June 20, 2011
Equador -
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Entry By Julie Creen (Manager, School & Youth Coordination with Me to We)
The Student-Athletes Leading Social Change (SALSC) group is doing just great, and we are all so impressed by the students' eagerness to learn, share and challenge themselves with every activity that they engage in!
On Thursday morning June 16, we went to a local food market in the town of Guamote. The participants were divided into groups, each group representing a "family." Each group was assigned a different profile (number of family members, ages, etc.) and was challenged to buy a full meal's worth of food for their entire "family" for less than one dollar at the market. This was definitely an eye-opening experience in terms of what an average Ecuadorian family faces when trying to make ends meet on a meager income.
Additionally, the participants got some time to explore the market-- some bought local crafts, ponchos, and even a local delicacy called, "cuy," which is actually what we in North America know as the guinea pig! Some of students were brave enough to sample this new food later that night.
On Friday the group dedicated all of the morning to finishing their work on the new classroom and mural in Chismaute. We have been absolutely amazed at how fast the SALSC group has worked! They started from nothing, and now there is a completed cement base for the classroom and hundreds of adobe bricks ready to use.
In the afternoon, the group enjoyed a very special presentation by the Chismaute girls' club. This was an amazing interaction-- for the first time, these young girls ages 13-18 were able to introduce themselves to visitors, sing a specially prepared song for the group, play a local game, and demonstrate a traditional dance. The SALSC participants had also prepared a song and some games, and it was just wonderful to see how the girls warmed up and laughed with the students as though they had always been good friends. The photo attached shows the SALSC youth participants together with the girls' club members.
On Saturday the 18th, the group will enjoy a full day in the community of Pulingui, interacting with members of a local women's group, to learn about their income generation projects and the daily tasks that they do at home. And on Sunday, they will be heading back to Quito, for an early Monday morning flight home.
