2016 END OF YEAR LETTER
So neither he who plants nor he who waters is anything, but God causes the growth.
I Corinthians 3:7
The FEDICE family continues to grow!
2016 has been a busy year, with visits from groups from the United States, as well as individuals who have come to help or observe what we do.
We proudly announce the birth of three new projects this year. Two of the projects were sponsored by First Christian Church of Plano, Texas, and the third was sponsored by Global Ministries and Compassion Week, along with other churches and several individuals who were deeply touched upon hearing of the earthquake off the coast of Ecuador on April 16, 2016.
PIJAL
The first of our new projects is an expansion of our current project in Pijal, where we already have a group of women who have started a savings and credit fund. The new project is called “SUMAC WASY,” which means “Beautiful House” in Kichwa. The purpose of this project is to help residents of Pijal improve their living conditions by providing them with credit that they can use to build bathrooms, lay floors, plaster walls, and much more.
SUA
The second project is the result of many of our friends
They were concerned about the effects of the 7.8 magnitude earthquake on the coast
from Ecuador. During the earthquake, entire villages were destroyed and
because most of the work on the coast is concentrated in tourism,
Many people lost their jobs because no one wanted to visit the coast.
for several months afterwards. At first we had no contacts, but
With some research, we found a pastor and his wife in
the village of Sua, just half an hour from the epicenter of the earthquake. They
described the effects of a devastating flood in January
2016 which destroyed the ground floor and many of the furniture in many of the
homes and businesses, and as they were barely recovering from that
when the earthquake came, bringing even more tragedy to a
community already devastated. So we started our project
in Sua with 30 families, by installing a savings and credit account.
Each family received capital to create a new business or
rebuild your business that you had. As we do with most
of communities, FEDICE will accompany them until they are
comfortable with the process. It takes us 6 hours to drive to Sua,
but we like the change of scenery and especially the tropical climate of the coast.
Carlina Casierra with her chicken project in Sua
THE PRAIRIE
(photo at top of page)The third project is in La Pradera, which is located south of Quito in the province of Cotopaxi. This is a new group of 17 families who learned about FEDICE from people in our Luz de América community group. We recently gave them their first loan for their agricultural projects with chickens, pigs and beef cattle.
Olga Yan Pardo
"The hospitality of the people is so sincere and human that it leaves a very good taste in my mouth and gives me the joy of knowing that the love of our Lord Jesus continues to manifest itself in many people. It is a great motivation to continue this beautiful path of service, because in the process of giving, so many beautiful things are received, impossible to convey only with words."
The experience of being in Ecuador has been great, a magnificent opportunity to put love and knowledge into action, this country has it all, the interculturality is admirable, each ethnic group maintains its customs and traditions and has so much to learn, the variety of climate in the different regions, its fruits, this is a unique experience.
In relation to the work carried out, the interaction with the Fonte family in the Pijal community was very gratifying because each meeting with them allowed me to reach out to other girls, boys and adolescents and see the fruits of the topics we work on each week. It is a family to admire and continue supporting, because even with their economic shortcomings they do their best and are good students. With the Cuascota family in Gonzalez Suarez it was more challenging but we were able to accompany them in the orientation for a healthy life project for the children and the responsibility of the adults.
The discussions on sexual education, children's rights, gender equality, etc. in each child care center, community and church were very useful, as they allowed me to promote them with a focus on rights, justice, equality and protection, thus contributing to the knowledge and empowerment of each mother and father, thus collaborating to have happier and healthier families.
Each girl and boy has marked my life in a very funny way, because their occurrences, reactions and questions about me being black have made a big difference between them, because there are communities, especially indigenous ones, where not a single person with my skin color lives, which has been very significant to me, because my mere presence allows them to realize and experience directly that the human family is multiracial.
The hospitality of the people is so sincere and human that it leaves a very good taste in my mouth and gives me the joy of knowing that the love of our Lord Jesus continues to manifest itself in many people. It is a great motivation to continue this beautiful path of service, because in the process of giving, so many beautiful things are received, impossible to convey only with words.
