November 26, 2024

Skills-based Volunteering in Kenya, Tanzania, and Liberia

Leave a Comment / Volunteer opportunities /

Hello Friends of Ecuador, F2F A2F Recruitment Brochure IESC F2F A2F General Factsheet

I hope you are doing well. My name is Rachel Hyman, and I work with the USAID-funded Farmer-to-Farmer Access to Finance Program (F2F A2F) at IESC. We work with volunteer experts to provide technical assistance to financial institutes and agricultural businesses in Kenya, Tanzania, and Liberia. You can find more information about our program on the attached brochure and fact sheet.

I’m reaching out because I believe our program is very relevant to your organization’s values and the interests of your members, and we are hoping to connect with professionals interested in volunteering to enhance access to finance for smallholder farmers, women, and youth in our core countries. We are looking for volunteers representing a wide variety of fields and skill sets. These include (but are not limited to) business development, banking and finance, marketing, economics, strategic planning, factory management, agronomy, resource mobilization, financial management, human resources, etc.

If there is anyone in your organization who may be interested in our program, I would greatly appreciate being connected! Likewise, if there is any general interest, I would love to explore an avenue for sharing upcoming volunteer assignments with your organization.

If you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to ask. Thank you for your time.

Best,  Rachel Hyman

Factsheet

Brochure

 

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Renewed Fundraising Appeal – World Quinoa Congress

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This is a guest post from Alan Adams, Asesor Internacional, Mushuk Yuyay

Last spring, we posted a story on Mushuk Yuyay and our efforts to fundraise to support them. We only raised about $100. Please consider a donation. We’re hoping to raise at least $1500 to support a Field Day showing off the Mushuk Yuyay experimental farm and all of the crops available there. If you like to donate to Mushuk via Friends, you can visit Friends of Ecuador’s Donate page and PayPal link.

Mushuk Yuyay in Cañar, Ecuador will host the IX World Quinua Congress on June 17, 18, 19 & 20 of 2025 to coincide with the Inti Raymi celebration. This will be the biggest event in the history of Cañar with universities, NGOs, businesses, government agencies, marketers and tourists participating. Musicians, artists, dancers, performers of every kind will make the festivities bright and exciting. There will be new and traditional foods, including quinua pasta, quinua and amaranth bread, amaranth energy bars, and much more besides the foods that Returned Peace Corps Volunteers remember and love about the Sierra. This will also be a community event featuring the farmers and local crafters, but most of all, you will see the astounding transformation that the people themselves have brought about over the past few decades.

Mushuk Yuyay would like Friends of Ecuador to be an essential part of this World Quinua Congress by helping to sponsor a vital component of the program. Over the years, Friends of Ecuador has helped Mushuk Yuyay while the association was struggling to stay alive. Now Mushuk Yuyay is a growing economic and social force in southern Ecuador. Now, we are hoping that Friends of Ecuador will be put their name on the Field Day at the Mushuk Yuyay experimental farm, Finca La Posta, to demonstrate the advances in agroecological cultivation of quinua and other crops for the health and stability of the region. It is projected that 350 attendees will participate in this activity. The total cost of this event will be $2,100. We are asking Friends of Ecuador to provide just half, $1,500, by the end of 2024, to make the Field Day possible.

I am always available to answer any questions. Please check Mushuk Yuyay out at MushukYuyay.org or Associación Mushuk Yuyay on Facebook.

 

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Ecuador Grappling with Blackouts

Leave a Comment / Ecuador /

Ecuador grapples with 14-hour blackouts, climate change, and alleged corruption

Worrisome news of blackouts in Ecuador: “Since mid-September 2024, Ecuador has been experiencing power outages, up to 14 hours per day, across its entire territory.”

Some of it appears to be related to droughts which are affecting hydroelectric produciton: “According to the Ecuadorian digital media organization La Defensa, chats between Arrobo and Noboa reveal that the Minister of Energy warned President Noboa that droughts and limited rainfall would affect the hydroelectric plants, which provide the majority of Ecuador’s electricity. Most hydroelectric energy production depends on rainwater flow as the plants require a base amount of water to spin the turbines that generate electricity. Arrobo stressed to him that if the drought continued, the hydroelectric plants “will not hold up.”

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Message from the New PC Country Director – Anni Galdames

Leave a Comment / Peace Corps Ecuador /

Dear Friends of Ecuador,

I am genuinely excited to connect with you as the new Country Director for Peace Corps Ecuador. As someone who embarked on this transformative journey as a Peace Corps Volunteer in Panama from 2003 to 2005, I can truly appreciate the incredible impact of service and connection. Completing my service filled me with a profound sense of accomplishment and clarity about my own purpose. I realized that, through service, I had accessed something greater than myself. The experience shaped my life, guiding me to where I am today, and I’m eager to support fellow Volunteers in their journeys. Our Volunteers in Ecuador are carrying this spirit forward, enacting meaningful change as they partner with local communities in areas like health, education, and youth development. They play a crucial role in empowering Ecuadorians to take charge of their own futures.

Ecua 130 had their swearing in ceremony in July, and we currently have 103 Volunteers in service.  We have three programs currently in the Peace Corps Ecuador portfolio: Teaching English as a Foreign Language (TEFL), Community Health and Wellness, and Youth and Families Development. We are also thrilled to share with you that 3 Response Volunteers swear in on Thursday, October 24th and will serve for 1 year.  By spring we should level out at a population of 140 Peace Corps Volunteers in Ecuador.

As we embrace this mission, I want to underscore the importance of your support as Friends and Returned Peace Corps Volunteers. Your experiences, insights, and connections are invaluable to our mission. You understand the significance of Goals 2 and 3, appreciating that the relationships forged between Volunteers and community members transform lives on both sides.

Our dedicated team at Peace Corps Ecuador is committed to ensuring the success of our Volunteers and strengthening the communities we serve. Together, we strive to promote inclusivity, equity, and sustainable development. Cultivating a trusting and open environment is a top priority for me, and I encourage each of you to share your experiences, ideas, and any concerns you may have. Your voice is vital in the continuous journey toward growth and success.

As we move forward, I invite you to join us in making a meaningful difference. With your support, we can create lasting change in Ecuador while nurturing the incredible spirit of service that binds us all together.

Warm regards,

Anni

Anni Galdames

(she, her)

Country Director, Ecuador

RPCV Panama 2003-2005

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