Volunteer Reflections: Amy

Greetings, Starfish supporters! This summer we are especially excited to share the reflections of our current cohort of Starfish interns, who are supporting us in our social media and fundraising projects. Today's post comes from Amy, who is a member of our Summer 2015 Social Media Team. She helped to coordinate our recent webinar!

I am incredibly lucky. I am about to complete my third-year at a prestigious, liberal arts college where opportunities are just waiting for me to take advantage of them. I have access to excellent academic resources, faculty, and study abroad options at my fingertips.

I’ve also been fortunate enough to attend and volunteer with Hugh O’Brian Youth Leadership (HOBY) for the past four years. Through volunteering, I was able to meet and hear Beth speak about Starfish and learn more about her cause. Every time I hear the statistics and realize how many Ecuadorian students don’t have the opportunity to reach higher education I’m shocked to the core. These students have the same drive to learn as I do – it is only outside circumstances that prevent them from attaining their goal.

When I learned of the internship opportunity for Starfish, I knew this was my chance to help. I was already aware of the extreme poverty that these students were dealing with, and working as a volunteer intern for this organization was my way to get involved as much as I could from my small hometown in Pennsylvania.

 I am so excited to be working with other volunteers to increase awareness of an organization that puts education first. I cannot imagine a life without life-long learning or access to the educational system that I had previously taken for granted. I was one person in a crowded room of people, inspired, after hearing about The Starfish Foundation. If I can make a post on social media, urging people to learn more or donate to the cause, and one more person gets involved, I will have succeeded. As an intern, I want to give the gift of education to these scholars as it was given to me and I am grateful for the opportunity to do so.

Volunteer Reflections: Lindsay

Greetings, Starfish supporters! This summer we are especially excited to share the reflections of our current cohort of Starfish interns, who are supporting us in our social media and fundraising projects. Today's post comes from Lindsay, who is a member of our Summer 2015 Social Media Team. She creates videos for our Youtube page!


In life, we have three options when we see a problem. We can ignore it by hoping that someone else will fix it. We can accept it by assuming that it can’t be fixed and move on. Or we can be the ones who take the initiative to solve the problem, no matter how complex and difficult it may be. Working for the Starfish Foundation so far as taught me how to take the third option, and be the leader who makes the change.

I love learning about Latin America. From the four years of Spanish class I took in high school, to the Anthropology class I took in college, to my first trip to Costa Rica in 2014, learning about the culture there has always been something that has fascinated me. Maybe that’s why when I heard of the Starfish Foundation, it was immediately something that peaked my interest. It took my two great loves, Latin America and helping others, and brought them together.

When I was a sophomore in high school, I was very unsure. I had a burning desire to be a leader and make a difference in the world, but my fear of failure was almost strong enough to diminish that flame. At the end of my sophomore year, I attended the Hugh O’Brian Youth Leadership seminar in Maine, and suddenly, my fear started the fade. Eager to learn more about how I can make a difference, I attended the World Leadership Congress the following summer in Chicago. It was there that I heard about the Starfish Foundation when Beth spoke about how HOBY inspired her to start this nonprofit. It was after my HOBY experience that I knew that I had what it took to make a difference, and I started to become interested in working for a nonprofit.

Along with my love for Latin America, I am also very passionate about education, specifically education rights for all. Malala Yousafzai is one of my idols because of her passion for learning and speaking out for girls having the right to an education. I believe that everyone should have the right to an education, no matter who they are. To me, this includes people with disabilities. During my senior year of high school, I volunteered in a Life Skills classroom with students who severe disabilities. That was where I fell in love with Special Education, and decided to make it my major in college at the University of Maine at Farmington, along with a minor in International Studies. My dream is to someday bring these two together and work with students with learning disabilities in foreign countries to ensure they are able to finish school.

