Ecuador – Page 2 – The Tandana Foundation Blog

Extraordinary encounters in Ecuador

I’ve always been a plant person. Growing up, my best friend was a silver maple. I’d spend lazy afternoons laying under an old hackberry, making dandelion crowns and searching for shapes in the clouds above. And on laundry day, I always received a talking-to for having an assortment of acorns, hickory nut husks, and other tree bits in my pockets. (If I’m being honest, this continues to be an ongoing issue into my forties…some things never change.) If you ask me what my favorite tree species is, it will likely depend on the day. I have too many favorites! However, there is one species that is always at the top of the list: Asimina triloba.

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The circle was us

Mama Cotacachi and Tayta Imbabura, affectionately referred to as “mother and father mountains,” are sacred Ecuadorian symbols of love and protection. On the land between their peaks, we came together to plant food and flowers. Like the seeds and sprouts, we too began to grow.

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My path to becoming Tandana’s new Board of Trustees President

My journey with The Tandana Foundation began in 2014 when I led students on a 20-day cross-cultural experience in Ecuador as Director of the REACH Program, a youth development nonprofit providing college-track lifeskills for underserved, first-generation youth. It is a daunting task to combine youth development and international programming, to create an experience that is authentic, impactful, and safe.

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My inspiring and impactful encounter with Tandana

I met The Tandana Foundation team members Housseyni Pamateck (Mali Program Manager), Moussa Tembiné (Mali Country Director), and Anna Taft (Founding Director) at a Tandana gala in Columbus, Ohio, as an offshoot of the graduate student work I do on campus at Ohio University. I thought it would be a relatively tame and routine night of event photography. They surprised me by leading the entire room in a few traditional dance moves and dozens of guests in a conga line. It was my first glimpse of a team greater than the sum of its parts.

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From Ecuador to Ohio: Learning about another indigenous people

My visit to the United States was certainly a tremendous experience.

Stitched together: The making of a special Tandana present

In November at The Tandana Foundation’s Legacy of Hope Celebration, party goers gave many generous gifts to honor the nearly two decades of service and dedication of Hope Taft to the organization and in recognition of her 80th birthday.

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Tandana’s Founding Director shares lessons learned in new book

The Tandana Foundation’s mission is to support the achievement of community goals and address global inequalities through caring intercultural relationships that embody mutual respect and responsibility.

But what does Tandana – the global nonprofit I launched 18 years ago – really do? Or, perhaps more importantly, how does the organization do what it does?

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Tandana book events showcase indigenous culture and language

In November, members of The Tandana Foundation engaged audiences at several multilingual book readings and conversations around Ohio. The events were centered around two storybooks based on indigenous folklore – Juanita, the Colorful Butterfly and The Hyena, the Hare and the Baobab – that Tandana recently helped to publish and are now available for purchase.

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Tandana makes a world of difference with a novel approach

The following story was written by University of Dayton students who attended the roundtable event featuring members of Tandana.

As a nonprofit, The Tandana Foundation isn’t putting all of its successes on structures built or money raised. Collaboration and relationships are what powers the organization, and that approach has paid off in Ecuador and Mali.

Hundreds of Miami University students engage with Tandana during campus events

On Nov. 13, more than 300 students of Miami University in Oxford, Ohio, filled the large Heritage Room in the Shriver Center. These were students enrolled in classes offered by the department of Global and Intercultural Studies and they were gathered to attend a talk titled “Transforming Gender Norms: Opening Small Spaces for Big Change in Rural Mali and Ecuador”. But what followed was much more than a regular talk, it was a multi-perspectival panorama shedding light on the deep-rooted challenges faced by grassroots workers of The Tandana Foundation, and more importantly an inspiring account of the engaged methods, ethical negotiations, and big wins the foundation strives to accomplish everyday through small spaces of change.

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Looking back on my year supporting Tandana volunteer groups in Ecuador

When I started this new year, there were sad and happy moments. An excellent colleague finished his contract and had to return home, but I met a new colleague that I would work with to support volunteer groups throughout the year.

Meet Omar Flores, Tandana’s Program Coordinator in Ecuador

My name is Omar Flores. I am originally from Nicaragua, although I consider myself a global citizen. My professional life has taken me to work in more than five countries and I have been able to work with people from all over the world on sustainable development projects. Travelling and working in Latin America, I found The Tandana Foundation in Ecuador and I have been part of their team, working as Program Coordinator since 2024.

A scholarship student learns what it means to be a teacher

The following blog shares a letter written by Ivan Cachimuel, who received a scholarship from The Tandana Foundation to attend university. Read on to hear what Ivan studied last year, learned through his internship as a teacher, and why he’s thankful for the academic support from Tandana.

A message of hope from Hope: ‘Start your own tidal wave’

At The Tandana Foundation’s recent Legacy of Hope Celebration, Hope Taft, President Emerita of the Board of Trustees, shared an unforgettable speech about the power and great good that can come from having hope and serving others.

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Tandana’s family and friends celebrate the Legacy of Hope

On Nov. 8, around 450 people from all over the world attended The Tandana Foundation’s Legacy of Hope Celebration to honor the nearly two decades of service of Hope Taft to the organization and to mark her 80th birthday.

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Leaving a Legacy of Hope: The gift of a new water system in Natividad

Water is essential to life, but communities in many places of the world still long for clean, safe water. One of those communities is Natividad, Ecuador.

Triki Traka: It’s not your grandma’s tic tac toe!

I have been hearing more and more over the last few years – from coworkers from The Tandana Foundation and volunteers who have joined us on trips alike – about this fun game in Ecuador with similarities to Tic Tac Toe called Triki Traka. Now, I’ve been a part of Tandana for the past 12 years, and I couldn’t believe I didn’t know anything about this cultural activity that was becoming such a beloved, shared experience for so many of our volunteers. So, looking ahead at my upcoming trip to Ecuador to check-in with our staff, visit our Summer School, accompany a volunteer group, and join a rural medical clinic, I knew that I needed to find a way to learn how to play Triki Traka while I was there.

