Some may call me over confident, extreme optimistic, maybe even naive, but see, I like my optimism. This optimism deeply rooted in my nature is what makes me believe in many things, amongst them, the ideal of Ecuador Mi Pais.  

Sometime ago, while starting to build the dream of Ecuador Mi Pais, I was asked why would I care for others instead of dedicating my full time and energy to care for my family and those who are really part of my world? Why would I do something that I am not required to do, instead of leaving it all to those who are supposed to be working “for the people”, i.e. the government? Well, the thing is, I want to believe that if we decide to act, our hand may influence and impact the near future of many in a great way. So, I believe it is from all of us that little by little, something bigger may be built. After all, criticizing poor government performance, poor political strategies to win followers, etc, has not given the desired results either, as to correct the failures we complain about. 

And yes, most times I read or listen to the news I also have a feeling of disappointment, as it happens to many, but I have chosen to believe that those bad news are starting points for what can be transformed in an inspiring journey. So, in trying to overcome disappointment when reading the newspaper and discouragement of those who do not support our cause – or for what matters, any cause – I find that just as there is so much negative information to discourage us from fighting the good fight and investing our time to favor others (political crisis, economic crisis, natural disasters, pandemic viruses and some other really bad news), if we look a little beyond what the headlines say, we can find so many encouraging and inspiring stories that will awake the desire to keep believing and to give our best.  Take for example, the great artists singing for the fight against poverty (see http://www.playingforchange.com/ very nice videos) , or those who actually pay just to get the opportunity to volunteer at a campaign in a third world country (see http://www.i-to-i.com/), or those fighting for the rights of those more vulnerable (see http://www.amnestyusa.org, Volunteer Leadership Opportunities), and so the list goes on and on full of people donating their time, their money, their knowledge. So I smile. I smile because there is still people who have faith in humanity and I want to be like them. I want to help make a difference through Ecuador Mi Pais.  

Now here we are, we may not have great voices to sing for a change or enough political influence to alter the course of government decisions, but we are concerned about the future, and that concern leads us to act in support of what we believe.  And the truth is that each one of us can give a little something to help bring the change we need, and I keep finding people who wants to give it all, so my faith remains intact. 

Despite discouraging news, despite bad economies, despite the lack of free time, I keep believing in the ever lasting generosity of people who give as much as they can. I keep believing that if we put our time, our ideas, our courage, the generations to come will find a better world to live in.  A place where people will have their basic needs as human beings satisfied, and that amongst those, education will be one, to teach children to think, to dream, to create, to build a better country for everyone around them. I keep believing that volunteering may be the key to transforming the future of a society or of a country as a whole. This is the dream that makes me believe in Ecuador Mi Pais and that keeps me going, even though the direct beneficiaries are not part of my family and even though I am not required to volunteer.

Vanessa Bustamante

La ciencia siempre llamó mi atención. Cuando era pequeño quería saber como funcionaban mis juguetes, y muchas veces los desarmaba para luego volverlos a armar. Debo confesar que esta empresa no siempre era exitosa, ya que más de una vez, terminaba con una o dos piezas que siempre parecían sobrar. En una ocasión trate de construir un pequeño telescopio utilizando un tubo de PVC y las lentes de varias lupas que tenía mi papá. Como podrán imaginarse mi “telescopio” no funcionó, pero eso nunca me desanimó para seguir explorando el mundo.  Esta curiosidad me motivó a estudiar química y gracias a eso hoy me encuentro realizando un post-doctorado en uno de los institutos biomédicos más importantes del mundo.

Ciencia, esa palabra que circulaba por mi cabeza cuando era solo un niño, hoy está presente en todas partes en nuestras vidas y nuestro país no es la excepción. Últimamente se ha hablado mucho en Ecuador sobre la importancia de la ciencia y tecnología, pero….. cuál es la contribución real de nuestro país en el ámbito científico? Hace un par de meses leí un interesante reportaje publicado en uno de los principales diarios ecuatorianos, su titulo decía: “Cada cinco años, hay 4 publicaciones”. Encontré el título alarmante y decidí leer el artículo que fue usado para obtener la información suministrada en el reportaje. 

