This will not affect Peace Corps Ecuador (in fact one group is COSing in January and another is arriving), but here is some pretty startling news out of Ecuador:
The US Agency for International Development says it plans to leave Ecuador amid an impasse with the government, just six months after the agency was kicked out of Bolivia, in what analysts say is another sign of the waning US influence in the region. …
USAID to leave Ecuador Read More »
2014 Peace Corps Ecuador calendars are for sale through the end of this week. For those of you who have ordered calendars, volunteers returning home to visit family over the holidays are mailing them in the coming days. Support the work of Peace Corps Ecuador with your purchase of these full-size color calendars featuring pictures taken by current volunteers. Proceeds go to support small project grants and volunteer activities funded through the Volunteer Advisory Council in Ecuador. Past grants have been awarded for the installation of water systems, creation of community libraries, as well as providing start-up capital for numerous other small-scale sustainable projects. Calendars are $10 each. Shipping costs are $5 for each individual order up to 5 calendars to a single address. Calendars can only be shipped within the U.S. Please allow 2-8 weeks for delivery. Contact foe@friendsofecuador.dreamsites.io if you have any questions about your order.
Last chance – Peace Corps Ecuador Calendars and Update Read More »
Here is a post from our treasurer, Mary Weick-Brady, ’82-‘84, what we hope will be a regular feature!
We’ve all seen the herbs in the markets throughout the regions of Ecuador and, as a public health nurse working in the subtropic area of Bolivar province, I encountered many types of health care workers including herbalists or curanderos. I learned about numerous herbs and ways to use them during my life in Echeandia and I will share some of these through this website, along with some familiar recipes that contain the herbs. I also gathered ideas from a book called the “Herbs of Ecuador” as this became a fantastic reference for me when I worked with the herbalists in order to get a better understanding of why they did what they did with the herbs. …
Herbs Found in Ecuador #1 – A Parsley Recipe Read More »
Ecuador a few years ago agreed to set aside Yasuni National Park from oil drilling: for a price. Rafael Correa had asked for $3.6 billion but the by the end of 2012, the fund had only $6.5 million in it. Now, the government looks to go forward with plans on limited oil drilling, with environmentalists mobilizing in protest. This from NPR:
The government of Ecuador has abandoned a plan that would have kept part of the Amazonian rainforest off limits to oil drilling. The initiative was an unusual one: Ecuador was promising to keep the oil in the ground, but it wanted to be paid for doing so.
The oil sits under the Yasuni national park, one of the most biodiverse places on Earth — orchids, jaguars, monkeys, birds. To get to the corner of the park that holds the oil, you have to take a plane, then a motorboat, then paddle a canoe. “Even the sound of the motor will destroy the fragility of this place,” Ivonne A-Baki, who works for the Ecuadorian government, told me this year. …
Ecuador Scraps Yasuni No Oil Drilling Plan Read More »
A Review of The Gringo, J. Grigsby Crawford’s memoir by Kim Peek
I am an unapologetic book snob. You will never catch me reading 50 Shades of Grey or chatting idly about the Twilight series. I’d much rather settle down with a good classic or a novel by the latest acclaimed fiction writer. However, a few weeks ago, I found myself sitting down to a different type of book: The Gringo by RPCV J. Grigsby Crawford. Before coming to Ecuador, I’d never read a Peace Corps memoir and certainly hadn’t intended on doing so. Nevertheless, The Gringo grabbed my attention. Hand to hand, Kindle to Kindle, The Gringo is making the rounds among Peace Corps Ecuador volunteers. PCVs country-wide can’t stop talking about Crawford’s account of life in Ecuador. The more I heard, the more I wanted to read the book. Before I knew it, my own curiosity had gotten the better of me and I found myself clicking the “Download Free” button on Crawford’s Amazon.com page. …
El Clima Story 3: The Gringo Review Read More »
411, Not 911: PSN reinvents itself by Lauren Wagner
Who: The Peer Support Network (PSN). We are a group of Peace Corps Volunteers who are selected and trained to provide support to our peers in concert and cooperation with the Peace Corps staff. Oh, and we are your friends, too.
What: The new PSN crew just got sworn in (passing of the torch and all) in February and we are excited about what 2013 has in store. In the past, PSN was sometimes interpreted as a last resort, panic moment type of thing. Although PSN members are trained in dealing with crises and stressful situations, we want to make sure that people know we are more than that. We are good listeners who have probably been through many similar scenarios. Give us a call before things get bad. …
El Clima Story 2: Peer Support Network Read More »
Who the VOQ? By Sarah Reichle (107)
VOQ (Volunteer of the Quarter) is a VAC initiative to help us all get to know our fellow PCVs a bit better and to commend the great work that volunteers are doing in their communities. Know about a PCV working on a successful project, one who is really integrated in their site, or someone who is just being a superstar volunteer in general? Let us know: e-mail VAC at EcuadorVAC@gmail.com
Amanda Monroe (Mandy) is VAC’s Volunteer of the Quarter and is a Natural Resources Conservation volunteer from Ithaca, New York, representing Omnibus 105. Why did Mandy join Peace Corps? Everything about it, she says, but her experiences at Warren Wilson College located in the Swannanoa Valley of the Blue Ridge Mountains, North Carolina probably had something to do with it. Warren Wilson is different than your typical university experience in that the school is committed to emphasizing environmentalism and localism. “You complete all your credit hours like any other accredited university, but you are also required to complete 100 hours of community service (off campus) and work on campus for 15 hours a week. Students run the place, really. The work assignments vary from janitorial duties to cafeteria workers to gardeners, landscapers, ranchers, accounting wizards, plumbers, locksmiths, auto mechanics, journalists, and artists.”
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Stories from El Clima 1: Volunteer of the QuarterRead More »
Stories from El Clima 1: Volunteer of the Quarter Read More »
We have a great working relationship with Peace Corps Ecuador, and this month we are glad to feature three stories from volunteers in the field, from the volunteer newsletter El Clima. The stories include:
PCV Stories from El Clima Read More »
Last newsletter, we featured a story on the new conservation tourism spot Alto Coca, founded by friend of Friend of Ecuador Mark Thurber. We also featured a post from a new adventure tourism website called Keteka. Well, in the interim, we were able to hook Keteka up with Alto Coca for this stirring trip report. We’ve grabbed the story from Keteka’s website. Check out their page for some photos and video.
Last night, I saw an active volcano erupt and I’ve since nominated it Coolest Thing I’ve Ever Seen. I’ve been to 19 countries in the world and seen some pretty cool stuff along the way, so I don’t award that title lightly. Let me explain how I had the privilege to see this.
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Alto Coca Trip Report from Keteka Read More »
Peace Corps Career Conference: Aug 19-22 at PC headquarters in DC
Each Returned Volunteer Services career conference draws over 200 RPCVs from all around the U.S – make sure you’re one of them! At this four-day intensive conference, you’ll learn in-depth strategies to make yourself stand out from other job-seekers. We hope you’ll join us and take advantage of this opportunity to boost your job-searching skills while networking with other RPCVs and RPCV-friendly employers.
Third Goal Summit: Aug 23-24 at PC headquarters in DC
Join Peace Corps for the first-ever Third Goal Mobilization Summit! This two-day interactive Summit will bring Returned Peace Corps Volunteers (RPCVs) together to exchange ideas and acquire new tools to help Americans better understand our countries of service.
Sign up today and help us elevate, redefine, and reinvigorate Peace Corps’ Third Goal.
Not to miss events in August: Peace Corps career conference and the Third Goal Summit Read More »
