Receiving Training

Most of the time when I write about training, it's something that I'm teaching or that I'm helping to organize.  But in order to be effective at teaching, it is important to first learn.  And that's exactly what about 15 other Partners Worldwide country representatives and volunteers did this past week.  

Over the course of five days, we spent time studying in-depth the materials from Partners Worldwide's small and medium business training curriculum.  After learning more about everything from Business as Mission to balance sheets to customer service to SMART goals, I believe more than ever in the value of practical business training.  As I return to Ecuador, I look forward to supporting our local training teams as they improve their materials and teach courses that have a lasting impact in the lives of Ecuadorian businesspeople.

Part of our train-the-trainer group

Partners Worldwide Visit Begins

Tomorrow I will be joined by four other members of the US-based Partners Worldwide team to travel to 3 cities and 5 provinces in the course of the following five days.  All four team members fly in tomorrow evening so that we can get an early start on Monday with a flight out to Cuenca.  There we will spend 2 full days meeting with church leaders, visiting businesses, and getting to know the city.  On Wednesday, we plan to return to Quito for two meetings before catching another flight, this time to the jungle city of Coca.  We will spend two days there in order to visit communities along the Napo River and below the Sumaco Volcano before returning to Quito for one last meeting before team members catch their flights on Friday evening and early Saturday morning.

Sound like a whirlwind?  Maybe, but it's full of anticipation for great things.  We are looking forward to signing a partnership agreement to begin formally working together with the Cuenca Partners group based at the Verbo Church there, and the trip to the jungle will be the start of a potential connection with Kaya Foundation, which works in rainforest conservation through business innovation with jungle farming communities.  I look forward to giving updates on the highlights from this trip.

Visitors Coming!

A group of North American businesspeople who support us in the work of Partners Worldwide in Ecuador confirmed today that they will be coming to visit at the end of August.  It has been just over a year since the last visit, so we are excited to welcome them again to meet with business people, help develop new connections, and see the beauty of God's creation in Ecuador.  I will be traveling with those who come to Cuenca to meet with local leaders.  From there we will also make our first visit to communities in the Amazon jungle  in order to consider how we can support them as they develop sustainable agricultural businesses and simultaneously work to conserve the rainforest.  We pray for the God's blessing in this visit and that he will open doors for service and to walk alongside even more Ecuadorian businesspeople.

Latin America Blog Launched!

Come visit Partners Worldwide's new blog for Latin America at la.partnersworldwide.org.

After months of hard work by our four regional team members, we have a new platform for posting stories from all the countries from the region--Nicaragua, Honduras, and Ecuador.  This comes in answer to a need that has arisen over the years.  As the only Partners Worldwide region with a unified language other than English, we in Latin America have looked for ways to ensure that our businesspeople and partnership leaders have the same access to general Partners Worldwide information and stories in their language.

Hence, this new blog will share stories and information both in English and Spanish and will hopefully help to bridge the gap between our English-speaking teams from North America and our Spanish-speaking leaders and businesspeople in Central and South America.

So enjoy more stories about Ecuador and other countries in the region at the Partners Worldwide Latin America Blog.

Partners Visit

For those who don't know much about Partners Worldwide (PW), let me preface this post by explaining a little about the structure of PW.  Instead of going to a country and setting up an office and staff and following a set model for international development, PW works internationally by connecting Christian businesspeople from the US (or another more developed country) with Christian businesspeople already living and serving in a given country (like Ecuador).  Really we're all about relationships.  We want to build a strong international partnership between those 2 groups of businesspeople.  We foster relationships with the businesspeople we serve.  This year we're also putting a special emphasis on mentoring relationships, both locally and with international mentors.  All that said, face-to-face contact in a weeklong visit from the North American partners is an important part of strengthening the partnering relationship.

Thus, the end of June/beginning of July was a time of lots of meetings, visits to businesses, and dinners with the various people with whom I work.

The day after everyone arrived, the North American and Ecuadorian leaders talked over plans for the year and had an evening dinner with trainers who help out with the business course.


About 2/3 of our binational team

A special musical surprise during dinner

The second day, we split into two groups to visit businesses in North Quito, South Quito, and the two valleys.  A few of the businesses we visited...

