Ecuador: Minga

Day 2: Another productive day at the day care center painting, building a brick wall for the garden, and replacing broken windows. All morning young children attend the center then in the afternoon older students come after school for homework assistance and play. We learned the teachers work twelve hour days, have a four year professional degree, and are paid $1.60 an hour. There is a word in Ecuador, Minga, that captures the meaning of the community coming together when others are in need of support. These last two days we have fully experienced Minga.