A Day in the Life of the Amazon Rainforest: Welcome to Shandia!

Written by Jade Herrscher, PC Fall ‘23, and MPI Team

Manna partners with developing communities to establish enduring relationships and sustainable programs that address both local needs and broader social issues. Simultaneously, Manna strives to offer volunteers a transformative experience, fostering personal and professional growth. Immersing themselves in the community provides participants with a unique opportunity to embrace fresh perspectives, ways of life, and work experiences.

Shandia, nestled in the Amazon rainforest, is now home to Manna Project International's new site. Nature's beauty envelops this laid-back community. There is a strong emphasis on relationship management when working in the community, since Manna’s presence is new.  The team is working toward the long term goal of building trust which will benefit the development of programming. Throughout the day, the rhythm of life unfolds in ways that blend seamlessly with the community and allow time to get to know each other more: 

Mornings often begin with work in the public schools assisting in English classes and helping out the public school teachers. We’re also getting the opportunity to learn a bit of Kichwa with students entering in the bilingual Kichwa - Spanish school.

In the early afternoon, we have some moments of rest where we’ll make lunch or eat together as a team - some time to decompress from all the excitement and emotion of the school day and share some of what we learned. We often use it as an informal time to discuss what we want to work on and any new inspiration we have.

In the afternoon, we all have a variety of tasks, depending on the day. Generally, we divide into people who support computer literacy classes and homework help in the computer lab that’s located in our combined office / house in the heart of Shandia. Others will run English classes or our newly reinstated JAM (juegos, arte, y musica) with the kids from the neighborhood. Outside of the programs that have started, the volunteers’ time is spent building relationships, conducting community needs assessment activities and developing new programs so some people will dedicate themselves to researching and furthering those initiatives. Most recently, we developed an exercise and culinary exchange with the Women’s Group in Shandia.

And when the sun starts to set, we usually end our days - some people will go for a bike ride around the local communities to get to explore more of the Amazon Rainforest and its breathtaking nature or read a book on our rooftop patio or stay a bit longer in Shandia and play fútbol or Ecuavoley with some neighbors and friends.

With early mornings that start around 7 am, we are off to bed early after a filling homemade dinner that usually has the Ecuadorian specialty of menestra (lentils) and rice. In the house at dark, you’re surrounded by the chirping of grasshoppers and other friendly animal neighbors that make a live version of nature sounds to lull you to a deep sleep before another day of community work in Shandia.

Afterthoughts on a Semester Well Spent

Written by Isaac Blumenthal, Fall ‘22 PD

My experience working with Manna Project International was truly life changing. When arriving in Ecuador, I was very concerned with how I’d adapt to the culture. After a few weeks, I realized that it wouldn’t be such a big issue after all. With the help of local volunteers and locals who are part of the Manna team, the transition to Ecuador is not so bad. They will show you around town, invite you out with their friends, and some adult students are also very hospitable in hosting PDs for dinner occasionally.

For me, the hardest adjustment was the language as I entered Ecuador speaking no Spanish at all. The humility and warmth in the town of Sangolqui is unbelievable. People all around town are so friendly and will often give a warm smile when passing by others despite having never spoken before. Seeing that side of the world is surreal especially given that people in the US generally are not as warm.

I saw a lot of personal growth throughout this experience in my interactions. Whether it was benefitting my public speaking or simply interacting with populations of people I am unfamiliar with, I saw growth within myself. Personally, I have always been more of a homebody and this experience gave me a different perspective to living away from home and out of the US. I also feel I now have a greater understanding of how people live outside of the western society that I am a part of. I see the struggles that some have to overcome just to make a few bucks. 

My favorite part of the entire experience was the opportunity to explore the great outdoors. I was unaware of my love for nature and hiking until I had arrived. The idea of being able to hike volcanoes whenever I wanted and being able to see volcanoes from the Manna house and from the streets simply never got old. The Amazon Rainforest also being 5-6 hours away from Sangolqui was marvelous. There are countless outdoor activities throughout the country and it is most definitely the most gorgeous country I’ve ever been to.

Discomfort as a Sign of Growth

By: Rachel Corley

I am, by nature, a bit of a nervous person. I have the tendency to spend a lot of time inside my comfort zone, and I have never been the best at putting myself out there to meet new people. At the same time, I love traveling, learning about new cultures, and serving others, so when I was accepted as a MPI Summer Intern I was extremely excited and grateful for the opportunity. The nerves didn’t really kick in until I am in the airport about to board my flight to Quito.

Fast forward a few days, and I am about to start my first shift at the front desk at the Centro (the Center, the building where we worked). While I was looking forward to all of the jobs I was given, this was the one I was looking forward to the least: I was going to have to answer questions I might not have good answers to, in a language that I was not entirely comfortable speaking (while I have studied Spanish for many years, I have little experience outside a classroom). Luckily for me, one of my fellow interns knew I was nervous, and she volunteered to sit with me for the first hour of my shift to “show me the ropes.”