 That evening, the two groups met up in the Old Town colonial area for dinner, and we had a view of the city from the 5th floor Vista Hermosa Restaurant.

Dinner entertainment--halfway thru dinner an elderly man took over the piano at the back of the restaurant.

Looking south--Independence square with Panecillo in the background.

Looking north--La Basilica on the horizon with Toma de Asis in the foreground.

After two days in Quito, I headed to Las Mercedes on the coast with 3 members of the North American team and Edwin, who had led a training course there at the start of this year.  Since Las Mercedes is an agricultural community, we saw lots of cows, pigs, and chickens and ate food that was picked that same day.

Eating fresh cheese at the production site

At the Las Mercedes rice mill

Motorcycle repair--in the past 10 years motorcycles have replaced horses as the main form of transportation within the community.

Lester chopped open a few coconuts so we could finish the day with coconut milk

Scooping out the fleshy coconut meat

 After a quick flight back to Quito and some time together in the airport, most of the team left to spend the 4th of July with family.  A few of us had one last meal together until next time.

 

Ketchup...

...but not the kind that goes with mustard!  After over a month with no updates, I'm not quite sure where to start.  These past 2 months have been full of visits from North Americans and then my trip home to North America.  So here is a feeble attempt to catch up on the last two months in a short summary, with details to follow.

At the start of June I had the blessing of hanging out with my Nizhoni house mentors, their 2 adorable kids, and Noah's parents and siblings.  It was fun to show off my current "home" city, including a trip to the Equator, the Virgin of Quito statue, dinner on the 5th floor of the Vista Hermosa restaurant in the historic Old Town, climbing to a tower of the concrete Basilica, and a Sunday afternoon in the Botanical Gardens and Vivarium of Parque Carolina.  Since I let them take most of the pictures, you'll just have to believe me on all this, but I'd recommend their schedule to anyone else who wants to hit the highlights of Quito.

Riding in pickup truck back-one common activity in Mercedes

At the end of June, our North American team from Partners Worldwide came for a week-long visit to meet with the local board of directors, visit businesses, and take trips to Cuenca and Las Mercedes.  I went with the Las Mercedes group and had the pleasure of meeting graduates from the business training course that my coworker Edwin led over the past 6 months.  More on that later.

Crossing a swaying bridge in Las Mercedes--that's the norm...

The day after the North American team departed, I made my 3rd ascent of the Rucu Pichincha volcano with my PW coworker who was in town for the North Americans' visit.  It was the first time that I climbed on a clear day, and the view was absolutely spectacular!

On top of Pichincha, with Quito far below

Although my return to the US missed the 4th of July by one day, I was in time to see my sister just before my very first niece, Mikayla Grace, was born.  Being an aunt is amazing.  I can't wait to hold that little girl again.

Mikayla in her first Ecuadorian dress

The next few weeks in Michigan included the arrival of my brother and sister-in-law from Honduras, their "Michigan wedding reception," time with my cousins who are scattered all over the US, and my first trip to a ribs festival.  All in all, it was amazing to see so many friends and family and be back to speaking my first language all the time.

The lovely couple

Quality time with awesome cousins

Chowin' down on ribfest ribs with a friend!

Now that I'm back in Ecuador, I'm re-learning Spanish (just kidding, I remember it, though I was pretty rusty when I first got back), helping out with the latest business training course in Quito, and jumping right back into the thick of things at work and church.

So there's the ketchup...ahem, catch up.  And I'll be sharing more details in...less than 2 months. :)

Commodities Trader Invests his Talents in Ecuador

I have the immense blessing of working with 9 dedicated North American business people and farmers in addition to the 5 board members here in Ecuador.  Their commitment to service has been an inspiration to me. Here is the story of one of our North American team members, as it appears in the Partners Worldwide June Newsletter:  

Story by Jacqueline Klamer

 For Felix Hernandez, trading commodities in the New York Stock Exchange has always been an exhilarating career.  When he became a Christian, he decided he needed to build on those talents and serve others in his Christian walk.

