About This Project
Piñán is a remote indigenous community in an isolated region of the Andes in the north of Ecuador. The community consists of about 220 people making up 40 families of Kichwa ancestry. Their isolation and history has left community members with an incomplete and unfunded education and few local jobs or opportunities. We’re here to help them develop a complete and sustainable community education program. We need your help for the next crucial step: building a local high school!
Over the past 400 years, indigenous families were forced to settle on the current village site to serve as indentured workers on plantations and ranches. Piñán is one of the last communities in Ecuador still affected by these colonial plantations. Though they are now free of this injustice, no land title was ever granted to the community. As such, Piñán hasn’t received the social services received by most communities in Ecuador.
Our organization, The Community Ascent Network is helping Piñán build a new future. Education for all youth is the first step of their community development goals, which aim to generate sustainability, dignified employment and empowerment for all its members.
So far, we’ve built a local support network and delivered Piñán’s first ever year of high-school classes in the community. We’ve contracted teachers through the local education district, and architects at the University of Azuay have created the blueprints for the community’s first high school.
Now, we need your help funding the project’s next crucial steps! To bring a high-quality high school education to the students, we must hire two qualified teachers, install a computer lab, establish a remote internet connection for the school and supply all of the necessary equipment and school supplies.
Use Of Funds
$15,000 Tipping Point Goal
Primary Goal: $15,000
Our fundraising target is $15,000 CAD. This amount will cover all of our annual costs for teacher salaries, materials, construction, classroom equipment and infrastructure, as well as establishing the program for many future generations of students. Every donation, no matter how big or small, will help us to deliver the second year of high school programming for the 85 students in the community hoping to reach their graduation!
Can you help us?...
1. Hire two more local teachers for the school.
This brings the total number to five teachers: 2 high-school teachers, 2 elementary school teachers and 1 school director for the 85 enrolled students.
A basic teacher's salary in this area of Ecuador is 815 USD/ month.
2. Set up an internet connection and temporary computer lab in the existing elementary classroom.
We’ve already sent 10 laptops and 2 projectors to the school. Now we need to have them installed and formatted by a local technician.
3. Equipment for the school
We still need to provide sufficient supplies and materials such as chemistry lab equipment to meet current secondary curriculum requirements in Ecuador.
4. Hire local community members to build and furnish a teacher’s dormitory
The new teachers will need a place to stay while remotely working in the community.
Project Expenses Breakdown
- Salary for two local teachers for the school year 21,432.06
- Materials and installation of computers 394.00
- Internet installation and monthly payments during school year 1,051.18
- Textbooks, laboratory equipment, notebooks, stationary, etc. 400.00
- Construction materials and labour for teachers dormitories 1,707.18
Total costs CAD
24,984.42
$60,000 Stretch Goal
Our ideal fundrasing goal for he year: $60,000
Here's what this would cover...
1. Build a brand new high school consisting of three modern classrooms.
Architects at the University of Azuay in Ecuador have drafted the buildings which are designed to use local materials and traditional Kichwa building techniques. They will be built by the community for the next year of classes, September 2021.
2. Create a Volunteer English teaching program.
This goal comes at the request of the community; they want English classes to be available for students and community members alike. It will help bring cultural exchange to the area and allow the community to practice hosting guests for their proposed tourism developments.
3. Develop a high school program in ecological tourism and guiding.
This program will be developed for the community and for the students to transition into local and sustainable careers post-graduation. We will be working with local guides and tourism specialists to create this programming.
Latest News
Dec 15, 2020
We've reached the tipping point!
Incredible! We've reached out tipping point and primary goal, with 4 days left to go!
This funding will cover our year's project expenses in the community, create jobs in Piñán and complete the construction of our first building on the school site which is currently being set up as a computer lab for all sorts of programming that we will be able to offer the students.
Thank you so much to everybody who has donated, shared or followed our campaign. You've all made a huge difference to these students in Piñán.
But you can still make a donation, and any funds contributed at this point will help us to reach our stretch goal of $60,000. Any funds which go toward this goal will still be going straight to project costs in the community, but will begin funding the construction of the three high school classrooms we will be building this summer.
Of course all donations will still receive rewards, including an touching e-card which includes hand written letters from the students of the community. These are printable cards and would turn any donation into a great Christmas present or gift.
Thanks again everybody!
Simon Cretien
Founder, Exec. director
Nov 30, 2020
Already making headway
Hello to our friends, family and supporters of Piñán!
Its been an
incredibly exciting two weeks as we’ve seen our network from around
the world come together to support Piñán's high school development.
I’d like to share with you some of the progress which is already
taking place.
We’ve already been
able to to start construction on the first buildings in our high
school campus.
This first building
will become the dormitory for teachers coming to do remote work in
the community. However, until the rest of the school is done, it will
serve as our temporary computer lab to get the students and teachers
online and learning new subjects as soon as possible.
With the funds spent
there we’ve also been able to provide jobs for dozens of community
members. Two full time jobs for a family of experienced construction
workers and many more day jobs for other men and women in the
community who have been in need of work.
The funds from this
campaign will also go to keeping two local teachers at work in
Piñán's school, as well as paying for school supplies and classroom
infrastructure to keep providing the students with a quality
education.
Thank you so much to
to everyone who has supported this campaign so far! These funds are
going to make an incredible difference in the community.
Amazingly, we’re
just about to reach the $10,000 Mark. With just $5,000 to go in two
more weeks, I feel confident that we can make it with the help of our
community! If you have any friends, family or colleagues who may be interested in our project please reach out and share this project with them!
All the best from Ourselves at the Community Ascent Network and everybody in the community of Piñán!