Sumak Kawsay Yachay

2011-02-13T19:24:00.000-08:00

2010-12-11T08:04:00.000-08:00

The Time Has Come For All Salasacans To Learn How To Write Their Names

2010-05-05T13:03:00.000-07:00

The government has decided that all of the recipents of the $35 Social Security payments must attend classes to learn how to write their names. If you don't go to class, no more payments. They must attend class for 15 hours a week for six months. In one class they range in age from 50 to 80. The sad part is that some are almost blind.

Here at our library and learning center we are hosting two classes each night.

New Puppet Theatre At The Library

2010-04-22T10:35:00.000-07:00

The room is almost finished!

2009-12-11T11:43:00.000-08:00

Well, me and Sam are off today, but we´re really pleased with the progress we´ve made, and we hope you are too. The painting is completely finished, and we´ve bought the lights, which should be up before Christmas! Keep checking back for updates on the room, and for now here is a picture of what we´ve been up to.

The Paint Goes On...

2009-12-03T05:49:00.000-08:00

Just another update of the library storage room project! The ceiling is completely finished now, lovely fresh white, and we´ve begun work on painting the walls. Looks really bright and welcoming already, and I´m sure by the time it´s finished (which hopefully will be in the next couple of weeks) it´ll look like a completely different space. Here are some photos of Sam and me getting our hands dirty! Thanks once again to all who have donated, and please keep supporting us so we can get this room completely finished!

Progression of our Storage Room!

2009-11-20T08:09:00.000-08:00

We´ve had some exciting developments in the storage room renovation. In the past couple of weeks we´ve managed to clear almost everything out of the room (interesting things found included a collection of jeans and shoes, two books of slides, minutes of meetings from 20 years ago, and lots and lots of bugs!). We´ve scrubbed the walls and the ceiling and have bought all the paint, rollers and brushes. The walls will be a lovely sunny orange, and the ceiling, which we hope to start painting today, will be coated with a fresh layer of white paint. Photos of the decorated room will hopefully be up soon, but for now, here is a photo of our clean(ish) scrubbed and swept room. Keep looking for updates, and thanks once again to all the generous donators. We still need some more funds to buy floor tiles so please do keep giving!

Storage Room Project

2009-11-09T07:27:00.000-08:00

The storage room project at the library is well underway, thanks to some generous donations. The hope is to repaint, tile and fit the room with tables and seating so that it becomes a much-needed meeting and studying room. Here are some before pictures so you can track our progress! There is lot of stuff to clear and sort out, and a lot of cleaning to be done, but we´re making the important first steps. We´ve also begun to renovate the furniture already in the room - Here is Sam and some of the children working on sanding down a bench to get it ready for repainting.

A Day In the Life of Sara

2009-10-07T08:10:00.000-07:00

Hiya, I´m Sara and today I´m going to take you with me on one of my favourite days volunteering in Salasaca. We wake up as per tradition to the sound of Robert singing and then walk up to Escuela Katitawa surrounded by the snowy volcanoes, accompanied by Merkin and Blaze, our two homeless dogs cum volunteers.

We spend the morning at the school on “the girl wall” (named due to the contrast between us mosaiccing and the guys pushing wheelbarrows full of massive rocks). Rob does a condor while I manage to put the moon with its back to the sun so Rufino has to inform me it looks like the gods are fighting. While Dan knocks us up an open fire to cook the kids lunch we oblige the endless requests for piggy backs and swing pushing from the cute but tireless nursery kids.

After lunch we head down to the library where I teach 6 awesome 11 year old girls English. They teach me multiple rude words in Quichua and we sing a few of our favourites, number one: heads shoulders knees and toes. They’re awesome company, hysterical, affectionate and mega keen to learn. At the end of class Sisa runs off and brings me back a puppy (impractical maybe but lesson planning done, puppy related vocabulary for the rest of the week).

We head back to the hostel where Fabiola is dancing round the kitchen cooking soup, which is followed by our daily desert, today chocolate crepes courtesy of little Jen and Ed. Later, we sit outside wrapped up in blankets while Chris and Dan jam with the violin. Full and knackered we head to bed, where I proceed to be woken hourly by the pup, to take her out and listen to the chorus of donkeys, twilight barking and finally the roosters crowing.

Goodbye Summer!

2009-09-11T07:23:00.000-07:00

We had a great round of summer classes at the Rosa Maria Library. The kids came to the library for lots of great classes taught by our wonderful volunteers. These included math, science, world religions, English, French, computer skills, and art! The little ones gathered for classes as well. Here are a couple of pictures of the summer fun.

