Friends of Yachay Wasi

Upcoming fundraiser

2009-11-27T13:05:00.000-08:00

"A Global Partnership: Students for Children Rights" is a group at Johnson State College that focuses on catering to the needs of children that are experiencing hunger and lack of nutrition, abuse or poverty, or war and genocide. I am the Publicity Liaison for the group and I recently developed this flier for an upcoming film series we're coordinating.

These films are focused around two issues- the Genocide in Darfur and fighting poverty in Quito, Ecuador. The first half of the week, we will be showcasing Baraka, the Motorcycle Diaries, and Ratas, Ratones, Rateros- an Ecuadorian film about gang violence and the battle between the rich and poor.

Potential proceeds will go towards sponsoring students at Yachay Wasi for a period of six or 12 months.

More candids...

2009-08-19T09:01:00.001-07:00

The report on the Solar Panel Unit Project

2009-08-07T12:38:00.000-07:00

The photo in this entry is one of the better ones I took on the trip. In it, Enrico and I stand in the northeastern corner of the garden with the solar unit between us. The photo was taken by Rene.
Pacific Ridge School (California, USA) high school student Alex Rodriguez constructed a simple solar panel unit using a suitcase and widely available electronic materials using an Omprakash grant with the intent of creating a test unit that could charge small electronic devices to allow small nonprofit organizations to become independent of the corporate electronic grid (get free electricity) and use an alternative electronic resource to generate it. The unit was built as cheaply and simply as possible for user friendliness, ease in repair, and ease in replacement of parts, as well as manufacturing costs. Omprakash planned that once the unit proved successful, the organization would be able to streamline the design manufacture more to sell cheaply to nonprofit organizations who want free (green) energy.
The solar unit project was a success and the unit functioned well enough. We received the solar unit a week before we left and aside from a slight misunderstanding on the purpose of the project on my part, the organizational aspect of the project went smoothly. I disassembled the unit to bring down to Ecuador to lower the risk the unit would break in the luggage on the way down, as we could not bring it as a carry-on or in its own suitcase considering the volume of our other luggage.
We have nicknamed it “La bomba”.

We brought it to Yachay Wasi the second day we came. They were delighted. I showed them how the unit was put together and tried my best to explain in Spanish how solar panels worked. I managed, with my mangled Spanish, to get my points across. They enjoyed my explanation immensely, particularly Fernando, who used to work as an electrician. Our first test that day was a CD player’s batteries. We put the unit out in the field and watched as the lights blinked on, the solar unit reawakening after its long voyage and reassembly.
Fernando and Laura appreciated Alex’s creation very much, though they wished we did not have to bring the unit back to the United States at the end of the month.
There was much to charge over the three and a half weeks we were there. The school as an institution is well-off by Ecuadorian standards, considering that they have several televisions and computers and many of the staff own cell phones, so much of the time the staff charged their electronic devices at the usual plugs as they were accustomed to do. However, because the unit was there as a source of free electricity, generated by the sun, no less, Fernando and Laura tried to use the unit as much as they could.

Here’s the record of “La Bomba’s” use, just in case the piece of paper gets lost somehow.
7/10 charged a CD player’s batteries for 3 hours. When I began charging, it was sunny, but I stopped charging the CD Player when it started to rain.
7/12 charged a cell phone for 4.5 hours. Sunny.
7/14 charged camera batteries for 4 hours. Sunny.
7/16 charged a cell phone for 2 hours. Sunny, then cloudy.
7/20 charged camera batteries for 3 hours. Sunny.
7/20 charged solar unit batteries for 2 hours. Sunny.
7/22 charged cell phone batteries for 5 hours. Sunny.
7/23 charged Fernando’s phone for 4 hours. Sunny.
7/24 charged camera batteries for 4 hours. Sunny.
7/25 charged Jacob’s cell phone for 3.5 hours. Sunny.
7/26 powered a CD player for 30 minutes. Sunny.

