Manna Project International

This is a daunting statistic, but thanks to a new grant, MPI will now be able to help address food insecurity in the Amazon Rainforest through the launch of our RAÍZ program! We are thrilled to announce that we’ve received a $10,000 grant to help us launch the RAÍZ initiative in the new year! This incredible news means we can begin empowering the Shandia community through sustainable agriculture and beekeeping initiatives. As we celebrate this milestone, we want to say a heartfelt thank you to everyone who has contributed to make this possible and to all of our interns, team members, families, alumni, Program Directors, and more who have donated their time, energy, and money to get this program off the ground. We can't wait for 2025!

During this Block, I had the amazing opportunity to represent my internship with Manna Project International! I was able to present and discuss with other students, sharing the amazing experiences I had in Ecuador. Thank you to Cornell College for hosting me during the Off-Campus Studies Fair and Internship Showcase.

Manna Project International is thrilled to welcome our first cohort of Program Directors (post-university fellows) to Shandia! These dedicated individuals play a key role in fostering community relationships, expanding MPI's programming, and developing their own skills as changemakers. Recently, our Public Health Program Directors collaborated with local Health Centers to deliver impactful workshops. At a Health and Resource Fair in a local school, they connected with students to address critical topics like teen pregnancy and mental health. The following day, they traveled deeper into the rainforest to Jatun Yaku, a rural community, for a discussion on nutrition. Mothers from the community brought locally grown foods to share, while MPI staff facilitated a conversation about the health benefits of fruits and vegetables from the Amazon. Our Public Health PD, Crystal Njoroge, created an engaging poster and shared insights on the benefits of cacao and eggs—a staple of local diets. We're so excited to continue to support public health efforts in the Amazon Rainforest! And if you know anyone still looking for a post-graduation role in International Development, we're hiring now for January 2025!

At Manna Project International, our volunteers have the unique opportunity to collaborate with public school teachers in Shandia, Ecuador, to support English education for Kichwa youth. By offering native English pronunciation and developing engaging lesson plans, our volunteers enhance the classroom experience while working alongside local educators. This experience extends beyond teaching. Volunteers build meaningful relationships with students, their families, and the broader community. By fostering these connections, we not only improve education but also contribute to long-term livelihood opportunities, supporting our broader mission of sustainable development in the Amazon region. Interested in making a lasting impact? Join us in Shandia to be part of a dynamic team working to create positive, sustainable change while gaining valuable cross-cultural experience.

One of the most meaningful parts of a semester or year with Manna is our retreats. Once each trimester, our entire team heads to a beautiful spot in Ecuador to reflect, recharge, and collaborate. These weekends are all about coming together, sharing ideas, and embracing nature to strengthen our projects and deepen our impact. There’s nothing quite like stepping back, connecting as a team, and returning to our work with fresh energy and inspiration. We were so excited to head out with our fall PD cohort Luke Simcox, Crystal Njoroge, Patrick Maluwa, and Isabella Cortes and be able to share this meaningful experience!

We’re excited to see our chicken project thriving! Thanks to the dedicated efforts of our Manna Project International team—both local and global—Iliyaku is on its way to a sustainable source of protein, creating food security and income opportunities. This progress wouldn’t be possible without the hard work and support of everyone involved. Here’s to continued growth and impact!

A few weeks ago, our Program Director Marina Santos Morais had the opportunity to accompany a healthcare team—consisting of a nurse, a physician, and a social worker—into the villages around Shandia to deliver essential care to women and infants. The journey included a bus ride followed by a taxi, taking them about 7 miles deep into the jungle to reach several villages. Over the course of the day, the team visited ten households, providing vaccination updates, distributing medicine to children with symptoms, performing ultrasounds for pregnant women, screening infants for anemia, and offering brief educational sessions on recognizing dengue and tuberculosis. These routine visits, organized by the “centros de salud,” are carried out nationwide and are free of charge, funded by Ecuador’s universal healthcare system, playing a critical role in achieving the United Nations Sustainable Development Goal #3 (SDGs 2030).

We are pleased to announce a new collaboration between Manna Project International and Collaborative Changemaking. This partnership will include a certification program for our interns, fellows, and volunteers to gain practical skills centered on empathy, equity, and empowerment, enhancing their ability to co-create sustainable solutions with communities, rather than for them. Through the development of collaborative problem-solving and leadership skills, our volunteers will be better prepared to drive lasting impact and fulfill our mission of becoming the social change agents of the future. Together, we are fostering stronger partnerships and building empowered communities. Pictured: Our co-collaborators and neighbors celebrating Ecuador's Flag Day

Manna Project International is so proud to welcome our 2024-2025 Program Directors to site. With a few weeks on the group, our new cohort of Program Directors has gotten stuck in in their new programming on gender equality, public health, sustainability, and youth development. We're so excited to see where they go! And for anyone looking for a spring semester internship, check out our website for new and challenging opportunities in international development and social impact!

We're so proud to announce that we have reached Candid's Platinum Transparency level for non-profits! As a non profit organization, it is of utmost importance that we are honest, open, and transparent with how we run programming, work with each other, invest our donations, and organize ourselves. These are the pillars of trust and community. We're excited to keep the work going and commit to upholding the same level of transparency and communication in the future!