In my Anthropology class, I had to pick a topic relating to Latin America and do a research project on it. Naturally, I decided to study the education system in Latin America, with a focus on Special Education. I was disturbed to see that there wasn’t a lot of information on this topic, which is because Special Education isn’t a huge focus right now in many developing countries. With the cost of school so high and unattainable for so many families, students with a disability aren’t going to school because so many feel as if it “wouldn’t be worth it” for them. I want to eliminate the stigma of having a disability, and teach students how to embrace their abilities, rather than let their disabilities control their life. This would include identifying the student's’ strengths, while also working through their weaknesses with an IEP (Individualized Education Plan), to ensure they finish school.

I hope that by working with the Starfish Foundation, I am getting my foot in the door with a nonprofit so I can someday work with one as a career. I love what Starfish stands for because it also stands for exactly what I believe in: one by one, we can all make a difference in the world if we work together.

Ecuanomics ~ a Volunteer Perspective

Ecuanomics 

Bananas, prawns, cocoa, oil, and coffee - that's what the Ecuadorian economy is made of, according to the statistics. Take any bus from Guayaquil to the sierra and you can't miss the acres of leafy green banana plantations, the hectares of skeletal cocoa plants left barren after the May harvest.

But there's one additional factor to add to the list, something that you'll never read about in The Economist or Forbes or Bloomberg BusinessWeek; one very simple principle that keeps the world turning here in Flor de Bastión and weaves its way through the very fabric of the national economy.

It starts with the education system. Imagine you govern a developing country with limited financial resources and a significant poverty level. One of your many responsibilities is providing free primary and secondary education, but here's the problem: there are five million schoolchildren in your country and only enough schools for half of them. What do you do?

You divide up the school day, of course. Half the kids in the country go to school in the morning from 7am until noon; the other half use those very same schools in the afternoons from 1pm until 6pm. Every building, every desk, every single facility is shared in order to open up access to education and further social equity.

Don't have the resources you think you need to survive? Doesn't matter, you can still manage. Just share the resources you do have: that's Ecuanomics.

The same idea applies to the local economy here in Flor de Bastión, a fairly young invasion community in which every resident is living dangerously close to, if not well below, the poverty line. Not everyone has all the money they need to buy the ingredients for groceries or toiletries or household items every day, so the existing money in the community is borrowed and lent in a complex system of partial payments and zero-percent interest.

Pay me half today, I'll manage for tomorrow, and next week when I need to buy school supplies I'll come to pick up the other $5 you owe me: that's Ecuanomics.

But these unspoken agreements extend far beyond mere financial agreements between vendors and clients; they also include time and service. A local church group, made up of people who are themselves heavily economically disadvantaged, make regular visits to local people even more in need. The same mothers who have to feed a family of six on $12 a day will take a bunch of bananas, a pound of rice, or a few eggs from their own homes and take them to the houses of the sick or otherwise needy, will sit with them and provide company and conversation, will clean their house or feed their dog or take their kids to school.

However little you have, you’re still in a position to help someone worse off than you: that’s Ecuanomics.

As a Starfish volunteer, I’ve been lucky enough to experience more than my fair share of this generosity. As well as opening their homes and kitchens, Starfish families have offered me a special insight into this fascinating country. They’ve shown me what it means to be Ecuadorian, they’ve taken me in like a long-lost daughter, they've given me the gift of melodic Pacific-Coast Spanish. From an impromptu house invite for fresh ceviche one week, to a complete history of Latin American dance styles (complete with demonstrations) the next, I can honestly say I feel nothing less than privileged to be accepted into this community.

Of course, the golden rule of sharing economies like these is to contribute an amount equal to or greater than what you have received. But as eager as I am to share my passion for teaching, my love for the English language, and my mathematical knowledge, I can’t help the feeling that I’ll never really be able to reciprocate for what has been offered to me.

Giving on this scale is more than just a financial gesture; it has left an indelible mark on me, forever changing the way that I connect with others, challenging me to open myself in a way that I hadn’t thought possible before.

And that, in a nutshell, is the definition of Ecuanomics.

~Sanchia R, Volunteer.  Sanchia returned to Starfish this summer as our Volunteer Coordinator after volunteer for 3 months last fall.  She is a certified English teacher and a seasoned world traveler.  Check out her other blog posts at: trueeast.wordpress.com

Volunteer Reflections: 3 lessons (of many) from my time with Starfish

Today's post comes from Martin, our very first volunteer in Ecuador!

