Hace Frio

I don’t care how many times my bosses warned me that it would be cold in Ecuador, I did not believe them…but boy I wish I had! 50s and 60s on the equator? REALLY? I am definitely going to start studying how the world works, because I thought equator equaled hot (even in the winter) and that is definitely not the case! Next week I head north to a town called Pelingui and I have been warned that temperatures will straddle 40 degrees every day… that’s 40 degrees Fahrenheit and holy cow that’s cold! Luckily though, the lovely alpacas in Ecuador have donated their hair to create warm jackets and blankets which I will be investing in this weekend. These blankets are so soft they are indistinguishable from cashmere it’s incredible (and the $20 price tag is just as incredible!).

So while the temperature is cold for me, you would think that we were coming up on another ice age the way my host family talks. Every morning when I come down for breakfast they are all bundled up in hats and scarves, shivering “achai-chai” (this is the Quitchua for brrrrr). I’m not going to lie, we always have a little moment where I look at them like they are nuts in their frozen tundra attire and they look at me like I am nuts for trying to brave the weather in Bermuda shorts. Their poor immune systems are definitely not built for this cold though, as every one of my host-family members is as sick as a dog. The poor baby coughs all night long, as I search for vitamin C every chance I get. Be on the lookout for an enferma blog post though, because my catching this bug is inevitable.

My time is not just spent dodging germs though, my work is getting incredibly interesting as we are getting trained on water purification systems, eye exams, solar products, and stoves. It’s so exciting and invigorating to know that you are going to be bringing products to people that could really change their life.  I don’t think I have explained much about the model we are following, so here is a little insight into how we are going to do our work.

The Micro-Consignment Model is a development model in which we (the organization/consigners) go out into the rural/indigenous areas of a developing country and identify, train, and work with female entrepreneurs to provide life changing products. We help these entrepreneurs sell products such as water purification systems, reading glasses, solar flashlights, and stoves to the local indigenous communities that would otherwise not have access to these things or not be able to afford them. It is called the Micro-Consignment Model because we consign our products to these entrepreneurs so that they don’t have to take on any risk from buying the products they are going to sell. Think about it as a company like “Thirty-One”, or “Oragami Owl”, or even a Tupperware party—we are the parent organization, and instead of offering jewelry or Tupperware, our individual entrepreneurs have products that are meant to improve the safety and quality of life for the individuals in these villages. But, very similar to these companies, the individual entrepreneur is able to profit from sales and take home a supplemental salary. I know this may sound bizarre, or even may be difficult to understand how this model could really work in the nonprofit setting, but I encourage you to watch the TED talk from our founder. Also you can comment with any questions and I’d love to answer them.

So… cold and busy is my life right now, but I am still having a fabulous time, and my Spanish is improving soo much! Only a few more days left in Cuenca, and then on to the next adventure…

Lots of love from Ecuador,

Jen

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZRCIXlZpEX4