Ecuador Team Retreat in Latacunga

Last weekend, MPI Ecuador’s team embarked on its first quarterly retreat of the year to the Cotopaxi Volcano in Latacunga.  Cotopaxi is Ecuador’s second highest peak, standing at an impressive 19,347 feet.  We spent the weekend at the cozy Secret Garden Hostel and were treated to endless fireplace fires and warm banana bread (both of which were welcome; the altitude difference of the volcano made for a chillier weekend than we are used to)!  

Typically, Program Directors have retreats every three months and use the time to get to know each another, ourselves, and reflect on recent experiences and improve our teamwork skills. Our retreat was perfectly timed because it allowed us to get to know Carolyn, our new Country Director, much better (through a ton of silly rounds of charades)!

The weekend also gave us the opportunity to discuss our individual goals for our time with Manna Project, agree on our shared goals as a group, address conflict resolution skills and enjoy each other’s company in an environment completely different from the one in which we live.

This last part was probably the most impactful for us; at times we can get so caught up in scheduling, program planning, teaching at our community center and maintaining our house that we forget that outside our community of Sangolqui there are so many incredibly beautiful natural sights in Ecuador.  

Personally, the diversity in Ecuador’s geography was one of the many pulls that brought me here in the first place.  As the nature nut that I am, it always amazes me that one country can have the mountains, the coast, the Amazon and the Galapagos Islands and only occupy the tiniest portion of South America.

It was breathtaking to wake up to a full view of Cotopaxi in the morning, especially because it is usually hidden by clouds for the majority of the day. Undoubtedly my favorite part of the retreat was that our hostel had no Wi-Fi (blasphemous, right??).  We were truly able to enjoy each other and our surroundings without being disturbed by texts or emails, which almost never happens today.

I think we were all grateful for the chance to step away from our packed days and escape to Cotopaxi. As a team of only five Program Directors, we work full schedules and juggle many programs throughout the week, but this much-needed break was exactly what we needed to relax and rejuvenate before the start of our English classes.

Want to join the team? Learn more here. Apply by October 1st.

An Interview with Ecuador Country Director Carolyn Engel

Welcome to the team, Carolyn! We are so happy to have you on board.  Can you tell us a little about your background and experience with nonprofits in South America?

Carolyn Engle, MPI Ecuador country director

I’m from Evansville, Indiana and went to Mount Holyoke College in Western Massachusetts.  After graduating college, I moved to Trujillo, Peru and taught English there for a year.  I then moved to Olmué, Chile and worked on a farm as part of the World Organization of Organic Farming for a few months.  Shortly after I began working for The Experiment in International Living, leading high school study abroad trips to Spain and Peru.  I moved to back to the states to Washington to work on the sister farm of the farm I had worked on in Chile, before I realized that I really wanted to move back to South America. 

With that in mind, I came to Ecuador and lived in Palta Cocha, deep in the jungle.  I taught English and Spanish in a Kichwa community with an organization called Selva Kids. In addition to teaching languages, I also worked on community development projects, including a women’s jewelry cooperative. We were able to take the money earned from the jewelry cooperative to develop a community bank that gave out micro loans.  After my time with Selva Kids, I moved to Tena, Ecuador to work for Runa, a social enterprise that focuses on exporting Guayusa tea, an Amazonian tree leaf.  

At Runa, I managed fair trade certifications and relationships with farmers, as well as all of Runa’s volunteers, interns and investor visits. By 2014, I was ready to act on my long-time dream of starting my own business, so I opened my own restaurant, The Guayusa Lounge, in Tena.  

Through the Lounge, I hoped to create a culture shift in Tena, because at the time there was nothing like it in the community. I wanted an open and comfortable space for the expat community of Tena to hang out. We’ve had tango dancers and a bluegrass band perform, photographers hang their art, and travelers paint the walls.

It’s truly an international space, and I’m really happy I was able to follow through with it.  Now I’m starting a new chapter with Manna Project!

What aspects of your background have prepared you to lead the Ecuador team?