The school year just started, but our programs at the library continue. The library is open all day and we provide internet access, homework help, classes for kids, adults, and nursery kids, and of course, books! Check out our blog for Katitawa our multi-lingual (Quichua, Spanish, and English) school, to see pictures of this wonderful school setting and our progress.

Cheers for now!
The SKY team

Justine Is Almost Finished With The Mural.

2009-07-30T16:15:00.000-07:00

When we particioned off the new children's reading room we had a wide passageway that was crying out for a mural....And along came Justine. That's the way it works around here. When we have a need....Someone comes along to fill it.

Justine spent many hous working with the pre-school kids in their room.

This mural was their's.

2009-07-14T15:30:00.000-07:00

2009-06-03T14:52:00.000-07:00

2009-06-03T14:44:00.000-07:00

2009-04-16T18:27:00.000-07:00

A few Additions At The New Quarters For The Volunteers

2009-04-10T08:26:00.000-07:00

The stairway from the first to second level was unprotected and since I have a little problem seeing at night, I thought it a good idea to solve this this safety problem before I or any of the volunteers walked of the edge in the middle of the night.

Before Xavier had to leave he made a good start and next week Rufino will complete the job.

You were a great help Xavier, and I will miss you.

Additional Classroom Almost Ready In Manguiwa.

2009-04-05T16:55:00.000-07:00

We have only been in this building for five months and we have run out of space.

We are moving the volunteer's quaters to a hostal that has been empty for more than a year and is located just a short walk from the Manguiwa Center. The Manguiwa Center will used as the foundation (SKY headquarters which includes the library, computer center, and additional classrooms.

We are remodeling the front classroom to make it more conducive to study. Rob from Austrailia is laying the tile, with the help of Dave from the USA.

Xavier, a carpenter from France is building the partition that will create a hallway into the computer room and a private classroom.

2009-02-08T14:33:00.000-08:00

2009-01-14T17:20:00.000-08:00

2009-01-04T06:53:00.000-08:00

New Quarters Are Working Out Well

2008-12-04T17:26:00.000-08:00

The volunteers are now in the new quarters in the community of Manguiwa, about two KM southwest of Salasaca central. By the end of the month we will also move the library to the same building.

This past two weeks have been spent, cleaning, painting and moving into the new location which except for the on-again-off-again water supply, has proved to be great and everyone is happy.

The surrounding landscapes are beautiful. A view of Tungurahua is seen through the kitchen window on occasion and views of Ilinisa, Cotapoxi and Chimborazo are available from the roof….When they choose to present themselves. The sunsets from the roof are also available for viewing 50% of the time. You rarely saw them from the downtown location.

There is one distinct advantage for the location….No more Pedro, who woke everyone each morning, anywhere from 5:30 to 6:30 with his daily announcements, always starting with an “Alo”. The only exception was when there had been a death in the village and then, you were awakened to Simon and Garfunkel`s, “The sound of silence”.

New Headquarters For Sumak Kawasay Yachay

2008-10-18T17:17:00.000-07:00

Today we started to clean our new headquarters for the foundation. We anticipate to be moved in by the 26th of October.

The building is located in the barrio of Mangiwa de Katitawa, which is the barrio where the Katitawa School is located. The building belongs to the community and has been vacant for some time.

Marcelo Masaquiza, the president of the community offered the building to the foundation, in recognition of the work that we have been doing at the school, which can be used as needed. All we need to do is pay for the electricity and water. In the coming year there may be a small fee....Not to exceed $50 per month.

We plan to use the second leval to house the volunteers and the lower leval will be the new home of the Rosa Maria Library- We will also have space for our afternoon English classes and after school "Homework" help for students who live in Salasaca and need a little extra help in various subjects.

We will also offer a high speed Internet connection for use of the community. The only other Internet service available is a very slow connection in Salasaca Central. There will be a small usage fee to help cover the cost of the satellite connection. At the present time we have one rather newish computer and one six years old. As soon as we have the funds available we will expand the service.

Erika, Gave A Six Week Painting Class To Two Past Graduates Of Katitawa.

2008-10-05T09:36:00.000-07:00

Our Volunteers....Past And Present.

2008-06-14T13:26:00.000-07:00

Current Volunteers

Past Volunteers

Below you will find a brief sketch of each of our past volunteers who came to Salasaca to give what they could and left with a deeper appreciation for the meaning of love. We thank you all and hope you find your way back here soon.

