Fe y Alegria

This morning we visited Padre Joseba Lazcano, the National Director of Fe y Alegria Ecuador. A warmer man you couldn't find--he was welcoming and open in the true Jesuit tradition. He and Bruce connected in particular and spoke a lot about FyA's latest initiatives, including the new campaign they are launching on April 25, "Compromiso por una Nueva Educacion". They are trying to start a region-wide movement that will truly improve public education systems, largely by using Fe y Alegria methodology.

Later we visited Fundacion Esquel, the organization Bruce helped found with his friend Cornelio Marchan 18 years ago. We met Cornelio briefly, then had an extended conversation with Milton Luna and Dolores Padilla, the Esquel expert on education. They told us about what they do, and particularly about the civil society network that Milton leads, el Contrato Social. His dream is to get civil society really active in public education policy, and with their voice to influence the new Ecuadorian Constitution that is right now being re-written. Both Dolores and Milton seemed very eager to collaborate in future both with Magis Americas and Centro Magis, especially for a wave of publicity and activity they are planning for the week of April 25th.

But best of all, by far, today was our visit to the Escuela Carlos Ponce Martinez, a school with about 700 students ranging in age from about 5 to 14 years. We got there as regular classes were ending, but in true Fe y Alegria style, the action doesn't stop at the end of the schoolday! We caught a performance of a short play put on by some of the older students, the tail end of a classroom lesson, and many extra-curricular programs that the school also runs. They have a garden out back where the students grow vegetables to sell and support their studies. They have a sewing studio for some of the mothers, where they sew uniforms and clothes to sell for personal income. They have a program for orphaned children, connected to the orchard, for which they raise money to support the children and help them finish their studies.
The director of the school is a wonderful nun named Mother Carmen Pineda, a real lively and dynamic leader. She talked to us about how the school was formed 10 years ago, built by the whole community. The families all support the afterschool activities by buying their vegetables from the school and clothes from the mothers. She told us the sad but moving story of a girl whose father had died, and her mother became very sick. When her mother was close to dying, she came to Madre Carmen and asked her to take the girl in as a student, clearly because she felt safe leaving her child in the school's hands. We also had a conversation/interview with several students and some teachers. Everyone seemed pretty comfortable, despite being on camera, and they had an amazing rapport. The computer teacher, Oscar, walked back to the school building with a group of students, talking and laughing the whole way, while Luis, the agriculture teacher, walked with his arm around a student as they talked about the interview. The children were all beautiful, healthy, and seemed very happy with their school. Some of them told their own personal stories, including the 9th grade class president Yajaira, a student in the orphaned children program who is being raised by her older sister (who is only 14). It was clear to see why she was the class president--she's a very smart and charismatic girl, and a favorite of Madre Carmen. You can see some of her story in our movie. We also got a chance to hear from most of the children about how they used computers and what they liked/didn't like about the school (likes: teachers, soccer field, classes; dislikes: gardening in the rain!, too few computers).

I'd like to go on but the wonderful footage we took will tell the tale more fully than I could. All the teachers, Mother Carmen, and our team connected very well, and I think we are all hoping to be able to collaborate and support one another in the future.