La publicación reporta que en promedio, desde 1965 hasta enero 2009, el país publicó en total 66 artículos en  revistas científicas internacionales por año (artículos revisados por editores e investigadores especializados e independientes),  Cuando realicé una búsqueda rápida en una base de datos (Scopus) sobre el número de publicaciones de universidades y escuelas politécnicas, encontré que aproximadamente el 61 % del total de publicaciones reportadas tienen su origen en la investigación realizada en esas instituciones. Esto significa que cada año, entre todas estas instituciones de educación superior, publican aproximadamente 40 artículos. De acuerdo al Conesup (organismo que regula las universidades), el Ecuador tienen 73 universidades y escuelas politécnicas  registradas. Después de un simple cálculo matemático, se puede concluir que cada una de esas instituciones en Ecuador contribuye al ámbito científico con un promedio de 0.5 publicaciones cada año, es decir MENOS DE UN ARTICULO ANUAL!!!!!!. Entre los investigadores siempre se dice, “investigación que no se publica no existe”. Si analizamos el alarmante déficit de publicaciones científicas reportadas, terminamos preguntándonos, que pasa con toda la investigación que se realiza en el país?  

Desde mi punto de vista, la investigación en el Ecuador aún no se ha desarrollado. En el pasado el país vivió en una burbuja donde la gente no sabía lo que pasaba afuera. La información bibliografía con que se contaba era muy limitada y desactualizada y la cantidad de doctores (PhDs) era muy baja, yo diría que mínima. Esto sumado al casi nulo interés por parte de las autoridades de turno y las universidades por investigar ha hecho que esta actividad no se haya desarrollado en el país. Sin embargo, en la actualidad el país cuenta con profesionales mejor preparados, las universidades cuentan con más doctores (PhDs) en su planta docente, y gracias al Internet, (que ha probado ser una gran herramienta) ahora es más fácil saber lo que sucede alrededor del mundo, es más fácil conseguir información actualizada y hacer contactos con otros investigadores, lo que antes resultaba bastante difícil. Eso ha permitido que el número anual de publicaciones científicas haya aumentado considerablemente en los últimos años. 

Un análisis más detallado de la información muestra que de las 73 universidades y escuelas politécnicas registradas, solo 11 publican sus investigaciones. Desafortunadamente, cabe anotar, que dentro de ellas, son solo unos pocos miembros de su planta docente los que se dedican a realizar investigación como parte de sus tareas académicas. Esto es algo por lo que hay que preocuparse.

Mi búsqueda en Scopus también mostró un incremento sustancial en el número de publicaciones, especialmente en las últimas 3 décadas, desde un promedio de 4 publicaciones anuales en los 80`s, 18 en la década de los 90`s hasta 89 publicaciones entre 2000-2008. Eso es un aumento en un 2225 %, y puede ser considerado un dato muy alentador, pero no es suficiente. Si comparamos con el promedio de artículos publicados, entre 2000 – 2008, en otros países de la región (Brasil = 20041, Argentina = 4293, Chile =2974, Venezuela = 1121, Colombia = 1121, Uruguay = 377, Perú = 220, Bolivia = 43 y Paraguay = 18) se puede ver que solo lo estamos haciendo mejor que Bolivia y Paraguay. 

Todavía hay un largo camino que recorrer, no podemos quedarnos atrás y estar esperanzados en beneficiarnos de lo que otros logren a través de la investigación. Tenemos que producir, tenemos que desarrollar, tenemos que investigar, solo así podremos generar riquezas y estar mejor preparados para los desafíos que un mundo cambiante nos obliga a enfrentar. Muchas cosas tienen que cambiar para poder hacerlo y los ecuatorianos tendremos que poner mucho trabajo en ello, especialmente la gente más preparada. Nosotros compartimos la visión de que la educación es muy importante para el desarrollo de un pueblo.  La educación ayuda a que la gente sea más productiva y por lo tanto aumenta sus oportunidades de una vida mejor. Si lográramos aumentar el nivel educativo de la gente en el país, no solo que en el futuro aumentaría el número de publicaciones científicas, sino también, el estándar de vida. Apoyar la educación es pensar en un futuro mejor para nuestro pueblo.