Investing and expanding businesses comes naturally, says Felix--one company he launched grew from three employees to 300 within the eight years he managed it.  Yet, within his church in New Jersey, he had trouble finding any opportunity to use his strongest gifts to serve.  For years, he and his wife Sandy volunteered through a Samaritan's Purse program, helping out at local food shelters, and even building houses in Mexico.  "I started thinking that I'm not using my God-given abilities in business," he says.  "And, frankly I'm pretty bad at building houses."

In 2008, Felix searched online for ways to use his business knowledge to serve when he learned about the need for small and medium business loans in developing countries.  He heard about Partners Worldwide, attended a conferece, and soon got connected with business members of Partners for Christian Development - Ecuador (PCD-E).

(Continue Story Here)

Snapshots of Life in Ecuador

Over the past month, I have seen a glimpse of the beauty of Ecuador.  From the snow-capped volcano Cotopaxi that greets me in the morning on clear days to the fish markets that characterize coastal towns like Manta, Ecuador is at once filled with the sleeping peace of ancient peaks alongside the bustle of commerce and barter that fill each new morning.

Quito is ringed by volcanoes, and during my first weekend in Ecuador I had the opportunity to take a cable car and then hike to a point at the base of Pichincha.  Reaching an elevation of over 4,100 meters, I climbed to the highest point I have ever visited, and the view of the city and the surrounding farmland was majestic.

The day before that, I took a quick ride to the middle of the world...er...the equator.  They call it the mitad del mundo here to distinguish from the name of the country.  As I stood with one foot in the Southern Hemisphere and one in the Northern Hemisphere, it struck me how far I had traveled.  Michigan is halfway between the equator and the North Pole, and I had crossed the 45th parallel several times.  Yet suddenly I found myself at that geographical landmark that I had previously only known as a line on a world map.

Besides the natural wonders of Ecuador, I am always intrigued by the daily life here.  When I was on the Pacific Coast to visit Las Mercedes, we visited a fish market where one could purchase anything from sharks to $800 tuna to shellfish.









Gaviota birds swooped down to steal fish as they were carried from the motorboats to the shore, and pelicans did their own fishing in the distance.














Competing with the calls of fish sellers was the constant hum of chainsaws and hammers at the shipyard a few meters down the beach.









 Back in Quito, there is a part of the city called La Ronda, which comes alive at nightfall with all the charm of the colonial era.  Over the rofs of the ancient buildings gleams the clock tower of the cathedral, and down the twisting cobblestone road one can purchase traditional drinks and appetizers from the doorways of shops.  These are just a flavor of the rich culture and geography of Ecuador, and I look forward to experiencing more of this country in the coming months.

Next up: Monica's Restaurant

Welcome to Ecuador

It has now been nine days since I arrived in Ecuador, and I am finally starting to settle into life here in Quito. I came in on a flight with two Californian dairy farmers who were part of a group of six people from the North American affiliate of Partners Worldwide (PW) who support Partners for Christian Development, the Ecuadorian organization that PW works with in Ecuador.

The last members of the North American group left yesterday, but before then, we jointly visited three cities, six businesses, participated in the graduation of a business training class, and had many conversations about the achievements over the past year and the goals for the future relationship between the Ecuadorian and North American group.

One of the highlights of the last week for me was a trip out to the rural community of Las Mercedes in the western part of the country. Four of us made the trek by car, plane, bus, and truck to reach this community of just over 100 families. In a country where recycling is rare and littering is still common, this community was spotlessly clean, had organic gardening classes, and was even working on plans for a recycling center. Leaders from the community were searching for new ways to improve their community, and one of those was the reason why we had come.

Several years before, three people from the community had been given financial support for businesses such as a dairy farm and a furniture leg shop. During our time in Mercedes we visited these two businesses, and I even got to milk one of the dairy cows! However, a meeting with over 20 community members was the highlight of the day. This past year there have been two business training classes offered in Quito, and when the community in Mercedes heard about these classes, they were excited to receive the training too. During our meeting, we heard from store owners, farmers, mechanics, and others who were all excited to have us visit and consider the possibility of offering training. We took stories from our visit to Mercedes back to Quito, and in the coming weeks I'll be able to report whether we will be able to offer business classes in Mercedes.

Coming soon: Snapshots of Life in Ecuador