First of all, I really love Ecuador! I connect well with everyone I meet, which is why serving this community is right up my alley. I have a lot of experience with volunteers and interns and all the facets of international and intercultural exchange. Owning a restaurant has given me invaluable knowledge about managing a business in Ecuador and handling things like banking, permits, taxes, budgets and finances. I’ve spent a lot of time working with nonprofits in South America, and definitely understand the cultural aspects that come along with community development. Though my background is unique and varied, it has prepared me to lead an international team through the ins-and-outs of development work in Ecuador! 

What excites you about Manna Project? 

I was most interested in MPI’s community center in Sangolqui and its strong commitment to the community. I like that our community center is a mix of our own programs and those of partner organizations, serving community members of all ages. In the United States, we have centers such as the YMCA, but it’s very unique to find a center like this in Ecuador.

What visions do you have for the future of Manna Project Ecuador? 

I’d like to create more community engagement at our center and would love to see more older students and adults utilizing the space. I hope to hold events such as workshops, conferences, community meetings, and anything else that would strengthen the community in general. I’m also very passionate about E-GAP, our entrepreneurial program, because of my own experience in owning a business.

Tell us about your first few weeks on site! 

My first few weeks have been great! I’m thrilled to be working in nonprofits again, because I know that’s really where my heart lies. I’ve been learning a lot in a short amount of time, but I appreciate the good vibes from the Program Directors and am eager to develop more programs and improve our existing ones.  

Tell us some fun things about you!

To start, I have an obsession with big earrings. You’ll rarely ever see me without a pair on. Because of my time in Tena, I’ve also grown to love Amazonian river swimming and jungle hiking. Finally, I’m an avid horseback rider. I rode horses as a child, but picked it back up since moving back to Ecuador and it’s now one of my favorite hobbies. 

Welcome, Carolyn!

Top Takeaways for a Manna Project Program Director

Being a Manna Project Program Director and working with underserved communities in Ecuador has been such a challenging, yet rewarding and incredible experience. After finishing my time with Manna Project in Ecuador, there are infinite things that I have learned about myself, international development, Ecuador, and more. Here are some of my top takeaways from my experience with Manna Project:

8. Patience

Part of moving abroad to any country or region is adjusting to all the cultural differences that you might not be used to from home. One of those major cultural differences between the United States and countries in Latin America is the difference in punctuality and scheduling. Here a meeting that was scheduled for 9:30 might not start until 10:00, or a bus might be an hour late and no one would think twice about it. Living in Ecuador and adjusting to this change has made me much more patience, and I've even come to see the beauty in taking my time doing things that matter, and enjoying the day.

Beyond just patience with cultural differences like punctuality, I have also learned how to be more patience with myself and others. Adjusting to a new culture, a new language, and a new environment can be emotionally draining, and I've learned throughout that process to give myself the time and space I need to respond well to difficult situations.

7. Becoming a Leader

There are endless leadership opportunities that Program Directors have during their time with Manna Project. From leading programs solo or with a group of fellow Program Directors or short-term volunteers, to leading and developing new events and projects, there is no doubt that Program Directors will take away new leadership skills no matter what! One of the most meaningful leadership experiences for me has been leading short-term volunteer Spring Break groups. Before leading my first group I had never worked on budgets or managed short-term volunteers before, but my diving in headfirst I learned new skills and gained confidence in my own leadership abilities.

The Spring Break 2015 volunteers from Vanderbilt University that I led worked on various project during their time in Ecuador, including working on a mural at a local preschool.

6. Meeting Like-Minded People

When incoming Program Directors gather in Miami in July for their orientation, they meet a group of strangers that are about to become their best friends and companions in their unique experience of living and volunteering abroad with Manna Project. It is an incredible feeling to be surrounded by like-minded people experiencing the same things as you: you will find in your fellow PDs support, encouragement, travel buddies, and life-long friends.