Jorge Heredia

I was always attracted to science.  When I was a child, I wanted to know how my toys worked, and many times, I would separate them into their components and assemble them later.  I must confess that this enterprise was not always successful, and more than once I ended up with one or two pieces that I could not find a place for. I tried once to build a small telescope using a pipe and several of my dad’s magnifier glasses.  As you may guess it did not work, but that never discouraged me to continue exploring the world. This curiosity motivated me to study Chemistry, and thanks to that, today I am doing a postdoctoral fellowship in one of the most important biomedical institutes in the world.  

Science was a word that went through my head when I was a little child and today it is present everywhere in our lives and our country is not an exception. Lately a lot has been said in Ecuador about the importance of science and technology, but….. What is the real contribution of our country in the scientific field?  A couple of months ago, I read an interesting report published in one of the main Ecuadorian newspapers, its headline read:  ”Every five years, there are 4 publications”. I found the headline itself, alarming and decided to read thoroughly the article that was used to get the information supplied in the report.   

The article reported that in average, from 1965 until January 2009, the country published a total of 66 papers in international scientific journals per year (articles reviewed by publishers and independent investigators specialized in the field).  When I performed a quick search in a database (Scopus) about the number of publications of universities and technical colleges, it showed that approximately 61 % of the total papers came from research made in these institutions.  This means that every year, all of these educational institutions publish approximately 40 papers.   According to Conesup (Organism that regulates universities), Ecuador has 73 registered universities and technical colleges. After a simple mathematical operation, it can be concluded that each of these institutions in Ecuador contributes to the scientific field an average of 0.5 papers every year, that is to say LESS THAN ONE PAPER ANNUALY!!!!!.  Among researchers it is always said, “research that is not published does not exist”.  If we analyze the alarming deficit of scientific papers reported, we end up asking ourselves, what happened with all the investigation that is carried out in the country?  

From my perspective, research in Ecuador has not developed yet. In the past, the country lived inside a bubble where people did not know what was going on outside.  The bibliographic information available was very limited and out of date, and the amount of PhDs was very low, I would say minimum. This added to the almost null interest of the authorities and the universities about doing research caused a lack of development of this activity in the country. However, currently the country has better prepared professionals, the universities have more PhDs working as faculty, and thanks to the Internet, (it has proved to be a great tool) now it is easier to know what is happening around the world, get up to date information and make contacts with other investigators, which was not easy before. This has allowed the annual number of scientific publications to grow considerably in the past years.  

As previously mentioned, Ecuador has 73 universities and technical colleges.  A more detailed analysis of the information shows that only 11 of them publish their research.  Unfortunately, it has to be added that inside these universities only very few members of their faculty are investigators who actually do research. This is something to worry about.

My search in Scopus also showed a substantial increase in the number of publications, especially in the last 3 decades, from an average of 4 annual publications in the 80´s, 18 in the decade of the 90´s to 89 papers between 2000 and 2008.  That is an increase in a 2225 %, and can be considered very encouraging data, but it is not enough.  If we compare with the average of papers published, between 2000 and 2008, in other countries in the region (Brazil = 20041, Argentina = 4293, Chile = 2974, Venezuela = 1121, Colombia = 1121, Uruguay = 377, Peru = 220, Bolivia = 43 and Paraguay = 18) it can be seen that we are only doing better than Bolivia and Paraguay.  

Still there is a long way to go, we can not remain behind and just hope that we can benefit of what others achieve through research.  We must produce, develop and investigate; as this is the only way we will be able to generate wealth and to be better prepared for the challenges that a changing world will force us to face. Many things need to change to be able to do this, and Ecuadorians will certainly need to put a lot of work into it, especially the more qualified people.  We share the vision that education is very important for the development of a nation.  It helps people to be more productive and therefore expands their opportunities.  If we were able to increase the educational level of people in the country, not only that the number of scientific publications will raise in the future but also the standard of living.  Supporting education is to think about a better future for our people. 

