Iltaqui: Spotlight on Andres

Claryssa, an intern at Iltaqui, gives us a spotlight on Andres:

The classes are going great! The students can now have a basic conversation in English including phrases like "My name is", "I am from", "I am _ years old". They are catching on quickly and love to practice with their partners.

Luis Andres Panama is pictured above. Andres is an AMAZING student who loves learning English! He is very bright and continues to surprise me every day. Andres is 11 years old and has a twin brother whose name is Luis Angel and a younger brother whose name is Abelardo. The three of them have not missed a day of classes! Andres comes to class everyday with a smile and full of enthusiasm. He has an excellent memory and can recall almost every vocabulary word the students have learned without looking at his notes. I can't say enough about Andres. Not only is he an excellent student but also an amazing soccer player and artist. If he were given the opportunity to continue studying English, I am positive that he would master the language in no time at all!

How to help a child like Andres.

More info on Iltaqui.

More posts on Iltaqui.

Iltaqui: Spotlight on Diana

Child spotlight from Claryssa, an intern at Iltaqui:

This is Diana Maribel Marcillo. She was born on November 28, 2000 and is 10 years old. She is in seventh grade. Her parents are Alberto Marcillo Panama and Maria Angelina Oyagata Panama. Diana has been a very diligent student and so far has not missed a day of classes. She has two younger sisters who come with her, Selena who is 8 years old and Ñusta who is 5 years old. Diana catches on quickly and always makes sure she correctly pronounces every word in English. She has learned how to say what her favorite fruit is (kiwi) and also what her favorite sport is (soccer). Diana is also very helpful in the classroom. She makes sure everyone is quiet and ready to learn. When her mom has to work Diana has to bring her youngest brother to class. He is only a little more than a year old so sometimes she has to take him outside and misses part of the lesson. Despite this challenge, Diana continues to master everything we learn in class. She will come to me for extra help and will also review with her friends and sisters what they have learned that day. Overall she is an excellent student with tons of potential!

Iltaqui: Fieldtrip Help

Claryssa, an intern at Iltaqui recently asked if there was any way we could help these kids go on a field trip. She wants to take them to park called Parque Condor close to Otavalo. It's a Condor sanctuary and they charge $1.50/student. $1.50/student and bus fare are the only costs. What do you think? Let's help these kids go on a field trip!

Iltaqui: Home in Ecuador

We have some new interns in Ecuador at the Iltaqui home! We are super excited at the good they are doing there. This project focuses on feeding over 100 children who are currently attending a school in a rural and low-income community. The purpose is to keep children from going hungry, allowing them to focus on their education. Ironically, young children go with nothing to eat due to the fact that both parents spend the entire day away working from home in the fields. While visiting there, we found a very young girl crying from want of food. Upon interviewing local community members, it was found that this is a common occurrence and children often miss classes due to leaving school during the day to find food. Regular food at school promotes regular school attendance. In 2010 the school was cleaned top to bottom and a kitchen was built to provide food to stay in school. ECH is sponsoring food in these schools and the 2011 expedition projects will focus on additional projects at the schools including creating a school garden for self-sustainability and a literacy center.

Child spotlight from Claryssa about Sixto, who attends English classes run by ECH interns:

This is Sixto Leonidas Tamayo Panama. He was born on June 27, 2000 and is 11 years old. He lives just down the road from the school in Il Taqui. His parents are Jose Manuel Panama and Maria Rosario Tamayo. He is the youngest of five and has two older brothers and two older sisters. Sixto is an excellent student and has learned how to say several phrases in English including what his favorite color is (green) and his favorite animal (fish). Another interesting thing about Sixto is that he is an uncle! His niece, Toa Panama, also comes to English classes. They walk together everyday to and from the school. Sixto is very bright and also an excellent artist.