--

Lesson 1: There is a universal language spoken through hugs, smiles, and laughter.

My favorite day with the Starfish Scholars was on our trip to the park. That day was great, except for one small thing. Up to that point I had always worn a polo or a t-shirt. That day was the first time I wore a cut-off shirt since we were suppose to be playing soccer. For some reason, the girls were laughing at me. At first I thought they were giggling because they were happy to see me. I asked why they were laughing and Ana responds by lifting my arm. Maria pointed to my armpit hair and broke out laughing. I immediately pulled down my arm. I felt embarrassed for a moment and they didn't care. They laughed and laughed and all I could do is laugh with them.

Lesson 2: The people you serve are always going to do more for you than you can do for them.

I can't believe how much the families cared about me. I was served food, asked if I needed anything, served more food, and even was taken on a family trip to the river. They threw me a party with tons of food and got me my favorite cake. I always felt that people were doing things for me, giving things to me, and wishing the best for me. It was always hard to go since they made me feel so at home. The hospitality and friendliness of the Starfish families are unparalleled, aside from my own family--and they kind of have to love and feed me. 

Lesson 3: Community can't be taught, it must be built with time, trust, and consistency.

If there is one thing I learned is that trust is something given to those you love. They loved me from the beginning and are so trusting that it was a little unsettling at first. Now I think about how beautiful that was. The reason they trusted me was because the people before me, Beth and Jenn, had already put in the time to develop, maintain, and improve upon their relationships with not just the families of the scholars, but the families in the communities where they lived as well. Beth and Jenn started something beautiful, a program for the kids that was both good and the right thing to do. They didn't make it easy, though. It had a status and becoming a scholar is something you earn through good grades and attendance at Starfish meetings, tutoring, and events. The scholars host events and activities, too. They even have leadership positions. All things they can take pride in and should as they deserve the opportunities the Starfish Foundation provides. They are the future of their communities and I am hopeful for the future.

Twan & Rianne's Volunteer Experience

Today's blog is a guest post from volunteers Twan & Rianne.  They are from the Netherlands and volunteered with Starfish for two weeks at the end of February - here is a reflection on their time with Starfish!

"We started traveling in September '13 to revitalize ourselves and explore another beautiful continent but also to make worthwhile experiences which will make our lives richer. We came across The Starfish Foundation and we could identify with its mission. We believe education is the first step towards a better future.

Rianne helping Starfish tutoring student, Genesis, with her English homework

The first day we arrived, Jenn picked us up and brought us to our host family for the next two weeks. Immediately we felt at home because of the warm welcome. Not only the family was great to us, everyone in the neighborhood came to welcome us, this stayed like this during the whole period. We loved it and would really like to thank them all for the amazing time they gave us!

Twan & Rianne with their host family :)

At the foundation we found groups of very sociable, friendly, intelligent and driven children. They were very curious about us, eager to learn about the Netherlands and to learn new things. The eagerness was to be found at some students, seriously trying to finish their homework to their best knowledge, driven to continue their studies at university if possible.

Twan, taking a break to play basketball with the kids in Guasmo!

Overall we had two amazing weeks and brought a lot of people into our hearts.  We wish everyone all the best and we hope to return one day! Keep up the good work!" ~Twan & Rianne

Noticias from Guayaquil

• The school year is winding down here in Guayaquil.  About half of our students finished final exams last week, and the other half will finish this week...just in time for some of rainy season's wettest days yet.  Luckily, our classrooms are holding up just fine due to the hard work we put in last month at the "minga."

  

  David & Cristhian at last month's minga

• Last week two volunteers from the Netherlands arrived at Starfish.  They've been staying with Starfish employee's Marcos' family and have had a great time getting to know the kids, helping them study for exams, and even teaching them a little bit of Dutch! Stay tuned for an update from Twan & Rianne!

  

  Rianne with Starfish tutoring student, Genesis.

