Manna Project International
Since 2004, Manna Project International has connected college students and graduates with international leadership opportunities. The Nashville-based nonprofit engages in holistic, sustainable community development, using teams of yearlong volunteers to operate its sites in Nicaragua and Ecuador.
Rather than providing one service in an expansive area, MPI's volunteers build relationships and work with community members to create, launch and manage a range of programs in areas such as public health, education, and economic empowerment.
In Ecuador, where MPI established its first expansion in the fall of 2007, the team of volunteers has made two programmatic commitments: first, to develop sustainable programs; second, to apply an assets-based approach to community development.
MPI-Ecuador's asset-based approach stems from the belief that all communities, including those in the Chillos Valley outside of Quito where MPI-Ecuador operates, are comprised of individuals with a diverse range of skills. Focusing on these skills is more important to successful growth than focusing on things a community may lack. In this population of roughly 60,000 families - in which 78% of residents do not access basic health care and half of adults are functionally illiterate according to a 20008 HealtheChildren study - a striking amount of needs certainly exist. But by focusing on community strengths and individual assets, MPI can equip communities to continue building themselves up.
To read about MPI's Assets and Capacities Surveys, undertaken alongside Fundación Aliñambi and HealtheChildren, click here .
For more information about MPI-Ecuador email ecuador@mannaproject.org or visit our website www.mannaproject.org .
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