5. Travel, Travel, Travel!

Before coming to Ecuador I had already traveled a lot in Latin America, but spending a year living in Ecuador gave the chance to truly see everything the country has to offer. While I focused on traveling throughout Ecuador, other PDs use the opportunity to travel to places like Machu Picchu, Colombia, Patagonia, and other locations in Latin America that are unmissable. Ecuador and the rest of South America are so rich in beautiful beaches, soaring mountains, ancient ruins, and more, and using Ecuador as a home base for your travels is an incredible way to see it all.

One of South America's most beautiful sights, the Quilotoa Crater Lake in Ecuador! 

4. Learning (or Mastering!) a New Language

Being immersed in Spanish during your time with Manna Project will help you grow leaps in bounds, whether you arrive on-site as a beginner or already knowing a lot of Spanish! That's not to say that it won't be challenging to become fluent- it requires a lot of hard work and dedication whether you are studying it in college or living abroad and using it every day. However, being able to speak Spanish daily and learn new words and phrases from your new friends will help you immensely! Your Spanish skills will help you develop relationships with community members, and is a skill you can take with you wherever you go after your time with Manna Project comes to an end.

3. Professional Development Opportunities

My time with Manna Project has helped me grow from being a recent college graduate into a confident young professional. Manna Project offers Program Directors the opportunity to get involved in organizational roles like grant research and writing, social media, volunteer recruitment, and much more. I am leaving Manna Project feeling confident that I have the skills to help me find an impactful job in the non-profit sector. Check out this video where I talk more about the professional development opportunity for Manna Project Program Directors.

2. Cross-Cultural Relationships

One of the most precious aspects of the Program Director experience is certainly the ability to work closely with community members and form meaningful relationships with them. The community members we work with are always so inviting to Program Directors and strive to make them feel welcomed in the community. Incoming Program Directors spend time in homestays when they first arrive on-site, and often become close with their homestay families for the rest of their time there. I will miss the MPI community members I have gotten to know while I have been in Ecuador, along with other friends I have made along the way. Having built so many relationships here has made my experience so much more meaningful, but it also makes leaving very bittersweet!

In Ecuador, locals celebrate the Carnival holiday by taking to the streets and "playing," spraying each other with water, throwing eggs, flour, and colored dies, and playing with small fire extinguisher-like canisters that spray foam everywhere!

1. You'll Never Be the Same!

As corny as it may sound, your year in Ecuador or Nicaragua with Manna Project will stay with you forever. The experience of living abroad, the experience of working in community development, the experience of traveling and speaking a different language...they are all unique experiences that will change you forever. You will learn so much about yourself, others, and the world around you that you will never forget, and you will always have a different outlook on life because of it. To our incoming Program Directors and all those to come in the future...savor every minute of your experience! It will be one of the best, most impactful years of your life!

Apply today to be a Program Director in Ecuador or Nicaragua!

What is a Senior Program Director?

Manna Project International's long-term volunteers are called Program Directors, reflecting their role  in developing, leading, and managing all aspects of education, health, and livelihoods programs. While most Program Directors commit to staying in Ecuador or Nicaragua for between 5- and 13-months, others from both sites choose to stay for even longer. A Senior Program Director is a Program Director that has been chosen to stay for an additional year with MPI, focusing their second year on a specific on-site project, as well working with MPI staff in the States on a specific organizational role, such as volunteer recruitment, communications, or fundraising.

As Senior Program Director in Ecuador, I've had the opportunity in my second year of service with Manna Project to specialize my work, focusing in on the specific aspects of non-profit management that I'm interested in learning more about and skills I want to develop further. While part of the beauty of being a Program Director is the opportunity to experience managing a vast array of different types of programs and work on different types of organizational rules in a non-profit, I've enjoyed being able to dig deeper in certain organizational roles that I've been interested in.

Here I am leading one of our first entrepreneurship classes. Our graduates have a 100% success rate, going on to find jobs in their field or start their own small businesses.

