Library empowers Girls & Women in coastal Ecuador

Report No. 1, Library bus for Don Juan, Manabí, Ecuador.

It has been already three months since you last heard from us, so let us start by thanking you again for your generous support.  Our efforts in Don Juan keep us extremely busy, hot and damp, sometimes frustrated but, after spending a few hours with the kids in the Library at the end of the day we enjoy the Pacific sunset in rewarding company.

Ten months have passed since a 7.8 earthquake tore our lives apart in the evening of April 16, 2016. Our daily routine involves trying to switch and fit so many hats that there is never time for boredom or hammockL. There is so much to be done that sometimes it overwhelms us. But then, when things start to look gloomy, we receive a supportive email, call or visit that makes us change gears and go ahead.

The winter season is now in full gear. Keep in mind our equatorial lack of season means that winter is just rainy season: floods, mosquitoes, and sickness. All this in the midst of a housing emergency that demands response, as best we can, to immediate needs while struggling to set in motion long term programs. This seems like a steep hill to climb (and it is) but let us share with you some of what we have accomplished so far:

• FAMM. In November 2016 our organization, Fundación A mano Manaba, was formally recognized as a legal, Ecuadorian non-profit organization (NGO) by the Ministerio de Economía Solidaria (MIES). This step was very important to create legitimacy and allow us to apply for grants and do fund raising directly. Corporación Grupo Randi Randi (CGRR) in Quito will continue to provide institutional coverage for FAMM in the Global Giving platform, but we view our relationship shifting from “mother-child” to one of “sister NGOs”.
• Library bus. This is the project you kindly supported. During our first 31 days in the Global Giving platform we were able to raise $10,150 through 117 donors; 4 are monthly donors. We still have to raise $43,030 to fund the entire project but we are busy looking for alternative sources of support and ways to enhance our campaigns through Global Giving. As a result of our success in our first ever “crowd funding adventure” Global Giving has vetted our initiative. In March a Global Giving advisor will visit us in Don Juan and help us find creative ways to continue our campaign. In the meantime we have reached out to possible national corporate sponsors for the bus. We hope to hear back from them soon (keep your fingers crossed!)
• FAMM Intercultural Center and Library. As you know, a small children´s library existed in Don Juan prior to the earthquake, thanks to a Peace Corps volunteer. The earthquake destroyed the house holding the library; the books were salvaged but there was nowhere to use them. So a mobile library was created, beginning with Domingo, the biblio-burro or library-donkey. While the reading program got underway in the shade of trees or on the beach, the land of the former library was donated to FAMM. Until all transactions are completed, the center and library function in a donated, temporary, and somewhat precarious bamboo structure. Once the title is in hand, we will launch a new campaign on Global Giving to build a permanent library and cultural center, which we intend to be an example of seismic resistant architecture using local materials. We will be communicating with you on this new initiative very soon. In the meantime, in the quaint little bamboo structure, we meet the children of Don Juan every afternoon after school for:
• The reading-comprehension program
• Library and encyclopedia usage
• English as a Second Language: Through our volunteer program Jenna Yeats-Gould has been offering English language classes on Monday, Wednesday and Friday evenings.
• Aerial silk acrobatics: Fabián Ramírez, a volunteer from Colombia, visited Don Juan during January and February and coached the kids in this outdoor activity. It was a huge success!
• Building furniture with recycled material: Fabián, Jenna and the children collected used plastic bottles, filled them with paper trash and built an armchair for the Library. This has opened a world of possibilities for recycling that the children were not aware of.
• Wooden shipping pallets for floors. Most of our neighbors are still living in improvised shelters with no proper roof or floor. After a rainy night mattresses and appliances are left floating on top of a layer of thick, sticky mud. In January we were able to obtain and transport 210 donated pallets to use as floors. (In these conditions, floors are often more important than roofs!!)
• Medical brigade. As a response to urgent health issues FAMM reached out to Metro Fraternidad, a very prestigious NGO supported by the Metropolitan Hospital in Quito. On Saturday March 4th we will receive the first brigade medical doctors with the following specialties: Gynecology, Pediatrics, Dermatology, Surgery, Diabetes, Internal Medicine and Psychology.   Our neighbors will house and feed the doctors and we hope to develop an agreement with Metro Fraternidad for on-going medical support visits every six months.
• Further Funding. FAMM, together with CGRR and Ayuda Directa, another supporting NGO, has been developing new projects, writing grants, and expanding its national network of supporting and volunteer organizations for Don Juan and nearby communities. The library bus continues to be our primary project, but as you can see, what began as a single initiative, has now blossomed into numerous activities, each one bringing more neighbors together in the work towards recovery and beyond.  

All our best to all of you, and thank you so much for your support,

Rut Roman, FAMM and Susan Poats, CGRR