First Quarter | 2021
First Quarter 2021 Newsletter
Dear Supporters:

Greetings from our teams in Ecuador and the United States! We are excited to share new initiatives that we've been building these past few months!

As always, thank you all very much for your support of our cause. We are inspired by the dedication our supporters and teams have shown to produce change in the Alausí, Ecuador community.

Sincerely,

The Maria Lida Foundation Team
Ryan's ASK Program
We are thrilled to announce that we will be launching a new program to provide tuition scholarships to students attending the local San Francisco de Sales school!

San Francisco de Sales is a school in Alausí, Ecuador that provides high quality education and serves students from kindergarten through twelfth grade. (This is also where Maria Lida received her education, and is the location of our English courses.)

Due to COVID19, many parents have had to withdraw their children from the school as they could no longer afford the tuition costs. Currently, approximately 78 children have had to drop out of the school. This has greatly impacted children's education and how many teachers and staff the school can continue to employ.

This new initiative will help support our mission of promoting self-sustaining economic development using education as a vehicle. We are excited to invest in the community's education and local economy through this program, by helping students continue to receive a quality education and allowing the school to keep teachers and staff on board!

This project is being sponsored by Paul and Jamie Hammer (the parents of Ryan Kersten, Maria Lida Foundation's first Program Director in Ecuador). It is named Ryan's ASK (Alausí Scholarships for Kids) Program to commemorate Ryan's fantastic work in Alausí!

Paul, Jamie, and Ryan- our sincerest thanks for your support of our mission in Alausí, Ecuador! May God bless you for your generosity.

There are still many children in need of tuition scholarships for the 2021-2022 school year.

If you would like to sponsor a student, please contact us at admin@marialidafoundation.org or sign up for a sponsorship by clicking on the link below. Tuition cost per year per student is $500.

Ecuador Homecoming 2022
We plan to launch a new initiative, Ecuador Homecoming, in Summer 2022! The goal of this mission is to celebrate Ecuador and people who have a connection to the country and currently living in the United States.

By sponsoring a large trip of many individuals traveling to Ecuador and Alausí, it will help the local businesses and economy get back on their feet in the aftermath of COVID19.

This project will involve the Maria Lida Foundation planning a weeklong trip to Ecuador (including Alausí) that will be full of fun and adventure!

This trip will take place in late June until early July 2022. If you are interested in attending or learning more about this wonderful project, you may contact us at admin@marialidafoundation.org.

Please stay tuned for additional details on this exciting initiative!
Faces of Alausí
To support our mission, we believe it is extremely important to help promote the local businesses and entrepreneurs in Alausí. Please enjoy this new section of our newsletter, Faces of Alausí, to learn more about Alausí's community members.

Mauricio, Alausí Tours

Meet Mauricio, the owner of Alausí Tours, one of the area's tourism businesses. Mauricio started this business because he is passionate about helping people discover the wonderful tourist attractions that the central area of Ecuador has to offer. He also wants to help people experience these attractions in a sustainable way that benefits the local communities surrounding them.

Alausí Tours offers a wide variety of adventures, including hiking, biking, camping, lakes, volcanoes, mountains, historical sites, etc. Our team has worked with Alausí Tours and we highly recommend this business if you are looking for fantastic adventure experiences in Ecuador!




English Classes

Due to COVID19, we had to temporarily pause our adult English program as there were many constraints facing our students and teachers over the past year. However, we are thrilled to announce that will begin holding courses again next month! Please stay tuned on how this program evolves overtime with virtual and in-person training.

If you would like to learn more about our English program for adults in the Alausí, Ecuador community or how to support this initiative, please visit the link below:
Maria Lida Foundation Team Highlight

"To me, serving on the Maria Lida Foundation Board is both an honor and privilege. It is also personal. After spending much time getting to know the people living in Alausí, Ecuador, it is important to me to provide them with the help they need through education, mentoring, and economic development. Doing so will help empower them, their families, and their community."


-Rosemary Meza, Board Vice President of Maria Lida Foundation
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SUPPORT
OUR
CAUSE
Contribute to our cause by clicking on the "DONATE NOW" button below.
Your contributions will support:

  • Reopening English program
  • Sponsor tuition scholarships for children in Alausí
  • Launch Ecuador Homecoming project
  • Expand business consulting services
  • Continue COVID19 relief efforts as needed

The Maria Lida Foundation is a
501(c)(3) nonprofit organization in which contributions may be tax-deductible.
Stay up to date on our work in Ecuador by visiting our website and social media pages!