15 Years Special Edition Newsletter

Baha de Carquez, Ecuador www.genesisecuador.org December 2013

GENESISS NEWSLETTER
Fighting poverty through education"

The queen and novata of Unidad Educativa Gnesis pose with their escorts at the school and foundations 15-year anniversary party.

Stay connected with Genesis all year long at genesisecuador.org

From the Director

Fifteen years have passed since we started this educational project, benefitting every year more than 400 children in Baha de Carquez, and offering them an alternative approach to learning. We have been recognized by our community and have felt their unconditional support. We want to thank our volunteers, parents and most of all our donors from Canada and around the world for having confidence that their donations will be used to accomplish our mission: making quality education a reality for the children of Manab. I hope you enjoy this special edition newsletter. Thank you, Vladir Villagran

The presentation when the queen and her court entered the party was excellent, said Andrea Muoz, English teacher at UE Gnesis. A court selected from third graders to high schoolers accompanied the elegant young ladies in a formal dance. My favorite part was when we walked around the fountain and took photos, said Breana, a sixth grader, who took part in the court. The decoration was magnificent because the school looked so different from how it usually looks. Everything was blue and everything was decorated, said Muoz. Guests entered the school, transformed by flowers, tulle and the color blue, on a red carpet to be greeted by Vladir Villagran, Director, and the teachers. Covered tables and chairs filled the Cancha Canada, UE Gnesis outdoor sports area, which was donated by the Rotary Club of Spruce Grove, Alberta, Canada, thanks to their connection with the Children of Ecuador foundation in the same town. After the presentation and a thank you speech from Villagran, a student band played for dancing guests until the rain came down at 1:30a.m. The directors started to dance, and then everyone else danced, too, said Carlos, a sixth grade scholarship

Genesis Celebrates 15
Tablecloths and bright blue dresses glittered in the moonlight on Saturday, November 24, as Unidad Educativa Gnesis and the Genesis Foundation of Ecuador celebrated its 15-year anniversary. Students, parents and teachers gathered at the school for a formal gala with a queen and novata, or junior queen, voted in by the student body.

student. He enjoyed getting dressed up and dancing with his friends. The event was ticketed, with proceeds going towards the construction of new classrooms and a library at UE Gnesis (see The 15 Year Journey).

School. We are committed to being a part of their mission for years to come. Connect directly with Children of Ecuador online at childrenofecuador.ca.

Scholarship Spotlight: Jonathon

Age: 12 Grade: 8 Favorite food: pizza Favorite music: salsa Favorite subject: social studies/foreign cultures Wants to be a: doctor Mother: second grade teacher at UE Gnesis Father: tricycle taxi driver in Baha
Jonathon receives a full tuition scholarship to Unidad Educativa Gnesis through the Children of Ecuador foundation in Spruce Grove, Alberta, Canada

East Carolina Universitys Active English Program

East Carolina University volunteers, including Bob Hickner (center right) and Jamiee Miles (far right), pose in the Cancha Canada at UE Gnesis

Donor Spotlight: Dave Oldham

Dave Oldham, along with his wife, Robyn (pictured left), is the Genesis Foundation of Ecuadors principal donor, and through his foundation, Children of Ecuador, he has helped the Genesis Foundation with projects ranging from scholarships to volunteers to the construction of classrooms and other educational facilities. One of his most recent fundraising endeavors is a race to collect a million pennies as they go out of circulation in Canada, and he has implemented the project in local high schools in Spruce Grove, Alberta, Canada. We are grateful for Daves consistent efforts, and we asked him for a few words for this special edition newsletter: I started my work with Genesis as a volunteer in 2004 and over the past 8 years have founded and now am the Director for the Children of Ecuador Education Foundation based out of Spruce Grove Alberta, Canada. Our work with Genesis has been long lasting and impactful both for the people of Ecuador and the over 100 volunteers from Canada we have introduced to Genesis and Baha de Carquez. We believe that Vladir and Sandra, along with their team of people, are changing the lives of the children who attend Genesis

