Assistance to the Indigenous People of Cotacachi

Indigenous women typical dress
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The indigenous people around Cotacachi (called Otavaleños) have made the greatest impression on us.  They are a beautiful people, steeped in tradition.  The most visible sign of this tradition is their dress, especially worn by the women as they go about their daily lives.  Men, on the other hand, are more likly to wear their traditional dress for special occasions only.

Cotacachi itself has about 8000 inhabitants but the landscape surrounding the town is dotted with about 40 indigenous villages which have from perhaps 100 to over 1000 people living similarly to the way they lived for hundreds of years.  Certainly, conditions have improved - better housing, electricity, running water - to a large extent due to a progressive indigenous mayor who has been leading Cotacachi for 12 years and is running for a fourth term.  However, in many other ways, not much has changed.  Farming small plots (< 1 acre) with hand tools to grow mainly corn and beans and perhaps potatoes and some other vegetables, tending to lifestock (from guinea pigs to cows), and weaving  or knitting a variety of products, mainly by hand, using local wool or cotton, are the typical ways the indigenous population makes a living.

Hand-woven tapestry
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While most villages have one school, the learning conditions are less than ideal.  Lack of supplies, adequate space (single classes can consist of students that range in age from 10 to 16 years), as well as sufficiently qualified teachers are but a few of the problems.  Furthermore, children may not be able to attend school for more than a few years because they are needed to help with the daily chores.

To assist the indigenous population improve their lives, we are considering a three-pronged approach:

Hand-woven tapestry
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1. Provide funds and supplies to the schools to improve the educational opportunities of the children.

2. Increase their income by creating a better outlet for their woven products.

3. Increase income and provide a more varied diet by providing appropriate lifestock that can be supported by the available land.

While we have made contacts with local schools, taught some English lessons, and provided some supplies, we are still working with locals to refine our approach to ensure it is beneficial.

Hand-woven scarf with indigenous colors
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Initially, we will focus on the first two approaches.  Providing an outlet for the hand-made products and using the proceeds from the sale of these products to provide funds and supplies to the local schools.

Specifically, we want import these hand-made products to the US, sell them at a fair price, and send the funds to the schools via an indigenous family we have befriended.  Once we evaluated the feasibility of selling products in the US, we intend to set up a non-profit organization through which the import, sale, and fund transfer will be accomplished.

Hand-woven pen and pencil cases
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Attached are a number of products we consider for import and sale.  If you are interested in any of the products send us an e-mail and we will be happy to set a price and take orders.  Since shipping costs are fairly high from Ecuador to the US, we want to take as much product as we possible can with us on the airplane on the way home.  In the future, we will obviously have to ship products and we are working on finding the most efficient way to do that. Be sure to click on the "view more photos" link under any picture to see the full gallery. Thanks for taking a look!