Rianne, Yuliana, Cynthia, Lissette and Twan

• This past weekend was an exciting weekend in Guayaquil - Saturday, February 22nd, the two Guayaquil soccer teams played against each other in the "Clásico".  Emelec beat Barcelona 2-1. Sunday was election day.  Elections took place for mayor and other district/provincial positions.  Voting is mandatory for all Ecuadorian citizens 18 & older.
  

  

  Left: Jaime Nebot re-elected as mayor of Guayaquil.
  Right: Mauricio Rodas elected as mayor or Quito
  Credit: eluniverso.com

• In March we will run a mini vacation camp for our Starfish students, as well as select new Starfish Scholars for the 2014-2015 school year.  This year we hope to increase the number of scholars to 40!
  

  

  Eddy, Arelisa, Cristhian, Milena & Pamela at October's vacation camp!

• In other news, our 2nd annual benefit dinner is planned for Friday, March 7th in Baltimore, MD.  With over 50 tickets purchased, a guest speaker, silent auction, Ecuadorian-themed meal and many more surprises, it's shaping up to be the event of the year!  Reserve your tickets today and tweet at us from the event with hashtag #forthestars!

Vacation Week at Starfish

As you may remember, this school year started in May instead of April and will continue through February.  Along with the shift in start/end date, the government decided to shift to a standardized 2-semester "quimestre" system instead of the trimester system formerly used in most schools.

One exciting side affect of this standardization of the schedule - All schools take exams during the same week, and consequently have vacation at the same time as well.  This gave Starfish the opportunity to have our first ever week of Vacation activities.  While schools gave the students 2 full weeks of vacation, we held special Starfish sessions for the first week with extended hours, giving the second week free for students to travel with their families.

Below, Argenis, Anthony and Arelisa from Flor de Bastión tell us about their week of vacation with Starfish.

Italian class with Sylvie!

"Our vacation was very fun because Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday we were at Starfish.  The first day was Tuesday, it was great.  We made cards to respond to the ones our Pen Pal wrote.  We worked with Sylvie - She was teaching us Italian.  We also had another group of games where the kids had a lot of fun.  To finish this day, we had a snack (broccoli, carrots and other veggies).  Almost nobody liked it but we had to eat anyway :)

Pen Pal letters!

Anthony and friends playing our new Connect 4 Launchers game :)

The second day some students did crafts - some beautiful butterflies, and another group did jewelry - bracelets, pens with their names on it.  This day the snack was better - banana milkshake with strawberry and popcorn.  We finished that snack haha.

Prepping Wednesday's snack in Guasmo - thanks Steve and Isaac for the help!

Sylvie learned how to make bracelets on Wednesday in Guasmo - and taught David on Thursday in Flor!

The third day we began with an important meeting about the use of Social Media and about the consequences.  Later we played a fun game led by Starfish Employee Tyrone Tumbaco.  It was really fun.  And this day ended with a delicious snack - yogurt with granola, bananas and crackers.  It was fun, but not too much because it was Sylvie's last day :( "

Maricruz presenting on Social Media

Tyrone's hot seat game that was a huge hit with the kids!

"Nuestras vacaciones fueron muy divertidos por que los dias martes, miercoles y jueves la pasamos Estrellitas.  El primer día que fue el Martes.  Fue muy bonito.  Hicimos cartas para responderles a nuestros amigos de correspondencia.  Trabajamos con Sylvie - Ella nos estaba enseñando "Italiano".  Tambien había una sección de juegos en la cuál los chicos disfrutaron mucho.  Al finalizar este dia nos esperó un ansioso refrigerio (brocoli, zanahoria y muchos legumbres más).  Casí nadie queria pero de igual manera tenían que comer. :)

El segundo día algunos chicos hicieron manualidades, unas lindas mariposas, en otro grupo hicieron bisutería (plumas con nombre).  Bueno este día el refrigerio fue mucho más bueno, batido de guineo con frutilla y canguil.  Así finalizamos jaja.

Pamela teaching Milena and others how to make pens with your name in string!

