Youth Empowerment and Microenterprises in Ecuador

I had the most incredible time on my Amigos trip in Ecuador. I got to live on "La Granja," a family owned farm where I milked cows, harvested herbs, planted trees, cooked fresh meals, and swam in waterfalls with my cohort. When we were not working, my group had many interesting conversations about race, gender, stereotyping, colonialism, and identity. Through these conversations I was exposed to diverse perspectives and got to know myself better than I ever have before. I always get homesick while away from family, however in Ecuador I built a new family. I still stay in touch with the friends I made even though we live thousands of miles away. I LOVED Ecuador!

Our older daughter participated in Amigos for many years, and we were unsure what the reimagined "pandemic safe" program would offer. Amigos did not disappoint. Our younger daughter was able to immerse herself in the host country culture, meet new friends, challenge herself and speak Spanish. One unexpected highlight was the food. She is a picky eater and found herself loving the fresh fruits and vegetables prepared for her group. Overall, she matured and came back a more confident and informed citizen. I highly recommend Amigos!

I had the most amazing time on my AMIGOS trip this past summer. I went on the Ecuador La Sierra trip and my project pod stayed on a farm and in an indigenous community. We worked at the farm, went on lots of hikes, explored the city of Cuenca, and learned how to cook delicious foods. Some of my favorite activities were seeing a cow birth, milking the cows, using biological materials to build a wall on a side of a home, making soup for lunch, and painting a mural. I learned about sustainable agriculture in Ecuador through talking to the people at the farm and working at the farm every day, whether we were harvesting vegetables, raking leaves in the forest, or making compost. I believe I improved my Spanish because we spoke to everyone at the farm in Spanish and had Spanish classes every morning. The group activities we had within our pod were really engaging and we were able to develop strong connections as a group. Through this program, I've developed lasting friendships with the other volunteers in my pod, and I am so grateful for our supervisors who were so supportive and inspiring. This experience with AMIGOS is one that I'll never forget, and I would recommend AMIGOS to anyone!

I had an incredible experience with Amigos last summer in Session B of the La Sierra, Ecuador program because of the friends I made and the new experiences I had. Since we began our trip with a long layover in the Quito airport, our group immediately bonded. We were all extremely excited to arrive in Ecuador and begin the program, so we quickly found commonalities between us. The strength of the friendships we forged was clear at the airport when we were returning home because it was painful to say goodbye to one another. The friends I made weren’t just from the US because two students from Ecuador participated in the program with us. Every day we ate our meals together, worked on the farm together, and went through new experiences together. Building strong friendships and connections with the people I met, made the program so wonderful.

In addition to the people I met, the new experiences I had really widened my global perspective and gave me a greater appreciation for cultures other than my own. I loved working on the farm planting vegetables and helping with the compost. Many highlights of the trip occurred when taking care of the animals on the farm. I remember being given the opportunity to wake up at 5 am and help milk the cows at Kinti Wasi, and seizing that opportunity was a fantastic decision. It was surreal seeing the sunrise over the mountains as the cows were all around us eating the grass of the field. I would encourage everyone to try Amigos!

As a parent of a first time AMIGOS participant, I was initially hesitant about the program, especially given the COVID-19 pandemic. However, the support that was provided by the AMIGOS staff during the preparation period leading up to the trip was very helpful and informative. Besides the informational meetings, we had our questions and concerns answered via email and phone calls during the weeks leading up to our daughter's departure. We as parents were kept updated with emails and Instagram posts throughout the process, from the starting point of travel from the US to Ecuador, the stay in Ecuador and the travel back to the US. Our daughter came back energized and inspired and she is excited to continue participation with AMIGOS in the future. Thank you for giving her such a wonderful opportunity!

This summer, I went to Ecuador, La Costa. It was very impactful, seeing all of the different ways of life that many people live. It was interestimg, learning how they were trying to be less impactful to the evironment. I loved meeting many different people, and the diversity that was there. My favorite part of being in Ecaudor was talking and meeting people, and seeing the humpback whales so close to our boat! I loved seeing the beautiful beaches, and seeing the different views! I wished we could have done more community service, but I get why we couldn't, with the pandemic going on. Overall, it was pretty fun!

I was a bit skeptical of the three-week pod program at first, but I had an incredible time! I believe it is a great way to get your toes wet in Amigos. You have the support of various other English-speaking teens, but still get to live with a local host family and experience Spanish-emmersion. Cuenca is breathtaking! From above looks like a sea of red rooves. Lush green mountains surround the city. Cuenca also is the perfect temperature in the day time. It has perfect weather for hikes unless it is raining. Be prepared for the mud!

Some trip highlights:
- Seeing a cow give birth
- Visiting the Cuenca botanical gardens
- Hiking in Cajas National Park
- Eating amazing food
- Participating in a Kichwa lesson
- Having group discussions
- Painting a mural

I was on the Ecuador: La Costa 3 week project, and I had quite the experience. I really loved staying at Rio Muchacho, an eco-lodge, and learning about the city of Bahía de Caraquez more each time we visited it. I also loved boating out to beautiful, nature-rich islands, and spending time at the beach. One of my favorite parts was the service day, where we drove to a rural community called Sitio Nuevo that was leading an environmental/community based service initiative. AMIGOS worked with local volunteer groups to plant trees by the river, paint a school house, plant a garden, and help out with some other community things. Talking to the children of the community was a fun and heartwarming experience I'll never forget. I wished we could have done even more service work, and that we could have interacted more with local families, but this year was weird because of the COVID pandemic, which limited our contact with people (ex. we stayed as a group and not in homestays). Unfortunately, some of us volunteers ran into issues with mental health and with the project staff. Personally, I found the program to be too challenging in terms of how much sleep we were getting and how many activities were packed into the day. I felt tired and overwhelmed by the second week, and I started to take it easier after that. There were some conduct issues among some other volunteers that escalated into 5 volunteers being sent home 3 days early, which was stressful for the whole group. However, I think that we had a great group and great project staff, and what went down was pretty unlucky. I felt that the project staff were very supportive of me, and I really appreciated their help and empathy. By the end of the 3 weeks, I was very ready to go home, because I was stressed and burnt out, but I was simultaneously sad to leave the beautiful places we visited and leave the wonderful friends I made in the group. I'd say overall, I'm glad I went despite the challenges.