ChismauteSPRING 2010 COMMUNITY REPORT

It has been a truly amazing season here at Free The Children and we could not have done it without all of your wonderful support. Changing the world is no simple feat. It requires the hard work and passion of change makers like you!

Not only are you helping build vital development projects, you are empowering the community members of Chismaute with the tools and resources they need to become agents of change in their own communities. Together, we can build a brighter future so that all children can grow up to be happy, healthy and active citizens!

Chismaute COMMUNITY REPORT

Learn More About...

EcuadorLocated in South America, Ecuador has a population of 13 million. Although it is an oil exporter, it is still one of the poorest countries in the region due to inequities in the distribution of resources. Not only are there large disparities between rich and poor, there are also major income disparities between rural and urban communities, as well as between indigenous and non-indigenous groups. For example, even though 40% of the entire population lives below the poverty line, poverty affects almost 70% of rural communities. Additionally, indigenous Afro-Ecuadorian children are more likely to grow up in poverty and face more barriers to education than Ecuadoreans of European descent.

These differences can be observed in health trends in Ecuador. The combination of poor access to health care and malnutri-tion has resulted in 26% of all children under the age of five having stunted growth. However, in rural areas, this figure rises to 31%, and in indigenous communities this reaches as high as 47%. Ecuador’s constitution guarantees free basic education for all children. However, because schools operate on such limited budgets, families must cover the cost of books, teaching materials and utilities. These fees hinder low-income families from sending their children to school. Free The Children works with these marginalized and indigenous populations to find solutions to these challenges, building schools and working with the Ministry of Bilingual Education to ensure that children of indigenous descent receive an education.

Free The Children has been working in rural Ecuador since 1999, providing these communities access to education, health care, proper water and sanitation facilities and alternative forms of income, helping to break the cycle of poverty.

Interesting fact: The Pacific Coast possesses the most fertile land in Ecuador. It is home to expansive banana plantations. Unfortunately, these same plantations are usually sites where most of the country’s child labour violations occur. Conversely, Ecuador’s coastline is also famous for its pristine tropical beaches, unique wildlife and quaint fishing villages that attract many tourists.

Free The Children in Chismaute Impact at a Glance

Students enrolled: 253Attendance rate: 85%Teachers: 14Kitchens: 1Dining halls: 1Hand-washing stations: 1

Chismaute COMMUNITY REPORT

ADOPT A VILLAGEHealth

With your generous support, our health project in Chismaute is off to an amazing start! The team is currently about three weeks away from completing the 150-square metre dining hall and kitchen that will serve the 253 students of Chismaute Primary School. Everyone has been working incredibly hard in the planning and construction of this large structure. With all of our projects, Free The Children ensures that we have full participation from our local stakeholders and Chismaute has been a prime example of the importance of having strong community involvement. Local leaders and Free The Cihldren staff have been holding weekly meetings with the community to discuss project challenges and highlights. The meetings provide community members with a chance to get involved and voice concerns and ideas they have for the future of their village. Not only have community members been investing their time and input, they’re also getting their hands dirty digging, brick laying and mixing cement!

When the site of the structure was chosen to be on a hillside, the entire community assembled for a full three days to help construction workers level the sloped ground. During the last nine months, the community has continued their hard work by sending out 5-10 people daily to volunteer on the project. The community is so supportive of Free The Children improving their facilities that they have pledged to invest over $1,500 of their own savings! Now that the kitchen is nearing completion, students will be able to enjoy their breakfast and lunch in a safe and sanitary environment.

Staying healthy, being active, and learning are top priorities for the children of Chismaute

The dining hall under construction -a place to meet, gather and share meals!

Chismaute COMMUNITY REPORT

ADOPT A VILLAGE

Education

After much anticipation, Free The Children will begin our first education project in Chismaute this summer. Over the next few months, the community members of Chismaute will be coming out in daily mingas to help with the construction of their brand new school. Mingas are when community members come together to complete a task that will benefit the entire community!

This community has had a very strong level of commitment to improving the level of access to education for their children and improving the quality of their educational facilities. Free The Children is excited to be starting work on the education pillar of our Adopt a Village model.

Water & Sanitation

The community of Chismaute knows how important it is to have clean water and adequate sanitation facilities, particularly for its youth who are more vulnerable to common viruses and diseases. Attached to the school kitchen, Free The Children has constructed a hand-washing station so that children can have a hygienic and safe place to eat in an environment where they can learn about the importance of washing their hands.

Parents, school officials and other community members are meeting regularly to discuss the best type of water system to install to ensure that students and teachers have access to clean drinking water. Everyone is excited about future plans to reduce the incidence of water-borne disease. These projects will begin at the school and will expand to several key areas in the community in the fall of 2010.

Chismaute COMMUNITY REPORT

A WORLD OF IMPACT

Meet Maria Gregoria Yantalema Arellano

Maria is a young 14-year-old girl and is the eldest of five children. Within the Chismaute community, her parents are agriculturalists who work with animals. Every morning Maria helps her mother cook and wash the dishes, and after school she joins her mother in the field to help with tending to the animals. As a grade 8 student she is learning to read and her favourite subject is mathematics.

Outside of the classroom, she loves playing with her friends at recess. After school she spends her time doing chores to help her parents and playing with her siblings. She works dili-gently at her homework every day so that she can achieve her goal of studying at the new high school Free The Chil-dren has built and is grateful for the opportunity to attend school.

Maria tells Free The Children that we have helped her fam-ily by providing somewhere to cook and eat, and that she is very thankful for the impact that we have had on her life. She adds,

“I look forward to Free The Children building more schools in my commu-nity so that all kids can have the same opportunities that I have had.”

When she grows up, Maria would love to be a doctor so that she can help the people in her community.

Maria has dreams of growing up to be a doctor to help people in her

community!