Greetings and Happy Spring from Dave and Julie Wood!

Photo by Eduardo Morillo

This is Cotopaxi, at almost 20,000 feet high, it is the highest volcano in the world and the namesake for the Province in Ecuador where we work. As we enter our 6th year of supporting scholarships for indigenous college students from Guangaje/Cotopaxi Ecuador we currently maintain 24 students on scholarship. As of May 2025, we have eight students who have graduated! This update tells the stories of three of our them.

All of these students are first generation college attendees from their communities of very poor subsistence farmers. Over half of our scholarship recipients are women. The fields of study of the students are diverse and include engineering (several different areas), accounting, dentistry, education, communication and tourism. Through education, these students hope to better their opportunities in life, raise their standard of living, and bring important skills back to their communities. They are intensely dedicated to their communities, which both humbles and inspires us!

Ana and Miriam Lutuala

This picture above shows Ana and Miriam Lutuala, sisters, both of whom grew up in abject poverty in the village of Tingo Pucara. Miriam (on left) is the older sister and graduated with a degree as a Registered Dietician, which took 6 years (due to practicum experiences in hospital and clinics). The communities in Guangaje have an 80% malnutrition rate. She is dedicated to helping her fellow Quichua community members improve their diets which will help children grow and learn better.

On the right (my left) is Ana, who graduated with a degree in accounting. She is already helping her family and community keep the books as they sell potatoes and other crops they harvest from the plots of land around their community of Tingo Pukará (“pukará”means in Kichwa, defensive fortifications built by the Incas …Tingo Pukará has a pukará in their village where Incan artifacts can be found).

Sonia Ugsha

Another graduate! Sonia Ugsha. This is Sonia Ugsha from Chugchilán Pamba,Guangaje. She is graduating this May from the Universidad Técnica de Cotopaxi (UTC) in Maná, Ecuador, with a degree in Tourism. She studied Ecotourism in particular, because she is interested in learning about the natural resources in Ecuador and educating others about them as they travel. He goal is to set up an Ecotourism company in Guangaje to help her community, which is very poor, to improve their standard of living.

We spoke with her this past week and she told us that University was a struggle for her because it was the first time for her to leave her home. Her mother is a single mother. She started crying when she spoke of this. She was quick to say that when she wanted to quit, her mother and Rodrigo Ilaquiche encouraged her to keep going.

It was also a culture shock for her, joining the dominant, mestizo culture in Maná and living with 3 mestizo young women (they ultimately became very close friends)! She thanked Julie and me profusely, again crying, for the 4 years of economic help that For the Future of Guangaje provided her. She would not have been able to go to college without the support of FFGE. We had the privilege of hearing her thank us, but all of you who give to FFGE have shared in Sonia’s life and educational success. We will update you on her in future newsletters.

Para El Futuro de Guangaje Ecuador AKA For the Future of Guangaje Ecuador (FFGE) provides each student with a laptop computer, and economic support to cover room, board, internet, transportation, books and supplies and some college fees (public college tuition is free in Ecuador). This support, which now averages about $180/month, makes attending college an attainable goal for these young people.