Ecuador straddles the Equator, from which it takes its name, and has an area of 272,046 km2 (109,483 sq mi). Its capital city is Quito, which was declared a World Heritage Site by UNESCO in the 1970s.
Ecuador is one of the smallest countries in South America, but it could be argued that it is also one of the most beautiful. Ecuador offers a wide diversity of geographical features ranging from the Amazon Basin across glaciated volcanoes, tropical rain forests and ending on the Pacific Coast.
Ecuador´s history lies in the mystism of the pre Inca past, closely followed by the Spanish who conquered the country in 1532 under the leadership of a mighty warrior Pizarro.
Despite the short time that the Inca´s ruled Ecuador, just 100 years, they left behind a remarkable legacy. Quecha (now Quichua in Ecuador) was imposed on the population and is still spoken by a quarter of all Ecuadorians today.
The Inca built a vast system of roads that connected Cuzco in the south with Quito in the north, and part of the ‘royal highway’ – the Inca trail to Ingapirca – can still be hiked today. Ingapirca itself is Ecuador’s most important Inca archaeological site and has splendid examples of the Inca’s mortar less stonework.
| Capital: Quito Population: 13.3 millon Official Language: Spanish Religion: Roman Catholic 95% Literacy rate: 92.5% | GDP, per capita: $3.700 Government: Elected president Currency: The Amercan Dollar Origin of Panama Hat Minimum Wage: $148 per month |
Yanapuma
Students and teachers from Sotogrande International School began working with the Yanapuma organization in Ecuador in April 2009, supported by The Kindred Project.
The Yanapuma foundation is a non profit organization dedicated to promoting sustainable practices in urban and rural communities throughout Ecuador. Their mission statement is very similar to our own, with one of its aims being;“ to encourage intercultural exchange that fosters mutual benefit and learning in our globalizing world”
We believe that working towards sustainable development goals can increase the sense of purpose felt by young people as they develop into responsible citizens. Global learning and education for sustainability can increase their awareness and make learning more relevant to their lives.
The teachers at Sotogrande International School and those in Quito recognized the mutual benefits which could result from forming a link between our respective communities. In April 2009 we launched an innovative programme for learning Spanish through a fun programme of games and activities which focused on spoken Spanish. The lessons are taught by professional Spanish teachers from Ecuador who link with our students via the internet. The students (and their families) have the opportunity of learning Spanish in their own homes at scheduled times during the week. Many of those who participated in the programme found it to be a successful and interesting learning experience and are continuing with the classes this year. Not only are they having the opportunity to improve their Spanish but they also are also being introduced to the Latin American culture.
Those of us involved with the Yanapuma organization are excited about the future which this partnership offers in terms of building global understanding and towards helping our young students to recognize their responsibilities as members of a global community.