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Our first project at the new Collette Foundation site in Ecuador is almost complete! We received a report from our partner that the construction work is about to finish on the community health center at La Magdalena.  The goal was to provide a medical facility to serve the local community so that they didn’t have to travel so far for basic health care needs.  The center will especially help support local children with enhanced medical and dental care, proper facilities and sanitation, and access to vaccinations.

Our donation funded the construction on the building and was used to start equipping the dental care area. We were thrilled to hear that the Japanese Embassy has also donated an odontology chair and additional supplies.

A doctor will soon be assigned by the Ecuadorian Government, who will visit every 2 weeks (to start) for appointments. We hope that this contribution will further help the community of La Magdalena to achieve better living conditions, in turn supporting their efforts to improve education and economic opportunities for all.

In addition, we had a recent Galapagos Islands & Machu Picchu tour in October which was able to visit the La Magdalena community tourism project and see with their own eyes the progress at the center! Our guide, Maria, was very excited and sent along this report ‘from the field’:

“The experience was terrific! Everything is done, clean and ready for the people. They had set up a dentist care unit, an OB gurney and by the time I was there, there were already 23 appointments and they were not even open! The lady taking care of the unit was very helpful and sweet and made me and the group feel really welcome. The job done at Magdalena is incredible, considering it is a community of 1,500 people with almost no medical assistance.”

Collette’s Galapagos Islands & Machu Picchu, Ecuador: Avenue of the Volcanoes, and Galapagos Family tour groups will all have the special opportunity to visit La Magdalena during their time in Ecuador, witness the improvements, and participate in cultural exchange within the community. Guests enjoy home-cooked food, sharing in the shepherding and harvesting activities, admiring the embroidery skills of the women, and tasting homemade bread and cheese. There is also an optional overnight homestay with a family for those looking for in-depth cultural immersion with this special community.

Great news! We have nearly finalized all details for our foundation project in Ecuador. While we are still at step 1, things look great for breaking ground on this project soon! We are working through the Resource Foundation based in New York City which will help facilitate providing the funds directly to the community.

The goal of this project is to fund a medical clinic at La Magdalena — a Karanki indigenous village on Cubilche volcano in Ibarra (Ecuadorian Andean highlands) to house a dental clinic, general practice, and waiting room area. Right now, the building is just an empty structure; it needs proper sanitation facilities set up.

We are currently waiting for the proposal from the local partner with details about how many people the clinic would reach and other specifics. One of our tourism partners in Ecuador and the Galapagos has sponsored this community-based tourism effort from the ground up, building homes, providing access to gas and hot water, building a community center and more. Now the community is ready to accept visits from tourists, for cultural interaction and exchange, even overnight homestays to see how the Karanki indigenous live and help support their village through tourism as a new source of income.

The goal is for the Collette Foundation to complement these efforts;  to continue the development within the community and sponsor projects which will positively impact the lives of the residents and especially the children.