This July, the Genesis Foundation of Ecuador hosted a group of six volunteers from East Carolina University in North Carolina, USA. I think many of them thought it was a life-changing experience, said Dr. Bob Hickner, Professor of Kinesiology and Physiology at ECU. He organized the group of volunteers after his daughter volunteered with Genesis in August 2011. The six kinesiology students lived at the Genesis Foundation of Ecuadors volunteer house and gave English lessons at the nearby Primero de Octubre and Modelo schools. Two also helped at Grupo Solidario, a foundation for people with disabilities. What stood out to me was how thankful the teachers seemed to have us there. Every day they would greet us with enthusiasm, participate in the lessons with us to learn what we were teaching the students, and send us off with drinks and snacks. I felt so incredibly appreciated, said Jamiee Miles, who volunteered at Primero de Octubre, in the rural countryside of Manab. To reach Primero de Octubre is a half an hour walk, and the school consists of only two classrooms and a bathroom the Genesis Foundation of Ecuador, with support from the Children of Ecuador foundation, constructed the second classroom and the bathroom. Miles also noted the lack of supplies and materials compared to schools in the United States. But what

they lacked in materials, they made up for in their passion for education, said Miles. After returning from their placements, the six girls worked together with the students of Unidad Educativa Gnesis in an afterschool program called Active English. Drawing on their unique skillset, the volunteers original program integrated English into physical education activities to give students opportunities to improve their health as well as experience language and cultural immersion. Everyone grew attached to the volunteers, and were sad to see them go their certificate ceremony ended with chants of Let them return! In fact, Hickner does plan to return to Genesis with a new group of Eastern Carolina students next summer.

earthquake of 1998. In the wake of that disaster, UE Gnesis had the opportunity to purchase the building and establish itself as both an elementary school and a high school. Today, UE Gnesis has over 220 students from preschool to the second year of bachillerato, or eleventh grade, and the Genesis Foundation of Ecuador has educational programs that benefit low-income students at several schools in the community. Next year, the current second year of bachillerato students at UE Gnesis will move on to their final year of high school and become the first graduating high school class. Thus, the current focus of the Genesis Foundation is to raise the funds necessary to build a new classroom for those students, on the empty second floor area at UE Gnesis. With an eye towards improving education for the whole community, the Genesis Foundation also hopes to build a library as part of the new construction, bringing the value of literature to families in Baha de Carquez. In this town, there are no libraries and no bookstores for children who want to read at home, and it is not an important part of the culture for parents to read to their children. We hope to bring that valuable tradition to local families through this library project. To raise funds for this construction, designed by volunteer architect Keiron Ortiz, the Genesis Foundation is selling American clothes at the next-door Genesis Internet Caf, and has programmed a silent auction to take place this spring. Funds received from ticket and food sales at the 15-year anniversary party will also go towards the construction. As we strive to continue leading positive advances in education in Manab, we appreciate your support. If you would like to help us achieve this next set of goals, please visit our website (genesisecuador.gov), and donate with us this holiday season.

Primero de Octubre students listen as Miles gives an English lesson. Spruce Grove, Alberta, Canadas Rotary Club, thanks to their connection to the Children of Ecuador foundation, donated the desks pictured here.

The 15 Year Journey: Where Weve Been, Where Were Headed

The Genesis Foundation of Ecuador began on May 5, 1997, with an innovative vision for education, in which students would have access to technology at school. At the time, there were only ten computers in the entire town of Baha de Carquez. Vladir Villagran, Director, studied Information Technology at the University of Israel, in Quito, which inspired him to bring his technological knowledge to young students. The first project of the Genesis Foundation of Ecuador remains its largest: Unidad Educativa Gnesis. The school started as an elementary school only, with nine students at a small site in the neighboring town of Leonidas Plaza. In 2010, as UE Gnesis continued to grow, and the expanding student body needed more space for classrooms, the school moved to Baha de Carquez. The new building had been intended to be a hotel, but the owner left the country after the devastating

A Taste of Local Culture: Cazuela

Ingredients: -2 green plantains -1 liter of water -1 serving of cooked shrimp -1 chicken flavored bullion cube -Salt to taste -1 onion, sliced Preparation: -Liquefy plantains, water, bullion cube and salt. -Cook the mixture over medium-low heat until it is thick. -When the mixture is almost ready, add the shrimp. -Serve hot in a casserole dish with the onion on top.