My on-site program this year has been growing our livelihoods programming by focusing on developing entrepreneurship classes in developed in conjunction with our partner Education Global Access Program (E-Gap). Developing this new partnership and seeing our livelihoods programming evolve over my two years with MPI has been an extremely rewarding experience. Additionally, I have also devoted efforts on-site to working closely with our Country Director in all aspects of volunteer management and training, for Program Directors, summer interns, and short-term groups.

The organizational role that I was most interested in exploring further with MPI was our grant-writing and fundraising, and I have learned so much about it this year. I have been involved in writing 5 different grants, as well as organizing site visits for grant-giving organizations, working on writing grant reports, and participating in our different fundraising efforts. Additionally, I was able to gain more experience with all aspects of Manna Project's communications and social media by developing Ecuador-specific content across all our social media channels.

Beyond the incredible experiences I've gained through my time as a Senior Program Director with Manna Project, staying a second year in Ecuador has been an incredible opportunity to get to know Ecuadorian culture even more, and continue to enjoy living in Latin America. After a year I felt I was just finally starting to feel at home in Sangolqui, and I couldn't imagine uprooting myself and moving back to the States, or moving on to a different community within Ecuador. I now know our communities here inside and out, and consider Ecuador to be my home. The aspects of Ecuadorian culture that at first seemed strange to me and even caused me culture shock are now things I am entirely accustomed to and even enjoy. I continue to surprise myself every single day with how well I have adjusted to Ecuador and how much I have learned as a young professional and as a person over these past two years.

This photo was taken at our Bienvenida / Despedida party at the MPI community center. This is Yeimmy, one of my E-Gap entrepreneurship class students, with her daughter Violeta. Yeimmy's business is growing quickly, and she expressed that she uses information she learned in our classes almost every single day.

My former English student, Alexandra, at our Bienvenida / Despedida party. To learn more about her story, check out this video I made about her family's involvement in our programs.

While the Senior Program Director position isn't for everyone, it's something I would recommend to all Program Directors to keep in mind and carefully consider as they think about their time after Manna Project. Just as being a first-year Program Director is challenging yet extremely rewarding, so is the Senior Program Director position. It will help you reach your personal and professional goals, and experience the country you've grown to know and love even more deeply than you could after just 13-months.

Check out this video to learn more about professional development opportunities with Manna Project International, and learn a little more about my experience as a Senior Program Director.

Community Member Spotlight: Clemencia

One of the many incredible community members that MPI Ecuador Program Directors get to interact with and learn from on a daily basis is Clemencia, who over the past year has become current Program Director's "Ecuadorian grandma" and holds a special place in all our hearts.

Former Program Director Alex, with Clemencia and her family at Clemencia's home in Amaguaña, Ecuador.

Clemencia is from the community of Amaguaña in the Los Chillos Valley, and has been a valued friend of Manna Project International for several years. When she was diagnosed with diabetes, she didn’t know where to turn for help or information about her diagnosis. Since she began attending the Diabetes Club run by Manna Project in partnership with the Sangolqui Hospital she has learned how to make healthier eating choices, and how to incorporate more exercise into her daily life. As the head of the Diabetes Club she has also gained more self-confidence and leadership abilities that have helped her overcome machismo stereotypes and become a leader in her community.

One of MPI Ecuador's major points of focus this past year has been on continuing to deepen relationships with individuals like Clemencia. By taking this focus, we have seen that Clemencia and many other community members have also stepped up and helped Manna Project in immeasurable ways. The involvement of community members in helping guide the direction of Manna Project programming, special events, and more has helped us expand our impact and form prosperous new relationships. Community members such as Clemencia and her sister, Blanca, helped prepare and serve food at our recent fundraising event, the Hornado Solidario, and also search for donations to keep costs down and raise as much money as possible for Manna Project programs.

Program Directors and Summer Interns at Clemencia's home in Amaguaña, Ecuador.

Summer Intern Lindsay at Clemencia's home in Amaguaña, Ecuador.

I can't imagine Manna Project International in Ecuador without Clemencia! Her smile and positive attitude are infectious, and her disposition to always help, guide, and support Program Directors is one that makes the transition to Ecuador much easier...and leaving much harder!