Education Equals Hope in Ecuador
A Travelogue by Tracey Beeker
Earlier this year, Good Company had the good fortune to begin working with Education Equals Hope, a nonprofit organization whose mission and passion is to promote education for children in desperate and difficult places. Our charter is to help E=H develop a strategic vision that raises awareness and financial support for the organization. Because cause immersion is a very effective way to inspire nonprofit brand strategy one of our associates, Tracey Beeker traveled to Quito, Ecuador to witness first-hand the inspirational work achieved by the organization. The following is the first excerpt of a four-part travelogue series describing her experience, and the work done by Education Equals Hope and its community partners:
May 12, 2011: Traveling to Ecuador
I departed for Ecuador from St. Louis, Mo. early in the morning. I’m meeting Chip Smith with Education Equals Hope and several others on a vision trip to Ecuador. I’m excited. I have no idea what to expect. I hope I’ve packed sufficiently to tackle the weather in such a mountainous country.
In Houston, I meet up with Chip and Chuck Coleman, a child psychologist from New Orleans. I love his drawl. The rest of our group is delayed due to bad weather in Charlotte, NC.
The airplane ride is bumpy. When you land in Quito, you land hard, fast and quickly because the city is tightly surrounded by mountains and volcanoes. We meet Cameron Graham Vivanco and her husband, Roberto at the airport. Cameron spearheads the educational programs in Ecuador and I’m excited to meet her. She is passionate about her work and helping communities in and around Quito.
Finally, we arrive to the Hostel. It’s much better than I anticipated. We have a floor to ourselves and there is plenty of space and amenities. It’s late. The internet service is sporadic. I look forward to seeing Ecuador in the light of the morning.
May 13, 2011: Work Day
We were to have toured Quito and surrounding communities today however the majority of our vision group is delayed. Instead, we will spend the day with Cameron, Laura Jennings Estevez, Sarah Marr and Dana Artinger to review our plan. They are smart, passionate women whose insights help greatly. We have a breakthrough regarding the fundamentals of the organization. Good work. We break for lunch which includes empanadas and ceviche soup with soy beans. Great food – the flavors are more robust than Mexican food. We continue our work in the afternoon.
Cameron shares insights about Ecuador and the work done for Education Equals Hope. She lays out the need for education at all levels. There is much poverty in Ecuador. Many children don’t go to school and have parents who are illiterate. Ecuador has a large rate of teen pregnancy. Alcoholism is an issue. Crime is rampant. With so many obstacles, children who achieve some level of education have a better opportunity to earn a living and contribute to their community as an adult.
Education Equals Hope partners with community organizations such as Youth World to fulfill the programs in Ecuador. We will tour their facility tomorrow. I’m looking forward to learning more.
The rest of the team arrives. We are joined by Emery Clark, Priscilla Thomas and her daughter, Katie as well as Cooper Smith, Chip’s daughter. More humor abounds! We celebrate the launch of the trip together and break bread at a restaurant that serves chicken and steak kabobs with a delicious parsley and lemon sauce with rice and beans. Rice and beans will be an on-going joke throughout our travels – we will have many starches and fiber in our diets! The food is again delicious. Sightseeing is on the agenda for tomorrow. Can’t wait!
