Onions on a Mountainside

Cayambe Volcano peaking thru the clouds

Ecuador is beautiful.  And that becomes even more evident when one escapes the concrete jungle of Quito and ventures a few hours by bus through the mountain passes overshadowed by sleeping volcanoes to rural communities like Cangahua.  A couple weeks ago my coworker and I left our computers behind and spent most of the day on buses snaking through the mountains and in an ancient pickup truck bouncing along rock studded roads.  The ultimate goal was to reach José’s plot of land in the Andes highlands.  When the pickup finally stopped beside the evangelical church of Lote 4, we had a gorgeous view of the valley below and the communal field on the opposite mountain.

View from above a rural Evangelical Church

Edwin and Jose at the edge of Jose's onion field

We first went to José’s house, but his daughter informed us that he was at his onion field halfway up the mountain.  The only way up that mountain is to cross a footbridge over the stream, walk past a dilapidated house, and climb…climb…climb.  A half hour later we reached the plateau on which José and his wife were harvesting onions.  Standing against a strong wind, we talked with him about the onion harvest, the local association, the construction on the church, and how his loan payment was going.  Ending in prayer, we said farewell and headed back down the mountain to the awaiting pickup for a bumpy ride back to the town of Cangahua.  From there we caught a ride to the city of Cayambe to purchase some of its famous cheese and then returned to the concrete jungle of Quito.

Photo break on the way down the mountain. My left hand is blocking Jose's house where we started.

Waiting for the bus in the Cangahua town square

Walking Alongside

What makes a business development NGO any different from any other microfinance lending organization?

It’s the story, just like this one, behind each loan payment.  Whereas a lending organization focuses on collecting loans within the given time period, business development implies a long-term investment and a commitment to walk beside each businessperson, whether a loan is involved or not.  That commitment involves visits, phone calls, light conversations about family and the tough questions about what is really happening in the business.  It’s an enriching and fulfilling relationship, but at the same time requires a strong connection in order to honestly discuss what is best for the business and the owner.

A week ago I had the privilege of visiting Roger, a jewelry maker who participated in business training with our local partner PCD-Ecuador, received a loan, and formally started his jewelry business fulltime in November.  Roger comes from a family of jewelers and previously worked for a major jewelry manufacturer, but he wanted to have his own business to work with his wife and brother to carry on the family tradition.  With a loan from Partners Worldwide, Roger purchased the necessary machinery and now spends his days creating his own jewelry instead of simply following the designs created by his employer. 

Starting his business has been a joy for Roger, but it comes with many questions.  “Should I invest in additional machinery now or wait until a later point?  How can I increase sales?  Should I purchase an island in a mall to sell my products or continue selling through intermediaries?”  These are questions that Roger must answer, but he is not alone in searching for the best response.  Every month, Roger calls his business mentor in the US to share his questions and evaluate options with an experienced Christian businessman.  At the same time, local representatives visit Roger and review his financial statements. 

Through this ongoing communication, Roger is not alone as he takes the first strides in his business but has other Christian businesspeople walking alongside him every step of the way.  That is what makes Partners Worldwide and our local partner, PCD-Ecuador, business development NGOs—the constant commitment to the businessperson.

Check out an earlier story on Roger’s business on the Partners Worldwide website.

And look for more stories on businesses and a bike trail in Ecuador later this week.

Feliz Año Nuevo y Adios al Año Viejo

Translation: Happy New Year and Goodbye to the Old Year

In the United States, we have traditions of getting together with friends on New Year’s Eve, maybe attending a midnight service, alternatively watching the ball drop in Time Square, and probably singing “Auld Lang Syne” and toasting to the New Year quite soon after midnight.

In Ecuador there are traditions as well, and I’d like to introduce a few that I participated in this past weekend to say goodbye to the old year and welcome in 2011.

On the afternoon of December 31^st, I took a trip down to one of the main streets in Quito, which is lined each year by floats that poke fun of events in the past year.  Since I don’t understand all the political jabs, it was more interesting for me to see the creativity put into the design of these larger-than-life figures.

A character on one of these floats is called un año viejo, or in English, an “old year.”  They represent all the good and the bad that happened in the past 12 months, and at midnight on New Year’s, they are all set on fire, representing that both the old year and the people and events that marked that year have ended.  That idea of getting rid of the past and starting out fresh is a reminder for me of the command in Ephesians 4 to “put off your old self” and “to be made new in the attitudes of your minds.”  When I first heard about the tradition of burning the “old year,” I thought it would be an insult to be the one represented and burned, but my friends explained to me that it’s actually a very good thing to be the effigy used for the año viejo.  In a sense, being burned as the año viejo gives the person a new opportunity to put off the problems of the old self and be made new as the new year begins afresh.

On a less philosophical note, Ecuador also has a unique tradition of the viudas or “widows” of the año viejo, who stop cars asking for money for the “funeral expenses” of the dead año viejo.  In reality, these are usually young boys who dress in black with skirts and sometimes a wig.  Everyone knows that if you drive around Quito on the 31^st, you need to have a lot of change to make it past the makeshift barricades that these viudas set up.  I’m not sure the history or significance of this, but I suppose it’s entertaining and a good way for these kids to get a little extra pocket change.

With my host family, we bought and made our own año viejo to burn at midnight.  Since the youngest sister had wanted Germany to win the Soccer World Cup, they made an octopus selecting Spain over Germany out of paper mache and pizza boxes.  Additionally, they bought a sawdust-stuffed representation of Osama Bin Laden for reasons that are beyond my comprehension.  As part of the unique family tradition, the boys in the family jumped over the burning año viejo, resulting in at least one burned toe.  We joined the rest of the city to set off fireworks and light sparklers, and in the end, it looked like fog had rolled in because every street we traveled on the way home was still full of smoke from the años viejos and fireworks.  In this way we welcomed in a new year in Quito, and look forward to great things in the next 362 days!

Business Training Class Graduation

On the first Saturday in December, Partners for Christian Development-Ecuador (PCD-E) held the final class of its third business training course in Quito, Ecuador.  Twelve weeks earlier, the PCD-E training team eagerly awaited the arrival of the first businesspeople at the doors of the classroom.  This Saturday also involved a high level of energy and excitement as the participants completed the last step in this business course and began the first steps in the next part of their story.  For some that might be the start of a new business, and for others the implementation of new ideas to stimulate further growth in an existing business.

After the board president, an Ecuadorian lawyer, gave the final lesson on legal requirements for businesses, the class participants received a call from two members of the Global Business Affiliate (the Ecuador GBA is composed of about 10 US businesspeople).  Along with giving personal congratulations to each of the five businesspeople who were to graduate that day, the GBA members emphasized the importance of pursuing one's plans goals and trusting that with God we can achieve great things.  Everyone was grateful to be able to share time together that transcended the distance between GBA members in the US and the training classes in Ecuador.

After receiving their course certificates, the five graduates and one non-graduating participant were joined by three PCD-E board members for a celebratory lunch prepared by Monica (a successful new restaurant owner already featured in this blog).  Monica shared a part of her story, telling how she was able to grow and learn from hard experiences to become the businesswoman she is today.

As the culmination of 12 weeks of working, learning, and building relationships together, the graduation brought high hopes for future opportunities.  Just as the graduates will take advantage of the opportunities available to them in their businesses, the PCD-E board is looking forward to implementing ideas to improve the fourth business training class.  The team looks forward to starting an even better business training course in March.  Before then, trainings will also begin in the city of Cuenca and the farming community of Las Mercedes (see Las Mercedes story from July!)