Project Report
| Aug 26, 2019
Gearing up for our biggest year yet!
By Aaron Stapel | FYYChE Vice President
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Hello from the highlands!
The summer has been a time of much growth and reflection as we prepare for the upcoming school year here in Chimborazo. We have begun working with two women's organizations in two of our partner communities to put together a livestock co-op for the parents of students. With a portion of your generous donations from the previous year, combined with resources pooled from the women of the co-op, they were able to buy a number of cuy (guinnea pigs) which they bred to sell, and with the profits, have bought a few sheep to breed, with the end goal of moving up to pigs and eventually cattle for each of the women in the co-op. They are testing this as a pilot program to teach other community members better livestock care and provide another source of both nutrition and income for the families of our students! It's amazing to see so much grow out of the seeds planted over the past couple years.
As for the English and arts program, this year we have 5 volunteers signed on to teach in 4 different communities; our biggest faculty yet, and double the number of schools reached in the 2018-2019 school year! Our deepest thanks go out to all you who have walked with us in this time of growth and development. Your support opens new doors to a generation of children who will have more options than ever before, and helps build agency and resilience within and alongside communities fighting for a brighter future. We can't wait to see what growth this work will bring moving forward.
Gratefully,
Aaron Stapel
FYYChE Vice President
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May 29, 2019
Closing out another school year, looking forward
By Aaron Stapel | Vice President
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As the end of the school year draws closer, we have the chance to reflect on another year of growth and learning. The students of Balda Lupaxi have now had a volunteer for 3 years, and our network of community partners has now grown to 3 schools in 3 separate communities. Thanks to your support, this summer we will hold a first run of our Tri-lingual Summer Arts program, where children from surrounding communities will have the opportunity to enrich their knowledge of Kichwa culture and arts while gaining language skills necessary for higher education.
As always, our primary goal is to sustainably grow and nurture existing relationships and reinforce what we have, so our plans for this upcoming year are just that. We will be maintainig our partnerships with the schools in Balda, Cebadas, and Guamote, and any donations recieved that exceed those needs will be put toward a program to provide glasses to students with visual imparments. From all of us at FYYChE and all our partners, thank you so much for your support. We truly could not do any of this without you.
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Feb 26, 2019
Finding root in Guamote
By Aaron Stapel | Project Leader
Greetings friends,
While the search for a more permanent plot of land continues and new fundraising strategies are explored, we have used our minimal personal funds to rent a small house on the edge of Guamote. Here we are housing the volunteer teachers as well as holding weekly skill building workshops in traditional music, dance, artisanry, pastoral practices, and youth leadership workshops, all led by local community members. All this while an itemized budget and plan are finalized to build the permanent community center.
The volunteers in Guamote and Balda Lupaxi continue to teach, working with over 150 students between the two schools, and collaborating with community leaders to create a curriculum which caters to both the specific needs and existing strengths of already bi-lingual Kichwa/Spanish-speaking students. In the near future we look to better furnish the temporary headquarters to host larger workshops, cook community meals for "mingas" (community work days), and a functioning office for the organization's administration to more efficiently meet the needs of those they serve.
We would like to extend our most sincere thanks to all who have supported us so far, and are excited for the myriad of opportunities unfolding for the communities of Chimborazo.
Sincerely,
Aaron Stapel
FYYChE Vice President
Highland Partners is a program of the Highland Support Project to provide Indigenous social enterprises with networking tools to grow their social capital.
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