Last week 18 children started classes at La Escuela San Luis in the remote Wishi Community.  This is the first time that many of these children have ever seen a classroom, and they enthusiastically walked through the door of their new school with the pride and excitement that comes with the first day of school.

The path that took us to this day was long and challenging, but in the process we have built a strong foundation that will give strength to these children, the school, and the community at large.  The challenges we faced were real, but as promised we worked hard to find the truth, build a strong foundation for the project, and follow through to completion.

The indigenous people in this region have a long history of land troubles.  Few communities hold titles to their land, and many areas have a past of conflict and struggle.  This is one of the most threatened and marginalized communities in the area, and these challenges carried over to the project.  Furthermore, there is serious prejudice and animosity toward the indigenous people, which hinders every effort to work towards the fulfillment of their rights and liberties.  It also meant that our effort to help them move forward was challenged with scathing rumors and attempts to curtail our success.  However, from the start of this project we were guided by the philosophy that there are no problems, only solutions, and in the face of these challenges this philosophy became even more important.

In the last post, we committed to move forward with an eye towards truth, stability, answers and love – and we did just that.  We first spent over a month traveling throughout the country searching for the truth behind the rumors we had heard; building relationships with politicians, organizations, and prominent leaders throughout the region; discovering all the nuanced social and cultural dynamics; and rebuilding the project with a firm foundation of openness, honesty, and respect.  We gained the support of the president of the district, the local mayor, indigenous rights organizations, humanitarian groups, and most importantly the broader Shuar community.  This is just the foundation we needed to ensure the long term success of our project.

What we learned is that our project went far beyond the construction of a schoolhouse – we were by the side of a community who is fighting for legitimacy, respect and recognition, and we were honored to be there to support them.  While working on plans for the construction of the school, we were simultaneously helping them through the process of building the formal backing they needed for the stability of their community.  With the support and backing from local and national leaders, we helped them through the steps to establish their community as a legal entity, with a community based title to the land.  We held meetings in the community with the Federation of Shuar, the President of La Junta Parroquial Sangay, directors of the local land organization Etsa, and more.  We worked with an engineer to create and file an urbanization plan.  We filed documents declaring the members of the community, population, and formal community leaders.  And, we worked with them to apply for a Titulo Global, the ancestral land title giving the community a formal right to live on their land.  These were important steps to guarantee the legitimacy of the school, and these steps – along with the schoolhouse itself – helped the community to gain the recognition, respect, and legitimacy that they have been seeking for years.

Construction of the school began in May, and was completed in less than a month.  We had been planning and preparing for months, and the community had even constructed the entire frame during the time in which we were filing the documents.  We finished extracting and preparing the wood, bought all the necessary supplies, brought enough food in for the build, and began work – with every member of the community doing their part.  The men and adolescents worked from sunrise to sunset, the women ensured that we were all well fed and hydrated, and the children played alongside us and helped where they could.  After weeks of hard work, we had the amazing surprise that La Junta Parroquial, in solidarity and support, donated us roof panels to complete the construction.  We celebrated at the end of May with a big party, with food, dancing and music – friends from communities all around, armadillo soup, yuca and plantains, and plenty of the traditional drink chicha.  It felt like a grand success, but in reality our project had only just begun.

During the next six months, thanks to the heroic work of our project coordinator Ramon, the community was able to gain formal recognition of the school, get approval for a teacher, and enroll all of the students.  They put on all the finishing touches, painted the school, put the door on and got a contribution of desks, chairs and a chalkboard from the municipality.  We believed that our project was finally nearing completion.  The community began preparing for classes to begin, and we believed that classes would start just after Christmas.  Until at the last minute the district told us that as a new school, we would have to wait until the start of the next school year before they would be able to fund a teacher.

These students have not had a school for over three years, and many of them have never been to school at all.  We knew that we could not afford to miss the opportunity to prepare these students over the next nine months, to get them caught up to the extent possible before the next school year begins.  Fortunately, the community believes in our guiding philosophy, that there are no problems, only solutions.  They committed to finding a way to resolve this challenge.  Within weeks, they had put formal requests for support into all local offices, and Ramon contracted his brother-in-law Marcial – a certified bi-lingual Shuar Spanish professor – to give classes in the community.  Thankfully, Marcial was willing to do this without any certainty when, or if, he would be compensated for his work.  Classes began, and we anxiously awaited response from the local officials to see whether they would be willing to pay.  One by one the responses came back – there was no funding available to pay for our teacher.

