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The Indiana Ecuador Partnership for Sustainable Development (IEPSD) was only started in August of last year but Isabel has already made an impact in the San Gerardo community. It is a project to engage students in a variety of internship and service-learning opportunities related to the development of Ecuador. IEPSD was started by Isabel Estevez and Erica Weyer after graduating from college. “When I graduated last year I was talking about doing something like this, something with community development,” Estevez said. Originally from Ecuador, Estevez has developed a strong passion for the country’s culture.

With frequent trips to Ecuador and support from her mother she saw the need for people to be involved in different aspects of this culture.
“We’ve just started,” she says. “But I’ve been trying to help the community since freshman year of college.” Additionally, Estevez is beginning her Masters program while in the middle of this growing project. Estevez and Weyer have also started the San Gerardo Community Project to focus on a specific community. Getting contacts and fundraising have been two important parts of this venture. She says they are still trying to figure out the structure but the responses from students and workers are very positive. One student even fell in love with teaching and will soon go to Kenya to teach full time.

Estevez wants the programs to be self-esteeming and give students a broader spectrum of the world such as alternative teaching methods. For the Ecuadorian community she is focusing on keeping the culture, stimulating the economy and improving the techniques they are using. With IEPSD acting as facilitator between students and other businesses, a wide variety of interests can be experienced in Ecuador from journalism to agriculture. Many places in Ecuador are short staffed and are ready to welcome to students to help and learn at the same time. Places such as the Environmental and Waste Management, nutrition departments and forestry’s can always use students ready to help.

Between coordinating the projects, being a facilitator, going down to Ecuador and looking for Spanish interpreters Estevez still has more plans. “I want to learn how to work with the community leaders and provide more information [about Ecuador] to people.” She hopes that in the future IEPSD can build a pool in a community in Ecuador and provide more ways of economic growth for the people. “I’d like to have development for food stands and have a tourist house in the traditional style to maintain culture.”

With these ideas in mind IEPSD will continue to focus on building communities and making them stronger. Estevez wants to emphasize the importance of children’s education so that they are treated as equals and learning is easier and fun. “These kids are pretty neglected,” she says. “The most important thing is that we step in, become more involved . . . and bring people together.”

For more information about the San Gerardo Community Project and IEPSD go to sangerardonews.wordpress.com (blog site).