaching into the classroom. The books will be used in two primary methods:
(1) After-School Reading Program: a program designed to allow children to explore literature and express their reactions.
(2) Curriculum Enhancement: the teachers will be educated in how to utilize literature to enhance both subjects of science or math as well as develop characteristics of questioning and leadership.
These libraries aim to spark a spirit of discovery and foster participation to grant every student a universe of possibilities. With your help, we can provide a future filled with greater possibilities and self-expression to the 
students of Ecuador, specifically in two schools.
Santa Ana: A 24 student, 2 teacher school in the subtropics of Ecuador. A 45-minute drive up a windy dirt road from the city of Caluma lies the small community of Santa Ana. Here, the students eagerly participate in activities of every kind, eager to learn more and thirsty for knowledge.
EL Carbón: Twenty-eight students and two professors in a school tucked away in the high Andes (at the base of Chimborazo). A bi-lingual community (Spanish-Kichwa) who’s main income is agriculture – quinoa and potatoes. During my first conversation with the school director, he said the children (and community) of El Carbón need the opportunity to read.
What can YOU do to help??!! Go to http://www.amazon.com/wishlist/SYY6N0AWX171/ref=cm_sw_em_r_wl_8qoVmb1WZ3FP4 ... we’ve set up a Wish List named “Books for Ecuador”. You can help us provide books to the students by purchasing a book on-line. The books will be sent to my parent’s house (in Louisville, CO – the address is saved on Amazon.com) where we will transport them to Ecuador and to the rural communities.
The books (including a variety of reading levels) will go directly to the two schools, kept in a community-made reading area (created through a minga – a community gathering to complete a task). Every week, an organized reading time will let the students read. Additionally, monthly community meetings will educate the community on the literature program and allow them get involved with the program.
If you have any trouble with the Amazon website, please let me know! deanna.camell@gmail.com
¡GRACIAS POR TODO TU APOYO! / THANK YOU FOR ALL YOUR HELP!
