|
|
Locals work to improve conditions in Ecuador
|
| |
|
Erin Duffy is shown playing with students of the village school in which she works. Reminder Publications submitted photo
|
By Danielle Paine
Reminder Assistant Editor
EAST LONGMEADOW Erin Duffy takes a bus to a small internet cafe every week to show her hometown supporters the fruits of their generosity through photos and mass e-mails.
In September, Duffy left with her boyfriend Taylor Jackson for a 10-month stint of teaching English in a dirt-floor school house within a remote village of Tonsupa, Ecuador. Together, with the help of friends and family back home, they are raising funds to improve the quality of life for hundreds of impoverished children.
Reminder Publications will begin hosting a monthly column from Duffy this January, detailing her life in Ecuador and the projects being funded by local donors.
"We are hoping that anyone teaching, a Sunday school, or a class, anyone who cares I guess, could make a donation to the kids at her school," Duffy's mother, Marylin Duffy said.
In return, Duffy has been posting weekly photos online of her students receiving the supplies and improvements afforded by these donations.
Reminder Publications will also be publishing these pictures with Erin Duffy's monthly column.
Erin Duffy decided to undertake this mission with United Planet of Boston, after she and her boyfriend graduated from Wheaton College. Both have backgrounds in the Spanish language and wanted to do some volunteer work that developed their language skills before settling into careers.
"They are hoping to coordinate running water and electricity to the school," explained Marilyn, who is leading the fund-raising campaign for her daughter's village. "There are no windows so they want to get one light in each classroom. There is no place where anyone can wash their hands either, so they would like to buy a sink and have a trench dug for a well at the school."
In an e-mail, Duffy said that there is no sewage system in Tonsupa, just holes dug in the ground. The third item on her wish list for the village, is a new outhouse to replace the one that is being used by the entire school of 90 children, though only 60 children usually attend class.
"Families in Ecuador are typically huge in comparison to our standards," Duffy said through e-mail. "Many of our students have in the ballpark, of eight to ten siblings."
Marylin said that her daughter was shocked to learn why so many of the children, especially the girls, were missing from her seventh and eighth grade classes.
"By seventh grade, most of girls are already mothers," Marylin said. "And for those that aren't, parents there have the philosophy that working is more important, to bring in an income for the family."
In the coming weeks, Duffy and Jackson are hoping to take the six-hour bus ride into a nearby city to buy basic school supplies in bulk, such as chalk, pencils and paper.
Besides filling the classroom needs, their goal with any money they raise will be to ensure permanent improvements to the school, for after they leave. Until they can estimate how much money they have to spend, they are waiting to begin major undertakings such as hiring contractors to wire or plumb the school.
"We are just trying to collect money to buy supplies there, it costs less than it would here, you get more for the money without paying $200 customs fees for shipping," Marylin Duffy said about the importance of sending money rather than supplies.
For more information or to make a donation, contact Marilyn Duffy at 525-7669.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
