FIELD REPORT | JUNE 15TH, 2012
Greetings Four Walls and a Roof Friends,
A lot has happened in the past year with the project to support women anti-violence organizers in the Andes and their project to establish a women's shelter in Cotacachi! There have been many struggles--from negotiating with local government to accessing funding and support--but I'm excited to bring you good news!
Last summer, staff from Four Walls and a Roof visited our colleagues in Ecuador to complete an assessment of the shelter project. Our communication with colleagues had lead us to believe that much had affected their organizing--the new mayor in Cotacachi had absorbed the women's center into the government, effectively laying off all workers at the center. But, upon our arrival, we were told that only 2 days before we arrived the center was re-opened and the former director had successfully reapplied and was given back her position.
We spent weeks attending meetings, organizing projects, and creating plans for getting the shelter together. (We even met with a Global Giving representative!) Our colleagues revealed that they had recently set their eyes on a building and were hoping to purchase it to turn it into the women's center and shelter. Soon that dream will become a reality, which is why we need your help now more than ever.
By donating to Four Walls and a Roof you can help us purchase furniture, bedding, computers (for our internet literacy center), children's toys and games (for the children's playroom), and a variety of health and safety products that will help keep women and their families safe.
Please make a donation today to help us open the shelter!
A lot has happened in the past year with the project to support women anti-violence organizers in the Andes and their project to establish a women's shelter in Cotacachi! There have been many struggles--from negotiating with local government to accessing funding and support--but I'm excited to bring you good news!
Last summer, staff from Four Walls and a Roof visited our colleagues in Ecuador to complete an assessment of the shelter project. Our communication with colleagues had lead us to believe that much had affected their organizing--the new mayor in Cotacachi had absorbed the women's center into the government, effectively laying off all workers at the center. But, upon our arrival, we were told that only 2 days before we arrived the center was re-opened and the former director had successfully reapplied and was given back her position.
We spent weeks attending meetings, organizing projects, and creating plans for getting the shelter together. (We even met with a Global Giving representative!) Our colleagues revealed that they had recently set their eyes on a building and were hoping to purchase it to turn it into the women's center and shelter. Soon that dream will become a reality, which is why we need your help now more than ever.
By donating to Four Walls and a Roof you can help us purchase furniture, bedding, computers (for our internet literacy center), children's toys and games (for the children's playroom), and a variety of health and safety products that will help keep women and their families safe.
Please make a donation today to help us open the shelter!
FIELD REPORT | MAY 24TH, 2011
Greetings Friends of Four Walls and a Roof,
I'm very delighted to tell you about our recent accomplishments and plans for the summer, as we continue to move forward with the project to establish a women's shelter in Cotacachi, Ecuador. Our Cotacachean colleagues in Ecuador are working to generate support for the shelter project and women's rights in the area. In the midst of changing political environments, they remain steadfast in their dedication to women's education, women's empowerment, and community building, and those of us here at Four Walls and Roof continue to stand in solidarity--striving to obtain critical funding for the project and to raise awareness of the need for international support for women.
This summer, I will be traveling to Cotacachi to complete a formal assessment for the women's shelter project, as well as, conduct doctoral research on women's community education in the area. As part of the project assessment, we--Ecuadorian colleagues and myself--hope to revise our plan of action for the project, set timelines and goals, as well as, assess the needs and wants of women in the area. After my visit (June 9th-July 22nd), I will report back to all of you about our new project goals and timeline. I'm really excited going forward and hope you are too.
In my own research, I will be examining how our colleagues are using educational workshops and initiatives to help women make informed decisions about themselves and their families. I will be looking at how women educators in Cotacachi view themselves in relationship to a larger Latin American women's movement and how they build coalition across lines of difference (indigenous, mestiza, and afro-ecuadorian women). I'm excited to share more details about this research project upon my return as well.
Another exciting thing to report is that a member of Global Giving will be visiting Cotacachi during my stay to meet with me and the rest of our colleagues to learn about the project. It will be nice to make those connections more formally and to be able to share our stories and dedication to this project to one another in person.
