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by Pam Gilbert In October, 2003, Pam Gilbert, a recently retired
math teacher from Boulder, CO, returned to the Andes of Ecuador.
Why? Well, 6 months earlier 2 indigenous boys went 1.5 hrs out
of their way to help her when we she was lost. During that
walk, they mentioned, with stars in their eyes, that they were
attending colegio (secondary school) on Saturdays. The fact
that they had to walk 2 hrs each way didn’t dampen their passion. Pam was determined to help them continue their
education. Upon arrival in the village of Malingua Pamba, the
president of the community of 200 Quechua suggested that the people
would donate their labor through mingas (“barn raising”) if Pam
would supply the $1,000 for the materials. When Pam’s friends
heard of this, she received $4,000 more and the modest one-room
school house became a large classroom with an apartment for the
teachers who would have to travel 2.5 hrs each way from the county
seat of Latacunga. The school opened in September, 2004 with 31
students walking in from the 7 contiguous communities. Through
various grants plus the generosity of several Rotary Clubs, a second
story was added which included 2 more classrooms, the first ever
library, and a computer lab (no Internet). Seven years later,
Pam’s Foundation, Centro Educativo La Minga, Inc., a 501(c)3
continues to support education as she now has 6 grades with almost
100 students. Twelve of the original 31 students are still
attending school and will be graduating in July, 2010. Rotary
eClub One has just approved a grant of US$2,000 to help these twelve
continue their education (probably in the county seat of Latacunga).
Perfect timing! The
tuition costs at the next level are $150/year. FYI: As
Latacunga is 2.5 hrs away, these young men and women will also be
incurring transportation, lodging, and food costs as well as the
“separation anxiety” from leaving the sanctity of their families and
culture. In a letter to Pam, Rotary eClub One’s Service
Director John Powell said, “At US$150 a year per student, this will
more than cover the cost of tuition for all 12 if they should all
decide to continue on. It does not leave much for housing, food, bus
and incidentals, but we can always cross that bridge when we come to
it. The intent is that
this will NOT be a one-shot commitment and we would hope to be able
to continue to fund “our” students for the remainder of their
education barring any unforeseen circumstances.
“Pamela we are honoured to have the opportunity to
assist these young people in completing their education.
Young people are the future of this world, and how it turns
out, in a large part, is dependent on whether or not these young
people have an education.” As “La Pamelita” is viewed as the Madrina
(godmother) of the community, she will keep close tabs on the
progress of these young men and women and provide semi-annual
reports on their progress. To learn more about her activities
in the Andes of Ecuador, see her website,
www.escuelaminga.org. |
Rotary
eClub One Has Perfect Timing