Leaving a Legacy of Hope: The gift of scholarships

As more communities request support, The Tandana Foundation has allocated over $700,000 since 2006 to its scholarship programs, which have already offered hundreds of students in Ecuador and Mali the opportunity to pursue their educational dreams.

Part 3: What a volunteer teacher group learned about the rich culture and natural beauty of highland Ecuador

A group of 11 teachers from the National Science Foundation’s Research in Science Global STEM program, recently traveled to Ecuador for a three-week volunteer and cultural immersion trip organized by The Tandana Foundation.

Part 2: What a volunteer teacher group learned about the rich culture and natural beauty of highland Ecuador

Part 1: What a volunteer teacher group learned about the rich culture and natural beauty of highland Ecuador

Tandana to hold celebration honoring Hope Taft’s legacy of service this November

The Tandana Foundation will honor the nearly two decades of service given by Hope Taft to the organization with a celebratory event on Nov. 8, in Columbus, Ohio.

Lessons from soccer: How team spirit can develop professional skills and lead to success

While growing up in Belgium and spending time in several parts of the world, soccer (“football”) has always had a special place in my heart. I see soccer as a universal language that transcends barriers thanks to its simplicity, passion, emotions and global appeal. The game’s basic rules tend to be easily understood in any part of the world.

A future businesswoman setting a strong example for her son

Tandana Foundation sponsor,

It is a great pleasure for me to address you, my sponsor, and send you a cordial greeting. In this letter, I also want to share a summary of the educational experience that I have had during my fourth semester at the university.

Tandana hosts virtual tour of completed Tangali school projects

So they could see the impact of their work, several volunteer groups who participated in trips organized by The Tandana Foundation were invited to take a virtual tour of the flourishing school garden in Tangali, Ecuador.

Charging ahead toward a career in electric vehicles

A very warm greeting,

It’s been almost a year since I wrote to you and I’m sending you a letter again to tell you how this semester went and to thank you for your support because thanks to you I’m achieving one more goal in my life.

Tandana reunions and new beginnings

Twenty years have passed since I first climbed up the bumpy roads into the colinas surrounding Otavalo with my Traveling School classmates and teachers, including Anna Taft, in whom ideas of what would become Tandana were beginning. Though it was many years past now, I still remember the community spirit of the minga in which we participated to improve the water purification system and the hospitality of Don Vicente in welcoming us to the community of Panecillo. I am certain that in those moments I had no thought that in 20 years, I would be in the same community with my husband and two children.

From expectations to goodbyes, all about Purcell Marian’s volunteer trip to Ecuador

When our small group of Purcell Marian high school students stepped off the plane at Quito Airport, none of us knew what to expect. We were all a little bit nervous – many of us had never left the US before – and everyone was worried about making a good impression. How would we communicate with our host families? Would we be what they were expecting? However, these small worries were overshadowed by the pure excitement we all had over meeting the community members.

An unforgettable experience at The Tandana Foundation

Dear members of The Tandana foundation, I wrote the following blog to share my experience as an IT intern at the foundation. In this sense, this message is very special to me. It has been a long time since I arrived at the foundation, and I want to share everything I learned and exchanged with others during my stay.

Kind people, meaningful work, my unforgettable trip to Ecuador

Our experience in the region in and around Otavalo, Ecuador with The Tandana Foundation was nothing short of incredible. From the first moment that we touched down in Quito, Kuri and Omar, Tandana staff and our guides for the trip, were there to welcome us to Ecuador and accompany us on our bus ride to Otavalo. Their knowledge and experience throughout the entire trip were indispensable and highlighted the value of every moment and activity that our group experienced. From start to finish, Omar and Kuri, along with the other Tandana leader that we worked with, Gaetan, were extremely well organized, personable, and helpful.

I now have a third family in Tandana to work for

Dear Tandana Foundation,

I am an agronomic engineering student at the Technical University of Cotopaxi. I come from the Padre Chupa community. My full name is Fredy Xavier Panamá Fuerez, and I am 20 years old. At a young age, I had to witness the separation of my parents, after which a family took me in since we did not have sufficient financial resources.

Community Health Advocacy: Empowering Indigenous Healthcare with The Tandana Foundation

My name is Emma Howes, and I am fortunate enough to have collaborated with The Tandana Foundation over the last year and a half in the process of completing the research component of my doctoral program. I am a student completing a Ph.D. in International Psychology, a subfield of psychology that highlights culture as the primary factor that shapes and influences our thoughts and behaviors. I credit The Tandana Foundation with the professional and academic milestones I have reached over the last 11 years, so I find myself extremely honored and humbled that my final academic endeavor be completed in service to their mission and this community.

Q&A: Recognizing Women’s History Month at Tandana

In the United States, March is designated as Women’s History Month to celebrate the accomplishments of women in history and today. While women continue to break glass barriers, leading countries and businesses, and bettering their lives and the lives of their families, gender inequalities still persist around the world.

Part 2: Lessons learned while discovering new things and making new friends

This is the second of two blogs I wrote to share the lessons I learned while on the Ohio Master Gardener Volunteers’ trip to Ecuador with The Tandana Foundation.

Part 1: Lessons learned while discovering new things and making new friends

On Day 1 of the Ohio Master Gardener Volunteer’s trip to Ecuador with The Tandana Foundation, I had one big question: “What’s a chocho?” Learning the answer to that question ended up as the first of several important lessons I took away from the recent trip. This is the first of two blogs I wrote to share these lessons.