The only problem with “La Bomba’s” capacity to function was the switch on the converter. From day 1 it required an extra amount of force to stay on, so that I had to tape a small bolt to the switch in the ON position whenever I turned the unit on, and even then, if the tape wasn’t tight enough, or the bolt was in the wrong place, the green or red light would turn off and the plugged-in device wouldn’t charge. Other than this slight problem, the solar unit functioned well.
As a note, should anyone need it:
If it is any help figuring out the cost of electricity in Quito, the Hostel Villa Nancy spent $26 for 256 Kilowatt hours in the month of June.

In conclusion, I believe that this solar panel project was a success and, though it was not actually NEEDED there, the people at Yachay Wasi greatly appreciated its presence and without question, “the school really wants a solar panel” (translated quote from Laura). They have a passive solar water heater (a transparent tub inside of which the water gets heated by the sun) that the kids can use every once and a while for hot showers, but they would love (a) solar panel (s) to generate electricity directly from the sun. With a few design modifications and an instruction manual (written in the local language) as to how the unit functions and how a solar panel works, the unit would be quite appropriate for traveling and as a donation to other nonprofits.

Thank you, Omprakash and Alex Rodrigues for letting the Yachay Wasi School use the solar unit for the month. They are very grateful. I too am thankful, considering what a learning experience the solar unit project was.

Ari Kohorn

los ninos

2009-08-06T20:56:00.001-07:00

Group picture

2009-07-31T14:15:00.001-07:00

The family at Yachay Wasi.

Murals

2009-07-30T17:16:00.001-07:00

Here are the murals that we painted at Yachay Wasi.

Illustration

2009-07-22T19:37:00.000-07:00

Life at Yachay Wasi

2009-07-20T16:14:00.000-07:00

Our first two weeks in Quito have proven to be more rewarding than we anticipated. We have been working at Yachay Wasi from Monday through Friday and we have already gained an understanding on their vision, their culture, and their overall mentality. Their traditions as indigenous people is beautiful and heart warming; knowing that they have been discriminated and ostracized against in the past is a total travesty. It blows my mind that these people are the direct descendants of the Inca-Empire, and yet they have to go through so much bureaucratic nonsense to be a certified school, i.e. paper work and visits from government officials. Their budget for snacks during the school day have been cut off, their llamas have been taken away, and they are always getting threatened if they do not obied by the rules.

Working with the children is so rewarding, learning about their individual situations and what predicaments they must overcome as adolescents amazes us. Our donated materials such as dental supplies and sports equipment made such an impact and improvement on their lives. As well as the dental supplies and sport equipment, they are thoroughly enjoying the art supplies, school supplies, books, and most of all, our presence. They are always calling us "machi" which means friend in the Kichwa language.

One major project that we want to continue is adding on to their library. We have advanced their library by about 50 books and we plan on continuing to give them more as the future progresses. Some of the kids are illiterate, so these narratives will make a major difference in their lives when it comes to finding work and leading functional lives. Another project that we plan on pursuing in the future is "Sponsor-a-Yachay". Each student will be individually assigned a buddy from Maine to communicate with through letters, gifts, and potentially monthly donations to improve their living qualities at home.

Currently the major project that we are working on is the mural, representing their indigenous ancestry and our culture in Coastal-Maine. As well as painting everyday, we also have other activities for them, such as: origami, singing songs, making homemade play dough, cooking, writing stories, English lessons, number games, photography, arts and crafts, as well as numerous hours spent at the park playing soccer and frisbee; their favorite. But above all else, our biggest accomplishment is purchasing school-uniforms for the kids to wear everyday during school. We have been fundraising for months prior to this trip, and we have raised enough to buy these uniforms for over $1,300.

As well as volunteering, we are taking Spanish lessons to improve our communication with them. This volunteering excursion has been very successful and there is no doubt in my mind that this will continue through other students for years to come.