Bruce and Tifiney, from the USA....Janurary -Present, 2009.

Elizabeth from the USA....June-Present, 2008.

Jannick, from France....September-Present, 2008.

Elizabeth from the USA....June-Present, 2008.

Polly from the UK....Janurary-February, 2009.

Polly, a secondary school teacher in London, was here only a short time but taught us a lot. She left us a wealth of information that we are putting into practice.

Erika from the Florida, USA....July-September, 2008.

Iris from Colorado, USA ....September, 2008.

Michael from the UK....July, 2008.

Eric from USA....June-July, 2008.

Sara from Switzerland....June, 2008.

Sarah and Josh from Seattle, USA....June 2008.

Isabel from England....June 2008.

Lisa from Dublin....June 2008.

Ed from Arkansas....May-June 2008.

Celine from California....May 2008.

Ryan from St. Louis....February-May 2008.

Amy and Ben from the UK....May 2008.

Beatrice from Hong Kong....April-May 2008.

Anna from Australia....March-May 2008.

Justin from New York....April 2008.

Maria from Budapest. April 2008

Wendy and Adam from England.... February-March-April 2008

Cara from St. Louis....March 2008

Amy, Hanna and Becky from the UK....February, 2008

Shayla, from Canada. December-January, 2007/2008

Shayla planned to stay a week,but left 3.5 weeks later. She was a great help and an inspiration to all. On her last day we had a small going away party. It is always hard for the volunteers to say goodbye.

Bill & Debbie, from Scotland. November-December, 2007

Rachel, from Australia. November, 2007

Adriana, from Australia. September-October, 2007

Adriana and her husband Mark spent a couple of weeks here in Salasaca and although their time was short they left with an experience that I am sure will bring them back. I hope to have some pictures of them soon.

Mark, from Ireland. September-October, 2007

Margaret and Brian, From Chicago, USA. September, 2007.

Margaret and Brian stopped by for a visit and stayed for three days. They left there mark and I am sure that they will return.

Ganga, From England. September, 2007

Everyone loves Ganga.
She came to us from Baños and spent her last two weeks in Ecuador teaching English in Salasaca. She contributed in so many ways. When you visit the Katitawa School you will see her handiwork all over the place. Remember...you promised to return for Fabiola's wedding.

Julie, From Canada. July 29-August, 2007

Julie was only here for a short time, however she jumped right in and did a wonderful job. She is one of those people who, after knowing for only a short time, you get the feeling that you have been friends for years. She took over the last two weeks of the Vacation Classes and I for one am grateful. Fabiola sends you a thousands hugs.

Derek, From Canada. July, 2007

Enda, from Ireland. July, 2007Enda, the "Quiet Man", was a willing worker and a hit with the kids and everyone he came in contact with. Everyone hated to see him go. Enda and John were heading for an Organic Farm in Baños to volunteer for a few weeks, but were advised by the owner that she was booked up and told them to cantact us. There loss was are gain. They said they were not teachers but would help out in any way that they could.

John, from Ireland.July, 2007

John and his friend Enda left their marks on the school. I don't know what they told their friends back home but after they left we received a number of generous donations in their name. Thank you again.

Elizabeth, from San Francisco. June-July, 2007

Ian, from Austin, Texas, USA. April-June, 2007

Janneke....December 2006-March, 2007

Janneke, a young woman from Holland, found her way to Salasaca through the Baños Ecuador blog. She called me one day in November of last year and said she might be interested in volunteering in Salasaca. She came by Ambato and joined me for my English Class in the afternoon. There was an instant connection, I believe, between Janneke and the kids in the class. That afternnon she left, saying that she would give some thought to taking over the class. She returned a week later and said she wanted to give it a try.
She is a wonderful woman and is a much loving person. She is now working in Ibarra, Ecuador but finds her way back to Salasaca every six weeks or so. The kids will never forget her.

Spanish Lessons For Volunteers

2008-05-18T19:09:00.000-07:00

Beginning in June the foundation will offer Spanish lessons for the volunteers. The classes will be held in the English classroom in Central Salasaca.

Many of the volunteers feel the need to learn or improve there language skills and take the time to attend language schools either in Baños or Quito. The cost is pretty standard in both cities....Five dollars per hour.

Our intention is to offer the classes in the afternoon and evening at a much reduced price or depending on the instructors, maybe even free.

Volunteer Complex In Salasaca.