El tercer día empezamos con una reunión importante sobre el uso de las paginas electrónicas (como Facebook, Twitter, etc.) y sobre las cosas malas y las consecuencias.  Luego hicimos un juego muy divertido dirigido por el ayudante Tyrone Tumbaco.  Fue muy divertido.  Bueno y este día lo finalizamos con un rico (!!!) refrigerio - yogur con granola, guineo y galletas.  Fue muy divertido.  Pero no mucho porque Sylvie se fue :( "

Escrito por: Argenis, Anthony y Arelisa

Snack on the last day :)

Meet Sylvie - our newest volunteer!

About 2 weeks ago we received another volunteer.  Sylvie is a language and tourism major who joins us from Italy on her college break.  This week she shares with us a little bit about her first couple of weeks in Ecuador!

Sylvie and Abigail working on some English homework in Flor de Bastión!

"When I came from Italy around two weeks ago in order to be a volunteer in the Starfish Foundation I didn't know what to expect.  Now I can tell you that I am really happy to be here!  The family where I live, the children who attend the "refuerzo" program, the family where sometimes I have lunch, the Ecuadorian Starfish employees, and of course, Jenn make me feel good everyday.

It is great to get in touch with a new culture in a different way: I can say that I am not a "tourist" just coming to Ecuador to take pictures of the landscapes, but I am here to give my contribution helping the Starfish Foundation, which is making a big effort to improve education in Flor de Bastión and Guasmo.  I admire the care and enthusiasm that the Starfish employees have for their job and it is a pleasure to see how the children are grateful to them.  They are very nice, they are happy to learn and I really appreciate when they are interested in my different culture and country.  I often sit with some of them chatting a lot about everything, and I think that is a great opportunity to learn besides just doing homework.

Sylvie & Briggette in Guasmo

Living with a family in Guasmo is something that I will never forget: I come from a totally different reality and what I expected was to learn about the Ecuadorian lifestyle, and that's exactly what I am doing.

I think that an experience as a volunteer in the Starfish Foundation is something that everybody should do in his/her life.  I am sure that when I go back to Italy I will be a different person and I am sure that I will always keep in my heart this month in Ecuador and the great people I have met."

Sylvie with Melani and Adrian, children of Starfish employee Maricruz.

Gracias Damien House!

Here's one last post from our students about the experience at Damien House.  With all this excitement about community service and leadership development, we can't wait to find more ways to get involved!

Sister Annie, Damien House founder, with Starfish students Nery, Sofia, Andreina, Solange and André.
 

Card for Damien House

by Pamela, Flor de Bastión

Thanks for opening us the doors of your foundation.  The experience was really great.  The people who are part of your foundation are really cool.

The women are very dynamic, happy, full of life, and very friendly.  The men have a strong character, but full of advice for those who need it.

The experience is unforgettable.  You all are beautiful people who deserve so much more love than what you have.

From,

Starfish

Sister Annie in the women's section speaking with Starfish students!

Beach bags, a talent of many of the men at Damien House!

"Carta para la Fundación Padre Damien"

por Pamela, Flor de Bastión

Gracias por abrirnos las puertas de su fundación.  La experiencia fue super chevere.  Las personas que integran la fundación son super que chevere.

Las señoras son muy dinámicas, alegres, llenas de vida y muy amables.  Los señores tienen el carácter fuerte pero llenos de consejos para al que lo necesita.

La experiencia es inolvidable.  Son lindas personas que merecen mucho más amor del que ya tienen.

Att. Starfish

Hammock making time!

Joel's experience at Damien House!

Joel had a great time at Damien House a few weeks ago...find out about his experience through his own words!

Joel, participating in "refuerzo" or tutoring with another Starfish scholar, Betsabeth.

"Hi, I'm Joel.  I'm a scholarship student at The Starfish Foundation.  We visited Damien House, a foundation where there were people with Hansen's disease.  It was interesting because I didn't know a lot about this disease.

Jonathan, our tour guide, explaining about Damien House and Hansen's disease.

I wasn't used to socializing with elderly people, I thought it was boring, but I was wrong.  They welcomed us, and I met them one by one.  They gave us a tour of the foundation.  After, they told us we could visit whatever part of the foundation that we wanted to.  I went to the men's section.  They taught me to play dominoes together with some of the other students.  When we went to the women's section, they gave us the advice that we should keep studying, and not to go down the wrong path.  I really liked it.  I'd like to be able to go back some day."