Marcial continued teaching, and we kept trying to pursue any possible path to pay his salary both in the United States, and in Ecuador.  Each time we heard the same response: we would love to help, but we just do not have the funding.  Each passing day we lost confidence that we would ever be able to solve this final piece to truly complete our mission.  Meanwhile, Marcial was growing tired of teaching uncompensated for his hard work.

During this time it was important to remember that throughout this project we have faced many daunting challenges, and we have maintained faith that we would succeed, and sure enough solutions have arisen like miracles out of what sometimes seems like a hopeless situation.  Last week we experienced yet another miracle.  Owing to the mysteries of coincidence and circumstance, over a cup of coffee and an article in National Geographic, we found a sponsor for our teacher.  The New York Soccer Project, an organization that funds charity projects through the player fees of a NYC soccer league, has generously agreed to pay Marcial through next Fall when the district has committed to take over payments.  This is truly the final piece that we needed, and now the Escuela San Luis is a formally recognized, fully functioning school, with a paid certified bi-lingual teacher at the front of a fully equipped classroom.

The children of the Wishi Community have their school.  Por fin.  At last.

With full support from the mayor, municipality, and the president of the Parroquia (district) we should soon be moving forward.  Everyone in the community is working hard to get all of the land and building documents finalized, and preparing for the build.

Thanks for your continued support and enthusiasm – full update coming soon.

Elizabeth

In the mean time, the Wishi Community is getting the wood finished, and preparing for our arrival.  We have enlisted a contractor who will carry out the project, and ideally we will start work as soon as we arrive.

We will continue fundraising during these next few months, and as always you can donate through PayPal or by check.  For more details visit wishi.org/donate.  We are $7,000 from our total fundraising goal and since we will not be actively fundraising, we deeply appreciate your support.

Thank you, as always, for your interest in the Wishi Project.

Con cariño,

Elizabeth

Nine months ago this project was founded.  It was founded based on the humble desire of a community in the middle of the rainforest, and on my impossible belief that this desire could be fulfilled.  Today this dream is becoming a reality.

In one week we will be in Ecuador, beginning our work on the ground to establish a school for the children of the Wishi Community in middle of the rainforest.  This school will give the invaluable gift of education – something that the community has always dreamed of providing for their children, but never had the resources to realize.  There will be a school building with fully equipped classrooms and ample supplies.  There will be a professionally certified bilingual Shuar-Spanish teacher.  There will be a space for the community to gather and share their knowledge and talents that have helped them to survive for centuries.  There will be a formal framework to help them to preserve their rich language, culture, and lifestyle.  And perhaps most importantly, the families will no longer have to decide between staying unified together in the community, or leaving to provide their children with an education.  And all this has happened in just nine short months.  This is nothing short of a miracle.

This dream is being made real because I was not alone in my determination to help my friends in the Wishi Community.  This dream is being made real because of all of you.

In reflecting on all of this I realize that we are capable of manifesting miracles.  This is happening because we came together around a common vision, each of us lending our talents with the belief that we, together, can do this.  And we are doing it.  Each of us is individually talented, capable, and strong, but together we are powerful beyond measure.  Let’s remember that together, all things are possible, and, therefore, in the words of Albert Schwietzer, “let us search and see where we might invest our humanity”.

Here is some insight into what has gone into making this project possible (this is not an exhaustive list, I apologize, I know I have missed many of you)…

Thanks to:

Jane Quinn, for bringing the dream to earth by donating the first $1,000 to the project

Nick Crounse, for media relations assistance and guidance

Diane de Feliz, for inviting me and supporting me in working with her students at Hackett Middle School

Hackett Middle School ESL class, for help with advertising, fundraising, and awareness, and for showing me the amazing things that our young people are capable of

Karen Schupack, for providing guidance and support in all aspects of the project, and for hosting the fundraiser, From Our Community to Yours, at the Albany Art Room

Jessica Charde, for promoting the project through the UAlbany International Education Program

Joe Micancin, for insight and guidance navigating the world of international engagement and exchange

Gary Bowitch, for holding a successful fundraiser at his home and helping to raise awareness about the project

Aubrey Menard, for endless fundraising advice

Erica Van Etten, for her wisdom about the Shuar people and the Ecuadorian legal, political, social systems

Ramon Vargas, for representing the Wishi Community as the project coordinator

Mary Bonilla and the Ecuador Volunteer Foundation, for doing the work on the ground that we couldn’t do from afar

