Hola desde Ecuador!

Over the last 3 weeks our group has participated in a variety of projects to serve the community of Eugenio Espejo de Cajas. 

Fence

Our group got its hands dirty mixing cement and moving rocks to build a wall to protect valuable farm machinery. Prior to our project, the machinery was sitting under a covered area and was vulnerable to theft. Now with a cinder block and chain link fence around the area, the community assets will be more secure. 

Trail restoration

Sitting high above Cajas a water tank stores water from the Cayambe volcano glacier to be piped down to the community for drinking and irrigation. The path leading to the tank had become overgrown with a year’s worth of lush vegetation growth. The community recruited us to cut back the vegetation with local tools. This was one of our group’s favorite projects because after working hard all morning we could truly see the progress we had made.

Bus stop

Our newly developed cement mixing skills came in handy laying the foundation for a new covered bus stop on the side of the highway. This bus stop will protect community members from the rain and wind as they wait  for their bus. We have a lot to learn from our community when it comes to skilled masonry work, but we figured out that we are great at moving rocks and cinder blocks!

Painting community house

Next to the school in the center of town, our village has a community center where they host events and meetings. It had been several years since the inside and outside received a coat of paint, so we decided to help out. The community organized a ‘minga‘ to provide some more human power to get the job done in one day. A minga is a traditional method of getting a community task done; lots of people come to work together on the same job. Many hands make light work!

Mural at the football field

Caroline and Lucy M. decided to paint a mural at the football field as their independent project. They offered different designs for review and the community accepted the options. With help of other students, the mural included the iconic mountains of our village, their names, Putney’s name, the year and the hand prints of the village children.

Cheese making

Another favorite project of the group was having the opportunity to learn how to make queso fresco. Each morning, a cooperative of farmers brings fresh milk to the factory. The milk is combined  into a large vat that is pasteurized and eventually turned into cheese. Our students helped out in each stage of the process.

-Juliana & Lawrence

Some students during the machete process