Salasaca

Before leaving for Ecuador, I met with Lisa Benitez in Madison to learn more about her work with an indigenous community of weavers in Salasaca, about 15 minutes from Ambato.   Lisa is an ESL teacher at Hawthorne elementary school in Madison.   She's been working to support this community for about 10 years as they established a school that meets their specific needs.   You can learn more about the Ecuadoran foundation of which this school is a part by connecting with this website.
http://www.rhumywaraecuador.org/rhumywaraecuador.org/Welcome.html

You can view photos from this day on Phyllis' post for the day.

This community does not have any clinic or local health care but is sending one of their young men through medical school and has the foundation built for a clinic.   Lisa has been fundraising for them for some time.   So I left Madison with the intention of visiting, bringing greetings from Lisa and understanding their situation better.

We took the fast (and cheap) tourist way to Salasaca going by cab for $5.  Along the way the cab driver pointed out the volcano Tungurahua which is still active "lit up like a candle at night" but at that time covered in clouds. I had called ahead to one of the contacts Lisa had given me, Santos Moreta who had about an hour's notice that we were coming.  We arrived at the center of the town of Salasaca where the women weavers were spinning and selling their wares.   They sent us up the road a ways to find Santos.   We went into a pet food store and were sent down the hill again at which time I called him.   He met us in his pick-up with his ?brother, ?cousin, Nacho Moreta and drove us to the school where we met the surprised teachers.   What transpired next was a true treasure of an experience.

We spent time in with the primary school teacher, Martha who showed around her classroom.   They are well supplied with materials in large part because Lisa comes almost every year with her famous red suitcase packed full for the school.   The children are taught in Kichwa (also called Quichua) and Spanish.   The children were eager to show us language cards with photos of an object and words in both languages.  

While Phyllis talked with Martha, I talked with Diocelina the preschool teacher about the absence of prenatal care for the women who deliver either with a local midwife or in Ambato.   Then we walked to the totally lovely preschool where Diocelina teaches the 3-4 year olds.   Well by now we were smitten with both children and teachers.   Diocelina and I walked with a little 3 year old girl with a severely crossed eye.  I explained treatment of lazy eye and asked if she could talk to the parents.   She also wanted me to look at a burn on the girl's thigh but the child was quite frightened of me and she said the burn which happened when the child feel into the wood fire was healing well.

The preschoolers were working on a project quietly with great focus.   Including a couple of twins one of whom was reputed to be the really energetic, distractable kid in the class.   One particular child totally stole Phyllis and Helen's hearts as she was a tiny 3 year old carefully doing her work at a special small table to fit her size, showing her work to the teacher and putting her materials away.   Some of the children's dogs come to school with them and wander in and out.   The preschool has about 7-8 students, insufficient for the state system to pay the teacher who is supported by Lisa's fundraising efforts.

The teachers explained that in the regular schools they use corporal punishment while the philosophy of this school is to teach each unique child without beating them.   The children sang two songs to us and we 3 Raging Grannies sang to them in Spanish.  They loved our singing!

Then having interrupted their day sufficiently, we walked back to the center of Salasaca with Diocelina passing  small homes and farms along the way.   We caught a very crowded bus back to Ambato with the bus driver putting Helen in the seat beside him and a schoolgirl offering Phyllis her seat.   I sat on a cushion on the floor with the schoolgirl who told me where we should get off and which bus to catch next.   On the next bus I sat by a woman crocheting and struck up a conversation.   She was the 2nd person of the day surprised that we were traveling around without a guide.   She also helped me figure out where to get off.

Six word story for the day.   Beautiful children, committed teachers, rich experience.