Dan Curtis, for help with graphics and design work

Steve Brooks, for help with building a library

Joel Tirado and Sammy Frumkin, for enthusiasm and insight into the college world

Hannah Walker, for collaboration on the Sketchbook Project

Zach Zirlin, for helping to create the Wishi video

Jeff Quinn and his students at Parson’s, for designing logos and posters for the project

Katie Quinn, for her remarkable work at Medfield Church raising money and collecting school supplies

Maria Grahn-Farley, Hilary Lamishaw, and Kristen Hessler for inviting me to speak to their classes at Albany Law, St. Rose, and UAlbany, respectively

Greg Mortenson, for forging an inspiring path and for his encouraging words

Jim Brassard and Ashley Bishop, for their tireless work in creating a documentary of the project

Jon Poulter, for providing high resolution photos of the community and so much more

Andrew Dean, for hosting a successful fundraising dinner at his home

Victorio Reyes and the Social Justice Center, for providing a comfortable and inspiring place to work

Peter Treagan, for his support through Global Student Embassy

Rachel Woodward, for lending her skills as a writer to many aspects of the project

Mark Brogna at Capital Wine and Spirits for all of his contributions to the project

All of the Lark St. Business owners, for contributing to the gift baskets which were auctioned at the fundraiser

Ambassador Robert Gosende, for fostering the impact of internation service and study on public diplomacy

Greg Sheldon and Kristie Hamilton with the Eden’s Rose Foundation for providing enormous formal and moral support to the Wishi Project

Kerry Quinn, Matt Gray, Casey Gray, Ian Gray, Jackson Gray, Gregor Sayet-Bone, Zia Anger, Tommy Watkins, Kyle Carney, Alix Faguet, Gavi Cohen, Aubrey Menard, Morgan Edwards, Lobo Enoc Gonzalez, Sammy Frumkin, and many others for the day to day encouragement, support, challenge, and foundation that is necessary to fuel this sort of undertaking.

From myself and on behalf of the Wishi Community I say, Thank You.

Thank you for all of your support. We have made incredible strides in the past few weeks, and I am now confident that with the $11,000 we have already raised we will be able to break ground in January on schedule. There is still work to be done – we need to raise $9,000 which will go towards securing the sustainability of the school, among other things – and I hope that you can help. Please consider contributing to the project, if you haven’t already. If you cannot give, consider reaching out to friends who may be interested in supporting the project. Together we can make this dream a reality.

Please forgive me that it has been so long since our last update. We have been so busy and I have a lot to report.

I would like to begin by extending my deepest thanks to everyone who attended, donated or helped out with the fundraiser, From Our Community to Yours, on November 5th at the Albany Art Room. The event was a great success and raised over $2,500! In addition to raising funds, it was also an opportunity to bring many great people together who have been involved with and supported the project, and many great connections and ideas came out of this meeting.

I’d like to announce that we have had the great fortune of enlisting the work of Jim Brassard, a local videographer, who is volunteering to create a documentary of the Wishi Project. He has been incredible, documenting all aspects of the project as we move forward, and has made a pilot video to represent the progress we have made so far; this pilot video will be available soon. We are working on establishing a profile on Kickstarter.com to raise funds to support his continued work when we go to Ecuador next month. We are hoping to raise $5,000 to cover all the expenses of the documentary.

Last week we bought a chainsaw for the community so that they could begin preparing wood so that it is ready when we begin construction in January. They are cutting Maria wood; a relatively fast growing, sustainable resource, that is sturdy and good for building. They have finished cutting and preparing the supporting structural beams, and this week they hope to complete the preparation of the boards. Not only is the wood from their forest an incredible source of pride and will create what they believe to be the most beautiful school, it also gives them an opportunity to contribute materially to the project in a meaningful way.

The Hackett Middle School service learning team will be celebrating the close of their involvement with the project with an event at Hackett Middle School on Thursday, December 6th. The event will be called The Wishi Room – an idea conceived of and executed by the students themselves. The students will transform their classroom into a space which represents the Wishi classroom; photos and profiles of the children in the Wishi Community; a video made by the students documenting their involvement in the project; and information about the community that they learned through a phone interview which they designed and conducted with a member of the Wishi Community. These students continue to impress me every day, and I am so thankful for their good work.

Students at Montessouri Magnet School have expressed an interest in getting involved with the project, and I hope to begin work with their class next week. I have begun researching the Montessouri Model and I am impressed by the focus on empowering the student, independence, and the emphasis on learning to learn. These are things that I think will be particularly to the students in the Wishi Community. I hope to create some kind of partnership between the local Montessouri students and the students in the Wishi Community.

