ABOUT ME
For people who see our organization, Beyond Lagartococha, from the outside, they tend to believe that we as members of it, help, support, and teach the indigenous communities, and as true as it may be, it's actually the other way around, since we are the ones learning from them.
I was born, and have lived all my life in the capital of a beautiful country; Ecuador. A country known for its richness in biodiversity, ethnicity and diversity which is admirable in every aspect. Being surrounded with huge mountains, fresh oceans and beautiful wildlife has influenced me to love life and nature. I owe it to my country and to my family, having been an adventurous and passionate-for-helping person. In my family we have always been 4 of us, but since my mother passed away a few years ago due to cancer disease, i now live with my father and my older brother. Being a small family has caused us to be incredibly close, and has also lead me to search for ‘other families’ in people such as friends or neighbors. Due to life experiences, i see relationships as the most important thing in life, and with the people who i actually maintain a relationship, i make sure to make it close and strong.
I was born, and have lived all my life in the capital of a beautiful country; Ecuador. A country known for its richness in biodiversity, ethnicity and diversity which is admirable in every aspect. Being surrounded with huge mountains, fresh oceans and beautiful wildlife has influenced me to love life and nature. I owe it to my country and to my family, having been an adventurous and passionate-for-helping person. In my family we have always been 4 of us, but since my mother passed away a few years ago due to cancer disease, i now live with my father and my older brother. Being a small family has caused us to be incredibly close, and has also lead me to search for ‘other families’ in people such as friends or neighbors. Due to life experiences, i see relationships as the most important thing in life, and with the people who i actually maintain a relationship, i make sure to make it close and strong.
I've always enjoyed the outdoors, much more than i do staying home or doing any other activity. My family and I have always had a house in Mindo, one of the most biodiverse places in my country. This house was located in the middle of nowhere, in the middle of the jungle. There was no sign of human life, of the internet or of anything other than nature for miles of miles. There was no better activity for us than going there and staying in our house for days and nights, listening to the birds, the sound of the river going down and seeing the stars in the clear sky. That feeling, to be connected with nature, only nature and oneself, is a feeling that does not compare with anything else in the world, and it is a feeling that I am grateful to have experienced, because I know that not everyone has the opportunity to do it. And that feeling, I felt it again in Lagartococha.
Doing social service has always been part of my life, and I have to thank my mom who influenced this in me. Since I was little I went with my family, just the four of them, to an orphanage in the south of Quito, which was taken care of and organized by nuns. There we spent all day every weekend caring and feeding the children, that was my first experience doing social work. After we attended to "My Christmas is different" at Christmas where thousands of children and families go to receive gifts, witness a presentation and have a snack on December 24. I also participate a few times a year in going to a foundation called Caminitos de Luz where we help children with fewer resources. I have seen what it is like to live in the worst conditions when I volunteered in A Roof for My Country and went 3 weekends to build approximately 4 houses with the basic resources for people who lived terribly.
After these small activities that we carried out with my family helping those who need more, I attended “Misiones” a beautiful organization that took us to two extremely poor towns near the beach of Ecuador, called Tabuchila and Moyuyal. There we lived with the kids and their families for about one week, sharing and learning mutually.
After these small activities that we carried out with my family helping those who need more, I attended “Misiones” a beautiful organization that took us to two extremely poor towns near the beach of Ecuador, called Tabuchila and Moyuyal. There we lived with the kids and their families for about one week, sharing and learning mutually.
Finally i heard about Beyond Lagartococha, a project i had followed since its origins, and integrants to whom i admired deeply. Being part of this organization, has changed my life, for the better. Whether it is rising funds, collecting donations or actually traveling to Lagartococha, each step of this project has made me learn more than what i learn in school everyday. We live in a society dependent on stuff, on technology and even on other people. The way our world is running, does not allow us to actually see what real life is and what is valid, but thankfully, i got to experience this in Lagartococha. We would wake up everyday with nothing but the sound of the river, the birds and the insects. We would breathe the purest air and bathe in the freshest water. We would spend our time with independent, mature and beautiful people, people who value every little thing. These families live that routine everyday. They are totally isolated from civilization and human activity, and they rely and depend on nature. However, they would have no education if it wasn’t for Beyond Lagartococha. That's why it is so important to keep helping and supporting our organizations and other organizations that support education. If we can have it, they should be able to have it too. At the end of the day, we can learn and have learned more from them, than what they can from us.
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