Manitoba To Ecuador Project

Steinbach has been home for three students from Puerto Lopez, Ecuador for the last six months.

Joel Figeroa, Jhon Aguato and Yomira Pozo arrived in Manitoba on February 25, 2014 and they said it was -38 that day and it was also the first time they had ever seen snow.

Teacher at the Steinbach Regional Secondary School Mark Reimer explains four years ago the “Manitoba To Ecuador Project” was started. Initially there were eight students from Hanover that went to Puerto Lopez and learnt a lot during their time there. When they returned Reimer says the Hanover School Division gave them an incredible gift.

“They started out by saying that for every year I took students from Hanover down to Puerto Lopez I could bring three students for one semester of English Immersion for the value of English Immersion. The first boys that came handled themselves so, so well. They were so positive and did so well in the school. They made such a positive impression that we figured we'd ask and Hanover responded and said we could bring up to three kids per semester for learning English.”

Reimer notes they've had their third group come up now to spend a semester immersed in English which will be transformational for them when they return home. Reimer explains Puerto Lopez is a constantly growing tourist destination, so if anyone speaks English their opportunities for employment are profoundly enhanced.

“I would say Puerto Lopez is survivalist living,” explains Reimer when asked about the culture in Ecuador and how it compares to Steinbach. “The average income in Ecuador is $300 a month and you'll find a lot of people in Puerto Lopez who don't achieve that level. It's long, long days of hard, hard work to make a go of things. You'll have some homes where the father will have two or three jobs to simply provide for his family. The standard practice has been for children to follow in the footsteps of their fathers and grandfathers to become a fisherman. But now there are fishing quotas and so the fisheries are being pulled back. The town is being transformed into a tourist destination because the humpback whales mating waters are right off the coast. So the town is beginning to thrive as a tourist destination and for these boys to learn English is a huge, huge employment boom.”

Reimer says it's been a good experience to hear them speak English and they've also enriched school life at the SRSS by improving the Spanish classes and creating a better awareness of the world growing around us.

“I will remember about school, it's really good,” explains Figeroa. “The family where I'm living right now is amazing to live with. I enjoy the time. Enjoy this now, the winter. There was good. I enjoy every day here in Canada.”

Aguato also explains he's been thankful for the time spent in Steinbach, “I'm so happy. Thanks Mark so much for opportunity to be in Canada. Thanks for this project to Manitoba. I like you, you are so happy. Everyday you are amazing person.”

Reimer notes the boys are amazing soccer players and he's enjoyed being able to watch them pick up where they left off. He says they are exceptionally skilled and when you're players of such caliber it doesn't matter how long you've played with someone else, you can step onto a soccer pitch and know what to look for and how to play well.

Figeroa and Aguato say they were initially cheering for Ecuador, however towards the end and in the FIFA finals, they were cheering for Germany.

Reimer will be returning to Puerto Lopez on July 31, 2014 and will be there for about a month working on documents and Visa's for the three students coming in February and next August. So he feels lucky that this Saturday when the students return to Ecuador, it won't be a final good-bye.

The boys were able to make friends that they spent time with, they were also invited to youth groups, played indoor soccer, learnt how to skate, play hockey, and tried to stay warm inside during the winter.

The boys said their favourite part was winter, seeing snow for the first time, learning English, volunteering at Roseau River Bible Camp and developing friendships.