USNS Comfort Arrives in Ecuador
The ship arrived into the Port of Manta alongside many large fishing
boats. We could see the large tuna being hauled into the air in large
nets and dropped into oversized shipping containers. The beautiful
beach off in the distance was enticing as we ventured inland during
each mission day.
Logistical Coordination
In each country the partnership must obtain approval for the project
from COMFORT NCIS, US Embassy, Military Group for that country,
COMFORT command staff, host nation customs, and other governmental
organizations. In additional to the pre-entry requirements, once the
approval of the project has been obtained there are several internal
layers of coordination that must take place before the volunteers can
visit with the children. We have to plan volunteer scheduling,
transportation, equipment, as well as the needs of the host nation
force protection meals, etc. Each country is different and a
challenge.
Once we obtain the approval for the project and clearance of the
donations through customs, the project can move at a very rapid rate-
this was the case especially for Ecuador. Two days after clearing
customs we had to start with our first day of distribution.
Thankfully, all of the coordination settled and we were off to visit
with the children with a robust program.
Civil Affairs Assistance
The Maritime Civil Affairs Team (MCAT) of the US Navy specializes in
community relations projects and infrastructure building. The
COMFORT’S MCAT agreed to assist me for the coordination of the
backpack partnership in Ecuador. The team was instrumental in
facilitating communication with our host nation partner, the Rotary
Club of Manta. We were able to set up the 3-day distribution in one
day with the logistical support of the MCAT. Our project would not
have been successful without their involvement.
Project Time
Day 1
Our first day was dynamic one small school in the morning and one
medium-sized school in the afternoon. Escuela Sucre, in a rural town
called Pacoche, was comprised of around 45 students. The school was
situated to the side of the community in a bowl at the bottom of a
small mountain.
We arrived with 16 volunteers for the first day. Our team was
comprised of MCAT members, Navy security and food service personnel, a
Latter-day Saints volunteer, a University of California San Diego
Pre-Dental Society (UCSD) volunteer, and members and exchange students
with the Rotary Club of Manta. Two local police force members, who
were providing security, also joined us in the program. There were two
classrooms at this school where we visited with the children and
launched a program including, dental, eye protection, health and
hygiene education alongside hand delivering backpacks to each child.
The first class was comprised of very small children ages 5-8 years
old. Our Latter-day Saints volunteer, Kristen Lee, was fantastic at
engaging the children. She and I worked hand-in-hand along with a MCAT
member to facilitate the program. Once we had finished our first
class, the program became easier as we moved onto the next. The
Rotarians were wonderful with organizing the children, ensuring that
each child received personal time with the volunteers.
We finished the backpack program and the children were set loose to
play soccer with the COMFORT volunteers. As they played in the
courtyard between the classrooms, a few of us gathered with the
teachers inside one of the classrooms. We thanked the teachers for
their work and for allowing us to share time with them and the
children. One of the Navy Lieutenants donated 16 soccer balls for the
entire distribution. We split up the donations and presented Escuela
Sucre with a gift of 3 soccer balls. The time at Pacoche ended with
hugs all around before the rest of the children headed back to their
houses for the rest of the day.
Escuela Fiscal Presidente Velasco Ibarra, Santa Rosa
Our team moved quickly to visit the second school, which was 20
minutes from Pacoche in a town called Santa Rosa. The team set up for
a similar program as in Pacoche; however, we added the exchange of 20
letters with the school’s 6th graders. As part of a new program for
United Nations Association of Greater Orlando, 96 5th graders at John
Young Elementary School wrote letters to their counterparts abroad.
These children in the states are learning Spanish so parts of the
letters were written in English the other in Spanish. One of the
classes comprised of 6th and 7th graders stayed to write letters to
the children in the states. The Rotary exchange students and UCSD
volunteer were amazing at supervising the exchange. We finished off
the first day by spending time with the teachers and Rotarians for a
snack. One of the most memorable moments for me that day was when one
of the boy’s who was using a plastic bag to hold his supplies threw it
aside to place his materials very quickly inside his new backpack. I
asked if he liked his mochila (backpack) and he nodded and smiled.
Day 2
Escuela Eloy Alfavo Delgado, Las Pinas
We were ready for another dynamic day with the children. Escuela Eloy
Alfavo had over 170 students so we decided to visit the school on a
separate day, which worked well for the entire program allowing us to
take our time with each class. We were very close in our time
allocation for the first day so we altered the program to ensure that
we finished on time and spent enough quality time with the children.
The Rotary exchange students and a couple bi-lingual COMFORT
volunteers assisted with the letters with the 6th graders while we
visited the 1st graders with backpacks. The letter team finished with
the letters at the same time we arrived at their classroom for the
education and backpack distribution.
In addition to having multiple military and NGO partners, we had a
Canadian partner nation dental hygienist join us for the program. She
was wonderful with the children, drawing diagrams and facilitating
topics. We discussed the education portion of the program at the
beginning of each visit to the classrooms, which left time for the
backpack surprise at the end. After we finished, we coordinated with
the Rotarians to recount all of the donations to ensure that we had
enough backpacks for all of the children on the final distribution,
which was the next day.
Day 3
Escuela Guadalupe Larriva Gonzalez, Villamarina
Our final project day began with a visit to a co-located pre-school
alongside the school that we were visiting. There were 20 little
children looking up at us as our team moved into their small space.
Each had a look of curiosity and a few looked a bit scared at the
large strangers. The teacher helped welcome us into the children’s
space and once the children noticed the gifts of stuffed animals their
faces brightened with smiles and excitement. Each team member chose a
personal stuffed animal for a particular child and spent time talking
to them. We said our goodbyes to the class and walked over to the
school to prepare for the backpack program.
Escuela Fiscal Villamarina
Villamarina also had over 170 students so we set up the distribution
similar to Las Pinas. We had the Commodore and Commanding Officer join
us for the day. Navy and Air Force volunteers participated as well as
a Latter-day Saints and EDGE Outreach volunteer. Everyone was engaged
in the children and activities. I also met the Rotary Club of Manta
president, Manuel Naurea, who joined us at the school. In addition to
the vibrant program, we finished off the day with a fantastic
performance from the Navy rock band. After we had finished and
presented the teachers with their gift, we proceeded to dance and play
with the children to several energetic songs.
It was a great experience and a successful first distribution thanks
to our partners.
Rotary Club of Manta, Rotary District 6980, Give a Kid a Backpack,
Loving Hugs Inc., The Dictionary Project, EDGE Outreach, Clean the
World, United Nations Association of Greater Orlando, and the College
of Education at the University of Central Florida.
A special thank you to the COMFORT PAO and MCAT teams and Latter-day
Saints Charities.
Thank you for your support!
Kari Williams
Education Coalition, CP11
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