Annual Report - Ascend Alliance

ECUADOR
The landscape outside the city of Cuenca Ecuador is spectacular. In the rural villages in the
area of Quingeo, the Andes roll as far as you can see in the patchwork checkered green of
small fields carved into the sides of the mountains by families and farmers. The landscape
is stunning, but it is nothing compared to the potential and value of the people who live in
the highlands of Ecuador. This year our team has worked hard to better serve these people
and we have seen them truly excel.
Ruth Delgado from the community of Punta Hacienda, is pleased with the literacy
program and wants to keep participating in ASCEND’s programs. Ruth is an active woman
as an educational promoter in her community; she has developed her talents and improved
her family income with the help of ASCEND’s programs. She feels motivated, since she
not only improved her skills, but also helped people in her community to improve. She
tells us that at the beginning she was afraid to be a teacher, but as the program advanced,
she gained confidence and was able to succeed. She says she is surprised and happy to have
become a leader in her community.
People from Quingeo communities now actively participate in programs which were
previously not available, such as health, education, enterprise and agriculture, and they
are gaining new knowledge. They express their gratitude often. Rosa Yunga, from the
Community of Conferencia has learned to knit and sew, and she says, “I like to attend the
micro-enterprise classes and the workshops on Saturdays very much. We are learning new
techniques to knit and sew. Now I can do things for my little child and also sell some and
earn money.”
People from these communities are committed to improve their lives and their families
through ASCEND’s programs, and they hope that volunteers will continue to join staff in
supporting with their time and other resources.
“The work of ASCEND in Ecuador has
been very productive. We have the
support of the City of Cuenca, Mayor
Marcelo Cabrera and young volunteers
with whom we have accomplished the
challenging work of development in
the communities of Quingeo, obtaining
positive changes in the population.”
–Silvia Peña
Region Manager, Cuenca, Ecuador
Top: in Quingeo, villagers short on
stature but big in heart help on their
community construction project.
Left: Community members gather at the
school built with the help of ASCEND to
discuss community goals.
Below: Men in the community work on
their sewing skills to use in their own
microenterpise ventures.
ASCEND ANNUAL REPORT 1