Jorge Heredia

Handling all the issues related to the Projects VP for the past three years has been a wonderful experience for me.  During that time, I have never been able to go to Ecuador to meet our scholarship holders or the people who run the different projects we support.  Although I have only been able to contact them by e-mail and sometimes by phone, even that brief contact has been a fulfilling experience.

This time working with Ecuador Mi Pais, has given me hope that things will always get better, even though they seem very tough at times.  This renewed hope definitively comes from the dedication that I can see in the kids who receive our support and are able to develop their skills at school every day.  It also comes from knowing all the dedicated people who work very hard trying to change the destiny of a number of children who hope education will provide them a way out of the circle of poverty and despair that their parents have gone through.  This includes each one of you, our supporters, who although so far away from a country that you hardly ever hear about, are there for those children who desperately need you.  Those Ecuadorians who left their country for one reason or another and still care about the future of kids they have never met and probably never will.  I wish I could have the time and unlimited space in this article to let you know about each one of the children, their stories, and the hard situation they face to go to school every day.  But most important, I wish I could tell you about their increased faith in themselves knowing someone far away cares about their future and believes they can succeed.  Their little thank you notes are specially filled with gratitude and pride over their achievements and they are always hoping and wondering if we will continue to support them.  We always tell them we are not doing this for charity, and that we see this as an investment towards a better future for our country and that makes them feel very important.

We have certainly increased the number of kids we are supporting and are actually helping more than 95 kids go to school every year and also making sure their parents understand the importance of letting them do so.  The current financial situation is forcing us to be a bit more cautious this year and unfortunately, we will not be increasing the number of scholarships for next year but we will certainly maintain the ones we have committed to so far.

I believe that our biggest challenge is yet to come; we have reached a point where we need to dream big and give shape to a larger and more ambitious project that will allow us to make significant changes to education in Ecuador.  This will require a tremendous effort since we will have to work together with other organizations having different strengths and experience; but we believe this is the right time to do it.  If you are interested in being a part of this dream and making a contribution to this effort, please, contact us.  We certainly could use some help and different points of view are always welcome since they promote a healthy discussion.

I definitely feel very lucky that I have had the opportunity to help in this organization and have been able to see it grow throughout the years.  I know life changes very rapidly and you never know if you will be doing the exact same thing one year from now.  But do I know for certain that I have grown both spiritually and emotionally as a result of this work that we have been doing.  I hope in the future more of our members will want to participate in a more active way to make sure our efforts continue in behalf of the children.  I am sure that just like me, they will never regret the time they share with this organization.

Gaby Viteri

When I first started as a volunteer for Ecuador Mi País I knew I wanted to do something meaningful with my life, with my work, and with my skills. My paid job at the time was completely boring, meaningless, monotonous, but paid the bills. I knew I needed a challenge. I knew I needed a change, but my monthly paycheck was like an intravenous needle that was barely keeping me alive drop by drop without letting me live fully. When I found Ecuador Mi País I knew I found the solution. Working for this Organization would allow me to have the excitement of taking decisions, have work challenges, find new co-workers, new friends, and help people with my work; thus changing my life and the world in the process.

The options when I first joined the Organizations were not much, but I knew that the organization needed a presence in the Internet. I had some technical skills working with databases, utility programs, and had done my thesis for my MBA in electronic commerce, so I had an idea about how websites work, but I had never done one in my life. Anyway, that was my challenge! I signed up to create the first website of the Organization and to put it in the Internet. I have to admit that I was lucky, or as the famous writer Paulo Coelho puts it: “when you do things for the first time, the universe confabulates itself to let you succeed”.

We collected one dollar per person at the first meeting of the Organization and bought the domain. Later, Roberto Andrade came up with the first design of the website, and I had a friend that had a server, so I asked him if we could borrow some space to have our first website online. To make the story short, I got a copy of an html editor and not much later I was managing and maintaining the official website of the organization that was live to the world. It was like a dream come true. I had all the challenge that I needed and I felt that I was doing something meaningful for me and for the kids from Ecuador that cannot go to school because of lack of funds. A few months later we were able to collect donations through the website and were sending money to Ecuador to fund education projects.