Thank you so much for your continued interest in the Wishi Project, and for all of your support.

All the best,

Elizabeth

From Our Community to Yours

Wishi Project Fundraiser to Support Construction of Primary School in Ecuador

WHEN:
Friday, Nov. 5
5:00 – 9:00 p.m.

WHERE:
Albany Art Room
457 Madison Ave., Albany

WHAT:
The Wishi Project, an Albany-based initiative to establish a school for children in an indigenous Ecuadorian community, will hold a fundraiser at the Albany Art Room to coincide with Albany’s 1st Friday in November.

The Wishi Project was founded by Albany resident Elizabeth Gray upon her return from the isolated Wishi Community in April 2010. The mission of the Wishi Project is to raise $20,000 to establish a primary school for the children of the Wishi Community in Ecuador, providing them with a basic education and helping to preserve the indigenous Shuar language and culture.

The event will include a silent auction of locally and internationally made art, jewelry and gift baskets; a slide show featuring the Wishi community; and the opportunity to learn more about the project and the children who will ultimately benefit. There will also be food and activities for attendees of all ages.

Wishi Project is collaborating with Eden’s Rose Foundation, an Albany-based nonprofit that builds basic need centers for communities around the world, as well as Fundación Ecuador Volunteer in Ecuador.

“I have had incredible support thus far from local businesses, individuals, schools and community groups. I have been so inspired by this that I have come to see this project as something that we are doing as a community – each of us doing what we can to make this dream a reality. For this reason we will call the fundraiser From Our Community to Yours; a gift from all of us in the Albany community and beyond to this small village in the middle of the Ecuador rainforest.” -Project Founder, Elizabeth Gray

LINKS:

wishi.org

albanyartroom.com

1stfridayalbany.org

DONATE:

If you cannot attend the event but would like to contribute to the project, visit: wishi.org/donate

Thanks in no small part to all of your support, hard work and enthusiasm, we are taking real steps toward the construction of this school. To see what you are achieving – people of all ages, backgrounds, and connection to the project – is truly inspiring and humbling to behold.

Last week, the project was officially formalized with the Fundación Ecuador Volunteer, and we have begun making concrete progress in Ecuador. The community found a teacher, Luísa Chundi, who is professionally certified, and is fluent in Spanish and in indigenous Shuar. They are temporarily using one of their huts as a classroom, and this week we transferred funds to buy supplies and books to get them started until the school is built. Ramón tells me that she is well liked by the children, and that they are already seeing progress in their reading and writing.

On Saturday, my friend Gary Bowitch held a very successful Dining-In for Dollars fundraiser at his home in Castleton-on-Hudson. It is based on the Dining for Women model, in which guests bring food, enjoy a meal together, and then donate the money they would have spent eating out to a charity. In this case, it was a beautiful evening, with great people, and raised over $500 for the Wishi Project. Thank you, Gary.

I visited the students at Hackett Middle School yesterday to hear of their progress on their service learning project. They have done some incredible work: they made posters to hang at the school; are designing a flyer to distribute in the community; are planning a speech to read over the morning announcements; and are working on a brochure to distribute to the whole district. And all of this comes from their own innovation and volition. They are truly great partners to have in this effort.

The missions project at United Church of Christ in Medfield, MA has been officially approved. They will be contributing funds to fully furnish both of the classrooms, purchase 75 books for the library plus shipping, and to pay the teacher’s salary for one year. The kids in the Sunday School will be holding a supplies drive, where they will collect backpacks and fill them with the necessary supplies.

Finally, I’d like to share two great and truly humbling honors that I have received this week. First, Diane de Feliz invited me to join her to see Greg Mortenson speak at SUNY Oswego. For those of you who are unfamiliar with Greg Mortenson, he is known for his book Three Cups of Tea, and his expansive and influential work building schools throughout the Middle East. His first project: he ended up by coincidence and accident in a small village in Pakistan, found that they were without a school, and became determined to help them to build one – a story not unlike that of the Wishi Project. It will be an incredible gift to hear him speak. Second, Ramón’s sister Yolanda had a baby boy this year, Alexánder. They called me last night to tell me that Yolanda wants to name me as Alexánder’s madrina – his godmother. They will wait until I get back to have him baptized so that I can be at the ceremony. A truly beautiful honor.

On November 5th from 5-9pm we will be holding a fundraising event at the Albany Art Room, 457 Madison Ave, Albany, NY 12210, From Our Community to Yours; more information to follow. I hope you can be there.

All the best,

Elizabeth