Donated materials

2009-06-20T10:49:00.001-07:00

Here is a glimpse of some of the materials that we plan on donating.

Special thanks to: the Brunswick Parks and Recreation Department for the soccer balls, Red Dragon Toys for the art supplies, frisbees, and pumps, and all the students at Brunswick High School who have kindly donated money and clothing.

Book Making at Jordan Acres

2009-05-26T13:53:00.001-07:00

Spaghetti Dinner Recap

2009-05-21T04:57:00.001-07:00

The Spaghetti Dinner went well; slowly but surley. We made about $200 in profit!

Thank you Hannaford, Shaw's, and Wild Oats for donating material, as well as a special thanks to Mr. Goddard for helping us out so generously.

Times Record Article

2009-05-04T17:30:00.000-07:00

Spaghetti Dinner

2009-04-28T08:18:00.001-07:00

Spaghetti Dinner @ People’s Plus
May 16th, 2009 at 5:00 PM from 8:00 PM
Come support the Brunswick High School International Club!
Dinner includes: spaghetti, bread, and beverages
All proceeds go to the Yachay Wasi Intercultural Center in
QUITO, ECUADOR!
$5 at the door

Frontier Event

2009-04-21T18:33:00.000-07:00

An upcoming event to learn more about the travels of the Brunswick High School International Club will be on June 23 at the Frontier Cafe in Brunswick, Maine. Members traveling to Ecuador will speak on behalf of the Omprakash Foundation and give insight on their mission and purpose in Ecuador. To compliment this event, there will be a showing of Baraka.

This is a free event and it will be held at 6:00 PM from 9:00 PM.

Baraka is an incredible nonverbal film containing images of 24 countries from 6 continents, created by Ron Fricke and Mark Magidson, with music from Michael Stearns and others. The film has no plot, contains no actors and has no script. Instead, high quality 70mm images show some of the best, and worse, parts of nature and human life. Timelapse is used heavily to show everyday life from a different perspective. Baraka is often considered a spiritual film.

"Frontier is proud to support the Brunswick High School International Club and their journey to set up a sister-school in Quito, Ecuador this summer. They are also being sponsored by the Omprakash Foundation. Join us for an informative evening of the trip, the Omprakash Foundation and a free viewing of Baraka, presented by the Brunswick H.S. International Club."

http://www.explorefrontier.com/index.php/film-a-event-schedule

Welcome

2009-03-10T20:51:00.001-07:00

Coming across the Omprakash Foundation has resulted in outbursts of ideas and motivational thinking to plan a project and make it a reality. Through partnerships with Omprakash, I discovered the Yachay Wasi Intercultural Community Center in Quito, Ecuador that sparked my interest greatly. The indigenous Kichwa community-program seems to have ideal characteristics that the International Club at Brunswick High School want to pursue, contribute, and benefit from- ranging from learning Spanish, teaching English, interacting with the Kichwa youth, and being productive helpful contributions to their institute.

A simple idea turned into an elaborate plan of forming a group of interested individuals to travel down to Quito for the month of July to serve as educational ambassadors. The results from this trip, the first of many in our minds, will help us develop a club at Brunswick High school that will continue to work with the Omprakash Foundation as well as interact/support students at Yachay Wasi. Students could learn to coordinate their own traveling adventures through relationships with Omprakash as well as support present projects, such as the current one with Yachay Wasi. This club activity will promote cultural awareness, cultural exchanges, and personal enlightenment from working with global communities.

Team members are: myself- senior, Maria Polky- junior Ari Kohorn- senior, Ceceilia Waite- junior, and Mrs. Nolan- a local Spanish teacher at BHS who has lived in Quito before. This team of five will work together to promote cultural exchange through both communities that will give us sustainable material to carry on this project for generations to come.

Constant interaction with people like Steven, and Willy from Omprakash has motivated me to find a committed group as well as thinking on a community level- getting support and publicity throughout our school and community.

The possibilities are endless and I am so thrilled to get this show on the road!