I am currently a Peace Corps Volunteer working in Esmeraldas, Ecuador, one of the poorest and most neglected cities in Ecuador and likely South America. There is a lot of racial prejudice and discrimination against the Afro-Ecuador population here and the government affords them almost no rights, or merely ignores them. The city is poor and dirty with an astounding unemployment rate and an average family income of less than $200 per month. My current project is an attempt to train and educate the poorest youth of the city, in the sectors by the river, that are the most at risk and sometimes involved in gangs and drugs. We are currently training the youth of these areas in business coupled with a technical skill. One of our biggest successes is our artisan workshop where we train and employ youth in an attempt to give them an exit from an otherwise dangerous and unhealthy lifestyle. We are also doing the same in a welding taller, which has slightly less income potential due to the fact that we cannot export these items for sale abroad. I have had many volunteer experiences in my life and this is truly one of the most rewarding, living with the people I work with and, after a year here, seeing the positive changes in their lives. I have a year left and we have some great plans ahead for the foundation I work with, Fundacíon de Progresso Social Manos Unidas, or just Manos Unidas, and I am hoping that by year end we will have updated our web page (www.manos-unidas.org) so that we can sell our artisan crafts online. Truly this is one of the most rewarding, yet challenging, experiences of my life.
