When we announced our first “virtual minga” on the site a couple of weeks ago, we really didn’t know what to expect. We had never asked for donations before, and we knew that many of our readers were saving money for big adventures in life just like us. But we really felt compelled to give back in some way when we’ve received so much from this place and its people.
You guys really went above and beyond your armchair travel companion duties! A big thank you from the bottom our hearts for your response to our request. You raised $420 for the Mojandita Clinic outside of Otavalo, Ecuador, which means they now have medicines they have only rarely had access to in the past - medicines you and I take for granted.
virtual minga: the coming together of an online community for the betterment of all
We could not have done this without our favorite tour guides and friends Catherine (from France) and Fernando (from Ecuador), who introduced us to the idea of “minga” on our first week here in Ecuador and then took us to the clinic as part of the tour of the area.
When first we asked about doing a project like this, Catherine jumped right on it, discussed it with the doctor, and arranged for us to go together to the pharmacy to buy the medications. The world is full of generous people, and we are fortunate to be meeting some of the very best on this trip, both in person and through the interwebs.
As you can see from the pictures, $244.80 buys a lot of medicine in Ecuador. It was terrific to have Dr. Sonia there to pick the medicines, check the expiration labels, and make sure the money was spent on the amount and type of medications that would be used the most. In addition, the clinic gets a discount at the pharmacy, so we were able to buy more just by having Dr. Sonia there.
The pharmacist spent 30 minutes bringing our medicines to the counter in batches, and he quickly ran out of room. I think the other customers also ran out of patience waiting on him to finish our order!
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The doctor has been donating her services to the clinic one day per week for the last 15 years, and she’s made a huge impact on the health and well-being of the community, even with limited access to medication. This is truly a labor of love for her.
Nurse Evelyn is the first part-time nurse they’ve had who speaks both Spanish and Quechua, so the patients now fully understand the instructions they are given, which is just as important as receiving the proper medications.
We have deposited the remainder of the donation to the clinic’s bank account to replenish the medicine when the inventory gets low.
Thanks to all of you who donated and made things a little bit better for these people who already work so hard to help each other live well. This was a really great project for us, so look for other “virtual mingas” as we travel around the world.
*Thanks to Fernando for taking such great pictures. You are our favorite paparazzo!
About Betsy
So proud of you guys. I remember as you planned this how important it was to you to be able to become part of your community as you travel. Well done Talbots … well done.
I think if we stayed here any longer we’d never leave…and working for the community is a big part of that. We’re also LOVING getting to know our readers better through this project. The emails and comments have been priceless.
No idea that you guys were doing something like this. But what a cool idea to be able to connect the two communities this way… Do you know what “virtual minga” project you’ll be doing next?
Hey Jill, we are not sure what the next project will be. Like this one, we believe the idea will just come to us as we get to know a place. It takes getting to know the people who live there to make it happen, which is why we are studying so hard to get our Spanish up to snuff before we leave here next week.
(How funny that your last blog post was about Vibram 5 Finger shoes - I brought mine on the trip!)
Fantastic! Thank you for being good will ambassadors as you travel the world and such wonderful representatives of our country. With enough people like you, we’ll all be able to proudly wear the flag again someday.
Thank you!
Thanks, Angela. What I see as a bigger goal is to highlight the people here who are already doing good work, like Dr. Sonia who has volunteered at the clinic for 15 years. Ecuador is a poor country in many ways, but so rich in the way they come together to help each other. We could all take a lesson from that.
I am so happy to see the end result of the donations! Thank you for letting us be a small part of helping the people of Ecuador. I am thankful that they will be able to replenish not just once but twice because of the generosity of your readers. You and Warren are the bomb!
Awesome idea, result, and recounting!
I think what you guys did is really awesome. I missed out on this virtual minga but I’ll keep an eye out for future events!
Wow, that’s so awesome! I also love the name minga.
Any chance you’ll be headed down to Chile after your travels in Ecuador?
Thanks for keeping us updated. That is so great that they will then be able to get more stuff later. What an awesome project!