Spanish with Joseph S.

Vida Digna

Vida Digna, is a small Ecuadorian based foundation located in a small neighborhood called Una Sola Fuerza (One United Force) in the outskirts of Guayaquil. The foundation consists of two Ecuadorian women who started the project about ten years ago and two missionaries from the United States including myself. Our purpose is to provide an integral service to the people in our neighborhood. Among the problems facing Una Sola Fuerza, there is lack of potable water, lack of health facilities, insufficient resources for education, and pervasive unemployment, to name a few. We have responded to these challenges with several projects that we manage under the Vida Digna umbrella. There is a Sewing Cooperative, that focuses on teaching women from the neighborhood to sew as well as producing goods such as school uniforms, dresses and other clothing. There is a natural medicine clinic that treats patients with herbal remedies and proper nutrition. There are two nutrition programs, one for the eldery and one for children that are tended to. These two groups are given natural meal supplements, and are evaluated regularly (weight, blood exams, vitals, etc). There is an after school program that teaches children who are either behind in school or not able to attend school. We teach Spanish and mathematics. Our newest project is a carpentry workshop that is set up similarly to the sewing cooperative in so far as we focus on teaching training as well as production and sale of products made. The four of us share the load across the 4 projects, but my main role is to manage the carpentry workshop and to teach in the after school program, as well as translating and corresponding to any benefactors that are english speaking.

Rostro de Cristo

A one year, volunteer program designed to bring groups from parishes, high schools and colleges in the U.S. down to Guayaquil, Ecuador to learn about its history and culture. I had two placement sites, one at a Hansen's Disease (Leprosy) Hospital and another at an after school program. In addition to my two jobs sites, I was in charge of accompanying and translating for the 14 week-long groups that came down to Ecuador.

Saint Anselm College

Professional Proficiency

Native Proficiency