Here in Champaign, Illinois we're also hosting fundraisers, sharing the story of women organizers in Cotacachi through the "Carichina Women" are exhibition, and generating support online. If you have some time, please make a donation today.
Warmly,
Rachel Storm, Executive Director
Four Walls and a Roof | 405 W. Springfield Ave. 2W, Champaign, IL. 61820
I'm very delighted to tell you about our recent accomplishments and plans for the summer, as we continue to move forward with the project to establish a women's shelter in Cotacachi, Ecuador. Our Cotacachean colleagues in Ecuador are working to generate support for the shelter project and women's rights in the area. In the midst of changing political environments, they remain steadfast in their dedication to women's education, women's empowerment, and community building, and those of us here at Four Walls and Roof continue to stand in solidarity--striving to obtain critical funding for the project and to raise awareness of the need for international support for women.
This summer, I will be traveling to Cotacachi to complete a formal assessment for the women's shelter project, as well as, conduct doctoral research on women's community education in the area. As part of the project assessment, we--Ecuadorian colleagues and myself--hope to revise our plan of action for the project, set timelines and goals, as well as, assess the needs and wants of women in the area. After my visit (June 9th-July 22nd), I will report back to all of you about our new project goals and timeline. I'm really excited going forward and hope you are too.
In my own research, I will be examining how our colleagues are using educational workshops and initiatives to help women make informed decisions about themselves and their families. I will be looking at how women educators in Cotacachi view themselves in relationship to a larger Latin American women's movement and how they build coalition across lines of difference (indigenous, mestiza, and afro-ecuadorian women). I'm excited to share more details about this research project upon my return as well.
Another exciting thing to report is that a member of Global Giving will be visiting Cotacachi during my stay to meet with me and the rest of our colleagues to learn about the project. It will be nice to make those connections more formally and to be able to share our stories and dedication to this project to one another in person.
Here in Champaign, Illinois we're also hosting fundraisers, sharing the story of women organizers in Cotacachi through the "Carichina Women" are exhibition, and generating support online. If you have some time, please make a donation today.
Warmly,
Rachel Storm, Executive Director
Four Walls and a Roof | 405 W. Springfield Ave. 2W, Champaign, IL. 61820
FIELD REPORT | JULY 12TH, 2010
Dear Donors and Friends,
We thank you for your continued support of Four Walls and a Roof (FWAAR) Project and our efforts to raise the money necessary to establish the first battered women's shelter in Cotacachi, Ecuador, where domestic violence is a growing problem.I am excited to be writing you with information about our efforts this past spring, as well as to inform you about our upcoming fundraiser programs and how you can get involved! Between the Global Giving Project Challenge this past spring and a handful of other fundraisers, we were able to raise over $2,000 to support our project in Cotacachi, Ecuador.
Of course, it hasn't been easy and the women we're working with in Cotacachi have met serious obstacles. Firstly, upon his election at the beginning of the year, the new mayor of Cotacachi withdrew critical governmental support from the women's center in Cotacachi, forcing it to close and for all the women we work with to lose their jobs.Nonetheless, we are unwavering. Our collaborations continue and the recent lack of governmental support further exemplifies how necessary a women's shelter and women's services are in the Cotacachean community. The new absence of a domestic violence center hasn't discouraged us. Instead, it encourages us to consider new possibilities and to consider how the need to establish sustainable housing and domestic violence prevention programs make the project to build a women's shelter even more critical.
It is with this new sense of urgency that we continue fundraising and providing support to our sister-workers in Cotacachi, Ecuador. With that being said, here are some of our projects in the works:
- FWAAR Project is launching its own website this upcoming fall. It will feature information about our project, weekly project reports, photo galleries of our fundraisers, and a donation widget where you can support us financially with just a couple of clicks!
- FWAAR Project's fundraiser programs include a photography exhibition scheduled for September 17th-19th at Indi Go Gallery in Champaign-Urbana. All sales from prints, donations at the door, and drink sales will benefit FWAAR.
Thank you again to all our donors. Your support gives the women of Cotacachi and FWAAR hope for a better future.
Warmly, Rachel Storm, Director Four Walls and a Roof (FWAAR) Project