Then, I got so interested in the work that I was doing for Ecuador Mi País that I decided that I needed to pursue a Masters in Information Systems. That is how I immediately applied, got accepted and enrolled for a Master ’s Degree at George Washington University and a few months later I got the opportunity to start my own company based on the new knowledge and skills that I had. Obviously I took that opportunity.

At that time, the economic depression came and my entire division at my paid work was closed, so I was laid off. However, Eruditos, the company that I just created was starting to sell and I got a scholarship at the University, so losing my job was completely uneventful. In fact, at last I had the feeling that I had been able to pull that intravenous needle from my body and I was starting to live freely and fully.

Bernardo Darquea

As the financial crisis continues to rattle the global economy, there is a good chance some of the effects have trickled down to affect you.  Maybe you have decided to hold off making a big purchase, or you salary or hours have been cut.  No doubt it isn’t a good time, nor an easy time, but it is paramount to remember the opportunities you have had and the important role education has played in your path.  

Going through EMP’s financial records, I am very proud that each year we have increased our donations substantially.  From about $1000 in 2006 to over $6000 in 2008.  Because of this generosity Ecuador Mi Pais has donated over $20,000 over the past three years to support our growing number of “becarios,” which now total over 70.   This is in large part because of your efforts.  We had over 60 different donors last year, many who donate monthly.  What is important is that this trend continues.  While we understand this year will be difficult to raise money, remember that while ten dollars a month may not mean too much to you, it means a lot to an underprivileged child who could use that money to pay for school.  

If you haven’t donated yet, please do.  It can be as much or as little as you want as frequently, or infrequently as you’d like. One way that EMP can meet and exceed our donation total of 2008 is to get more corporate donations.  Even if you can’t donate, please let us know (vpfinanzas@ecuadormipais.org) if your office has a corporate donation program. These types of donations are mutually beneficial as your organization will receive a tax break and goodwill, and more children in Ecuador will be able to attend classes and receive an education that will allow them to take control of their lives.  All you have to do is let us know the name of the organization and with whom we should speak, and we will do the rest.

Ecuador Mi Pais is a growing organization and much of what we do is new.  We are aware there may be different ideas or ways to raise money.  If you have an idea on how EMiP can improve or change our fundraising efforts please let us know.  

Let’s make sure that this financial crisis doesn’t unduly affect those who most need our help.

Jeff Feintech

Early morning (even earlier because of the time change) on Sunday March 8th the board of Ecuador Mi Pais got together for our annual strategy meeting. We feel it is important to keep all of you donors, volunteers and supporters, informed of what we are doing as an organization and would like to share the results of our meeting as we recapped our activities from 2008 and laid out our proposals for 2009.

We kicked off with the President addressing the board regarding the accomplishments of 2008 and the vision for 2009. As is customary of our meetings the conversation soon digressed and we spent a great deal of time discussing the vision and long term objectives that we have for the organization. It was great to see everyone engaged and contributing thoughtfully to advance the conversation. The main points of discussion centered around the best way to further our objectives regarding education in Ecuador while promoting Ecuadorean culture and strengthening the community of Ecuadorians abroad.

After a lengthy discussion and some sandwiches, we delved into the presentations again starting with the cultural VP, which did a great job with slim resources this year, specifically with the Colada Morada and the the Film festival events. Speaking of events, please check out our website often to find out what events are coming up.

The Legal VP update and discussion was rather straightforward. We have now obtained all necessary permits to work as a non-profit organization in the Washington DC area (some legal nuance there) and in the next year we will focus our efforts on the Quito chapter and completing our incorporation as an organization in Ecuador.

Next, the Projects VP gave us an update on the status of our projects and how we fared compared to the previous year. On the aggregate the number of children who benefited from our scholarships has remained stable, but the distribution across projects and the total amount we donated has increased. We were all very encouraged by the results and are looking forward to even better numbers this year. In the interest of time we did not have a lengthy discussion on the new projects proposed (there were three of them) but we assure you that we will be tackling some new challenges in the near future. The proposals ranged from higher education to after-school sessions; we will probably share these projects in more detail in a later post.