The women's section!

"Hola Soy Joel.  Soy un becado de Starfish Foundation.  Nosotros hicimos una visita a la Fundación Padre Damián, una fundación donde había personas con la enfermedad de Hansen.  Me pareció algo interesante porque conocía poco sobre esta enfermedad.

Yo casi no estaba acostumbrado a socializar mucho con personas de tercera edad, pensaba que era aburrido, pero me equivoqué.  Ellos nos recibieron muy felices, los fui conociendo uno por uno.  Nos dieron un recorrido por toda la fundación.  Después nos dijeron que podríamos ir a visitar a cualquier parte.  Fui a la parte de los abuelitos.  Ellos me enseñaron a jugar dominó junto con otros becados y aprendimos a jugar.  Cuando fuimos a la parte de la abuelitas, ellas nos aconsejaron que sigamos en los estudios, que no nos vamos por el mal camino.  En mi opinión a mí me gustó.  Quisiera que alguna vez se vuelva a repetir."

Joel (black shirt) with Starfish scholars Danny and Anthony and their new friend!

Integration Day...in the eyes of a volunteer.

Volunteer Andrew shares with us his experience of last Sunday's integration Day in Flor de Bastión!

A group song to unite the two Starfish neighborhoods.

Jenn celebrating with the June birthday girls!

"I got to experience the grand fiesta known as integration day where the refuerzo students from Guasmo got to reunite with their counterparts in Flor De Bastion for a day. This was definitely something that I will not soon be able to forget. Just taking a bus load of kids to Flor was an interesting experience. 

Andrew & Danny with the Guasmo crew after their bus ride!

Once we got to Flor de Bastión the party was a really fun way to just relax with the kids in a way that we normally can't during the week when the kids all have school. Dancing is very important here in Ecuador and I got a a chance to experience that fact first hand on the dance floor. Even Jaren, my 8 year old best friend in Ecuador, can pull of those Michael Jackson moves effectively. 

Jaren showing off his dance moves!

Sra. Elena, mom of 3 Starfish scholars and a huge supporter, pulls Andrew & Danny out onto the dance floor!

On top of dancing we played a few really cool games and we had some special presentations. A few of the kids from Flor presented some love songs they had been practicing, one of which was in English.

Dayanna and Maria Belen singing & dancing!

Mayerly, Andreina, Briggette, Genesis and Nagelhi showing off their dance moves!

  

On top of that the Guasmo kids wrote and presented a play of their own about the negative effects of drugs and alcohol which they some how managed to achieve in a comedic light. 

Solange and Valeria performing the skit.

The best part though was just getting the chance to see how the community really came together here to celebrate what Starfish has to offer. I know that a lot of work went into making Integration Day possible and it really wouldn't have been possible without the people who donated the time and material and space to make this all possible. 

Starfish employees from both neighborhoods with Starfish directors Jenn & Beth

Starfish scholar Cristhian with his mom, younger sister Noelia, and  siblings and Starfish Employees Tyrone and Jasmin.

  

It is clear to me that Starfish is primarily a community organization, the outside money helps make everything that Starfish does possible but in the end it is the communities in both Flor and Guasmo that work together to take advantage of what Starfish has to offer."

Jenn & Beth

Meet our newest volunteer, Danny!

This week we hear from Danny - a recent Villanova graduate and Starfish's newest volunteer. Danny has worked with Starfish at Villanova through Business Without Borders and a class where he helped design a Salesforce database specifically designed for Starfish's unique needs. Now Danny personally gets to see the Foundation that he has worked so hard to help over the past year or so!

Danny with Starfish volunteer Andrew, helping Yesenia and Yamileth with their homework.

Wednesday, June 12

"This past week has been a bit of a whirlwind of learning new things, meeting new people, and going to new places. I have never taken a Spanish class and know very little Spanish, so using and learning Spanish was definitely a worry of mine before coming here. It has been kind of fun communicating with students using English, Spanish, hand motions, etc. I have been quickly trying to pick up the most important questions and phrases in Spanish. Most importantly, the first question that the students always asked me during my introductions involved “Barcelona or Emelec?”(The two soccer teams in Guayaquil).