Thank God for this wonderful life experience which has transformed my being in an integral way.
Face Elizabeth McKinney
" I am here in Ecuador and with FEDICE to learn from people who are different from me, to know their experiences, their stories, to learn a way of life different from my own, and in turn, to share my experiences and my story. This seems like the best way to love another person."
FEDICE is proud to welcome a new Global Ministries volunteer, Cara Elizabeth McKinney, from Ohio, United States. We are happy to have her at FEDICE and are sure she will be a valuable addition to our activities.
One of the first activities entrusted to Elizabeth (as we have affectionately decided to call her here at FEDICE) is to answer the questions why she decided to do volunteer work and why with Fedice. Below are her answers:
“I decided to seek a job with the Christian Church Global Ministries, Disciples of Christ, for many reasons. But the most important reason is because I understand that the foundation of the Christian faith is the concept of love—love for our neighbors, love for family, people and the environment, love for ourselves, love for our God and for the sacrifices God has made for us. The idea of “do unto thy neighbor whatever you would have them do unto you” forms the foundation of love in every person; I love myself, why wouldn’t I want to love my neighbor?”
"I am here in Ecuador and with FEDICE to learn from people who are different from me, to learn about their experiences, their stories, to learn a way of life different from my own, and in turn, to share my experiences and my story. This seems like the best way to love another person. I am here to come to know and love my distant neighbor as much as my close neighbor, and to go forth and celebrate our differences. I believe this is what God calls us to do in the world."
Since Elizabeth has been in Ecuador, she has visited several communities in which FEDICE works, including El Chaupi, Pijal, Pusir, Gonzalez Suarez, and Sua. In each community she has begun to get to know the families and individuals with whom we work, as well as beginning to understand the specific work that FEDICE does in each community.
MARILYN COOPER and the Value of English
“ As a FEDICE volunteer, I am making a difference in indigenous communities. The leaders of the future, the children, are receiving an improved curriculum because FEDICE has the foresight to provide this service of teaching English in these communities. It is a gift to the next generation.”
I have been teaching English classes in preschools for 6 years here in the surrounding areas of Otavalo, Ecuador. My experience as a PE and Adaptive PE teacher hardly prepared me for working in the classroom with young children. With my limited ability to speak Spanish, what could FEDICE do with me? Flexibility may not be my strong suit, but I have determined to be a volunteer that benefits FEDICE.
It has been a rocky road, probably harder for my students than for me, in the beginning. The teachers were so keen to put English into their children's heads that my classes often included more than 20 students under 5 years old. Add to that my “disability” in remembering names, the children's distrust of this “gringa” who looked weird and spoke funny, and the fun of tickling the neighbor, and it's a wonder the children learned. But they did. One mother told me that when her daughter started English classes at school, she already knew the names of animals, colors, and fruits in English. So I can say that at least one student learned.
I now feel that my plans are getting the kids' attention. They are learning new words, and over time, they are understanding the concept of different languages. Yes, I still have Alex, who for the first 6 weeks of school this year said "Spanish" every time I asked how to say something in English. But he is finally repeating English words and has stopped asking me to teach in Spanish instead of English.
The number of preschools where I work has increased to 8. This year, I've worked with an average of 103 students twice a week. (No, they're not all in one class!) Teachers keep asking me to come back, so I know I'm making a difference.
A mother told me that her daughter sings English songs at home.
In one of the preschools where I have a class of 10 students, the class of younger children (also 10 students) sit by the door with their teacher so they can watch the videos in English and learn the words too.
In another, non-speaking students are also sent to my class to absorb English with the more advanced students.
Recently, the principal of a school in another district (who had worked at one of the early childhood centers where I now teach) called me and asked me to come teach at her school. Parents and teachers want their children to learn English. Fortunately, I was able to add this eighth school to my 4-day week.
As a volunteer with FEDICE, I am making a difference in indigenous communities. The leaders of the future, the children, are receiving an improved curriculum because FEDICE has the foresight to provide this service of teaching English in these communities. It is a gift to the next generation.