Fast forward again, and I am five minutes into my first shift on my own at the front desk. A community member walks into the office and asks me about the English classes and Conversation Club Manna offers. I instantly begin to panic a bit as I try to think of the right words to respond with, and he notices my hesitation. He then tells me that he is trying to practice his English and asks if we can continue the conversation half in Spanish and half in English. After answering his questions about Manna, we just begin to chat, him telling me about Ecuador and me telling him about the United States, about any topic from music to food to family. We ended up talking for an hour.

When I look back now at my time in Ecuador, what stands out to me the most are the people I meet there. All of the other interns and MPI staff were dedicated and kind, just like my friend who helped me during my first shift. All of the community members were welcoming and friendly, just like the man I spoke with during my first shift on my own. During my time in Ecuador, I was able to gain skills that will help me professionally, practice my Spanish, and get a new understanding of what holistic community development looks like, but I feel the area in which I was able to grow the most was as a person. I wholeheartedly believe that this growth was due to the people I met along the way.

New Changes and New Additions in Ecuador!

By: Isaac Blumenthal

One of the best parts about interning for Manna is the manner in which all the staff evolves into family. We live and work together which leads us to form a tight-knit group. Over the last month, Program Directors, Lexi, Ben and Isaac have been developing a strong relationship. Since Lexi and Isaac arrived in early July, they have seen many different interns come in and out of the house. The Summer interns headed back to school for the Fall semester, and a short time later, Executive Director Jeff Goldman arrived in Ecuador for a 10 day stay. Additionally, in mid-August, Manna welcomed a new staff member, Eliana Neuwirth. Eliana first worked with Manna in Ecuador through her Master’s degree capstone project and has returned to serve the community as Site Director.

We are so excited to have Eliana support our community impact work formerly led by the amazing Vanessa Cadena. We will miss Vanessa dearly but we so greatly appreciate how helpful she has been in making this transition as smooth as possible.

As Jeff and Eliana overlapped in Sangolqui for about a week, he also helped support the transition. Throughout the week, Jeff worked to organize many team building activities which included games, hikes, and dinners. Jeff took the team on hikes over the weekend to Molinuco, Condor Machay, and Ilalo. It was not your typical relaxing weekend but it certainly was fun! The waterfalls and views the staff saw along these treks were breathtaking. Keeping up with Jeff was quite the challenge for the staff as he is more of a seasoned hiker, but they managed to complete the hikes in one piece. 

Even with all the change occurring during August, Manna continued with normal summer operations. We hosted Conversation Club, worked with our numerous partner organizations, and helped prepare our teachers and volunteers for the upcoming trimester. More exciting news: we have restarted nutrition workshops biweekly at Guangopolo, serving a lively group of elderly community members. This enthusiastic group and their Program Director leader, Lexi, are enjoying healthy activities together. We cannot wait to get classes started with our wonderful staff, volunteers, and community members!

First Recipient of MPI's Social Service Minority Scholarship

By: Ye Oo

As the first recipient of the Manna Project International’s Amaguaña Social Service Scholarship, I had the pleasure of volunteering in Ecuador as a program director. This leadership position gave me the opportunity to expand on my personal, professional, and cultural development. 

During my time volunteering abroad, I was truly inspired by the community and the other volunteers to make an impact, even if it is as little as showing up and remembering names. I enjoyed teaching English to the community members who attended classes at the Manna Centro site in Ecuador. Seeing the student’s determination to learn a foreign language made teaching a more memorable experience, while also experiencing what it was like to learn a foreign language myself. As someone who had never taught a formal class before volunteering in Ecuador, there were some anxieties and challenges at the start. As time went by, I learned what works best from the feedback of the students and assistance of the local volunteers.

With my time abroad, I was able to gain the global citizen outlook by exchanging language, culture, and lifestyle with the locals. This experience allowed me to become more open and extroverted, which positively benefited me in the long run. I am very grateful for all the friends I met locally and volunteered with, who made my experience abroad a brighter one. 

My biggest takeaway from this whole experience is to never give up. From the challenges of leaving the United States during a global pandemic, to adapting to the changes of living in a new environment, I was able to find resilience through it all. Without a positive attitude, a few great friends, and the determination to make an impact, it would not have been possible to have had a good experience abroad. There will be difficult times and there will be great times, but it is important to take the good with the bad because it reminds us to appreciate how fortunate we are to have the opportunity and privilege to help those in other countries. I want to thank MPI for giving me this opportunity, and I look forward to having more opportunities like these in the future.