Danny's first day with the kids. (Jenn's note - Danny chose Barcelona for his Guayaquil team!)

Communication with me usually involves a student saying a sentence to me in seemingly very fast and mumbled Spanish, me have a confused blank stare on my face, the student changing the sentence to a few key words, me understanding a couple words, another person helping with translation, and finally unanimous jubilation after comprehension is reached!

Danny helping André with some English homework.

I have enjoyed helping students with their English homework. English is not an easy language to learn! It has also been a lot of fun playing games (Uno is my personal favorite) and sharing knowledge of English and Spanish with each other.

Danny & Andrew playing Uno with Starfish Employees Marcos, Yuliana and Valeria during the break!

In the four days that I have been with the students, I can already see their talent, potential, and leadership skills. Quick story: For Solange’s birthday today, we had cake. Once the cake came, a couple curious very young children came and quietly watched us eat. Without being asked, some of the Starfish students went out and offered their cake to the children. I was very impressed with the servant leadership qualities displayed here. Ecuador, and the rest of the world, needs places like Starfish to provide environments for talented and caring leaders like the girls mentioned above to flourish. I am excited to continue to learn and help where I can during the rest of my time here!"

The afternoon crew in Guasmo!

May updates - Tests, Volunteers, Books & More!

May sure has been a busy month at Starfish!  We started the month off with some "exámenes de nivelación" or some grade-level tests to see what our students remembered after their long break from classes.  A lot of the students found the material very challenging so we will be using these tests and other resources throughout the year to reinforce basic concepts and assure that our students are not just passing their classes, but also learning the material!

Students in Guasmo finishing up their tests.

Our 6 part-time employees are adapting well to their new roles and forming friendships with each other and the kids.  Our first volunteer of the year has assumed the role of "Profesor de Ingles" or English teacher and our newest volunteer Maria just got in yesterday.

Jasmin, Maricruz, Tyrone and Jenn in Flor de Bastión

May has also meant a crazy month of running back and forth to the center of the city looking for books for the students.  Technically it is illegal for schools to require that students buy textbooks, especially since they are so expensive, but that doesn't stop about 50% of schools from doing it anyway.  Though we encourage our students and families to stand up for their rights, we don't want the students' grades to suffer in the meantime.  In accordance with our mission to not give the families money but rather the supplies they need to be successful, Starfish buys the books.  However, this is not as simple as going to the bookstore with the list of books you need.  It means going from store to store around the city and maybe finding 1 or 2 of the 30 or 40 books at each store.  Thankfully book season is ending soon so we won't have to buy any more books - until next May!

A sample of some of the books bought this past weekend!

Volunteer Update - Meet Andrew!

Meet our first volunteer of this school year - Andrew.  Andrew is with us doing an internship for Florida Atlantic University's Honors College.  During his time he will be teaching English and helping out with our tutoring program.  Today Andrew shares with us a reflection on his first week in Ecuador.

Andrew & Steve during our tutoring program.

"I have been working with Starfish now for about a week and I can say with confidence that this will be a week that I will never in my life forget.  Many times when you come across the odd gringo here in South America they look like they are running away from something.  For me, I just want to highlight that my experiences in Ecuador have been something very much running toward.  While I didn't know what I was looking for when I decided to come here I have found an extraordinary group of students and families here at Starfish and am amazing host family who were willing to open their doors to me and had the patience to work with my basic knowledge of Spanish to try to explain things.

Andrew teaching his first English lesson in Guasmo.

For the past week I have been helping the students with their English homework and attempting to teach English when we have spare time.  What I value most about my time in Starfish is the free time I have occasionally just to sit and talk to the kids about anything and everything we could possibly talk about. Although much is lost in translation, that exchange of ideas I believe is going to have a lasting impact of my perspective on the world, hopefully I also have some useful perspective to share."

"Aprendamos juntos" or "Let's learn together" is one of Andrew's favorite phrases.  Here he exchanges language & cultural lesson with Cristhian and Eddy.