2008-04-27T13:17:00.000-07:00

The Volunteer Complex is located in central Salasaca. The complex also houses the Salasaca Central English School

and the Rosa Maria Library which also serves as the headquarters of the Sumak Kawsay Yachay Foundation.
We have three bedrooms which can can sleep four volunteers, a nice modern kitchen and dining room, pictured below.

A fireplace when the nights are cold.

And a modern bathroom.

Hot water is sometimes a problem.

English Classes Start Again In Salasaca Central

2008-04-16T15:35:00.000-07:00

The volunteers complex in Salasaca central houses the Rosa Maria Library, quarters for the volunteers and the Salasaca Central English School. This school is for the children from Salasaca who attend other schools in the area and want to supplement their English studies. We suspended the classes for a year because of a lack of volunteers but started them again three weeks ago.

Maria, from Budapest, painted the classroom the first week she was here and then taught the first two weeks of classes before she had to move on.

These are small classes with a maximum of five students in each class.

Big Changes Planned For Katitawa School

2008-03-29T16:37:00.000-07:00

As we near the end of the school year we need to make definitive plans for the next school year starting in September.

First of all I would like to review a little history of the Katitawa School. The school was started more than 10 years ago by Rosa Marie Masaquiza to fulfill a lifelong dream of having a bilingual school in Salasaca. Bilingual meaning that it would teach Kichwa and Spanish. It started as a private school and later joined the network of bilingual schools that were approved as experimental schools under the Ecuador Department of Education. In 2006 we added English to the curriculum.

Although Katitawa is not owned by the government, however the government does contribute a small sum of money for the salaries of two teachers, one of which also acts as the director. For many years Rosa Maria was the Director, but in February of this year, Rosa Maria had an opportunity to take a job at a university in the United States which was very difficult to pass up. Before she left she found her replacement and everything proceeded without any problems with the students or parents.

Some problems have cropped up in the last few weeks that are causing some doubt how much longer the government will be paying the two teachers. They have already decided not to pay Maria who has taken over for Rosa Maria. Maria will continue however because a group in the United States have agreed to help with her salary for the rest of this school year. So for the rest of this year we are operating as before.

At this time the directors of Sumak Kawsay Yachay are looking into the feasibility of reverting Katitawa back to a private school. We are in the process of writing an operating plan and present it to the Education Minister for approval.

The biggest problem is that we will now increase our operating budget by $400.00 which is what the government has been paying to the two teachers. We are quite confident that we will be able to raise this additional money plus a little extra. It is our goal to be able to increase the salary to at lest $250 and hopefully more per month which is just slightly above the minimum wage of the country.

Once we have the budget worked out for the upcoming year we will publish it here.

Fabiola And Jose....Never a dull moment when they are around.

2007-09-30T13:40:00.000-07:00

Anyone who has visited the volunteer's compound here in Salasaca will appreciate the following pictures of Fabiola and Jose. October 13Th will be her 21st birthday party at her home. You are all invited.
Many have promised to be here for her wedding. We will keep you informed.

Foundation For Learning

2007-01-29T06:46:00.000-08:00

At the present time there are three projects in Salasaca:

No. 1..In the hills overlooking Salasaca, is the Katitawa School where English classes are being conc
ducted by the foundation. The founding director, Rosa Maria Masaqiza, invited the foundation to provide an English teacher for the school which has 30 students ranging in age from six to 14. The major requirement by the director was that it had to be provided without charge. At the present time the classes are conducted by Janneke Robbe, a volunteer from Holland. The foundation probides her with a place to stay. Janneke speaks fluent Spanish, English, Dutch and is now adding Kichua.

Margarita Fabiola Masaqiza, (no relation to Rosa) is helping as a teachers aid as many of the younger children only speak Kichua. Fabiola is our only paid employee in the foundation.No. 2..In the center of Salasaca we have started a small English School where at the present time we have two classes a day with a total of six to eight students. There is a small charge of $2.50 per week per student. However if the parents have no money we accept almost anything. A bag of potatoes, or corn or rice or whatever they can afford. So far we have not collected any money but we do eat. We feel that it is necessary to charge something for the classes, because if they are free they loose their value.

No. 3..We have started to collect books for the new library. We are looking for books in any language, however Spanish are the preferred at this stage. The library is in the same building as the school but at this writing we have not furnitue. Our next project is to build shelves for the books, a table for reading and studing and six chairs. I hope to have some pictures soon.

The living quarters for the volunteer teacher is also located on the premisis.

If you would like to donate to this worthwhile cause we would welcome your contribution. There are no middlemen or government agencies involved, so your contribution goes directly to the cause.
Thanks you.