Public Relations had a busy year. One of the more interesting things on the agenda was the involvement with the DC Network of Youth Organizations. We have effectively partnered up with the network over last year and look forward to sharing efforts in 2009. At this point we discussed the possibility of decoupling the work that PR does in promoting events from managing the communication with other organizations. At this point we went back to entertaining some suggestions for ways we could structure the organization to meet the our institutional objectives and operate more effectively. Given that we will be having elections for officers soon, we may not have the time to implement all these changes (or maybe this could be the best time?) but you should expect to see a more efficient and focused organization going forward.

Next we looked at the resources VP and were glad to see that donations have continued to increase. We discussed the challenges put forth by the recession we are living in and how to cope with them. This will undoubtfully be a tough year for all and we will need all the support we can get. The resources discussion ended with a call for more focused donation solicitations, especially from grants and institutional donations.

The Finance update really drove home the point of us needing more institutional donations and grants to be able to have a larger impact. For any of these applications we will need a pro-bono auditor to give us a hand auditing financial statements and would appreciate any contacts you, our supporters, may have.

The last presentation of the day was that if the Information systems VP, who got us all excited about the opportunities we have to connect better with our members and leverage our website to do so. Expect the website to be more dynamic with pictures, blog posts (like this one) and resources for you to volunteer.

Overall we had a very fruitful working Sunday, so expect more positive educational impact, some great events, and a much more focused and active organization. Thanks for your continued support.

Rodrigo

Quisiéramos agradecer a todos los miembros que donaron en el 2008. Si su apoyo y esfuerzo no podría ser posible. Esperamos mantener su interés y confianza para los programas que promovemos en el 2009.
Mientras usted prepara su reporte de impuestos para este año déjenos saber si necesita una carta oficial que incluya su donación a Ecuador Mi País en el 2008. Solo enviaremos cartas proactivamente a los donantes mayores de $250.

Si tiene preguntas adicionales favor contactar a Jeff Feintech a vpfinanzas@ecuadormipais.org

—

We would like to thank all of our members who donated in 2008. Without your support our efforts could not be possible. We look forward to your continued support in 2009. As you prepare your taxes this year please let us know if you would like an official letter stating your donation to Ecuador Mi País in 2008. We are only proactively sending out letters to our donors who donated more than $250.

If you have any additional questions please feel free to contact Jeff Feintech at vpfinanzas@ecuadormipais.org

Tienes algún talento que te gustaría compartir? Sabes cantar, bailar o tocar un instrumento? Eres bueno/a con la pintura, poesía o el teatro? Tienes talento en algún deporte en particular?

Eruditos, una empresa ecuatoriana que se dedica a fomentar la excelencia académica a través de sistemas de información que facilitan la comunicación entre las instituciones educativas, profesores, estudiantes, y padres de familia; nos ha donado una campaña publicitaria en su portal Web valorada en $1000 dólares, para promover la causa de nuestra Organización dentro del Ecuador.

Esta campaña publicitaria esta corriendo desde ya dentro del portal Web de Eruditos y confiamos en que será un medio primordial en la captación de nuevos miembros, reconocimiento del nombre de nuestra Organización en el Ecuador, captación de nuevas fuentes de donaciones, e introducción de EMP en la comunidad educativa del País.

[Visita el portal de Eruditos: http://www.eruditos.net/index.htm]

Eruditos además pone a disposición de todos los emigrantes, la posibilidad de mantenerse al tanto del desempeño académico de sus hijos en el Ecuador por medio de Alumni, que es un sistema que les permitirá revisar las notas y otros comentarios de los profesores. Este sistema se comercializa directamente a las instituciones educativas, pero es gratis para todos los usuarios.

Para Ecuador Mi País es muy grato contar con el apoyo de empresas como Eruditos, que ha confiado en el trabajo que hemos venido realizando por 3 años, y que nos reafirma en la misión de seguir apoyando la educación de nuestros niños.

Ecuador Mi País le da las gracias a Eruditos por este esfuerzo conjunto en favor de la educación.

[Mira las bandas publicitarias de Ecuador Mi País en el portal de Eruditos. http://www.eruditos.net/index.htm]