February was a great month for the project with new processes and ways of working with the schools and the new local English teacher, Carmen. As part of the changes due to Carmen arriving we started classes in Independencia and Esfuerzo - two schools 15 minutes off the Arajuno Road but in the local rural district of El Triunfo. Things are going well and there are meetings with three more schools to discuss English teaching in these schools. So we have gone from 5 schools to 7 with maybe 10 from April. This represents a great development for us and exciting times as we grow and establish the project in the community.

We have also had meetings with local businesses and the mayor of Pastaza canton to look at funding and help for books and transport to aid our expansion - much as we love our car Julian, we need something more reliable and less expensive to maintain (as I write this he is in the mechanics again!).

A number of schools have requested help in the form of agricultural assistance so that they can grow their own food to give to the children and to help the children to learn. This will be a great project to get up and running - more news next month.
We joined a group of American teachers at 22 for a morning of presentations and dancing which we hope will develop into a long term relationship between 22 and schools in the USA - watch this space!

Sarah arrived this month with a film cameraman and sound engineer and a huge camera to work on the project and film rural life in the schools and community for her university project. Hopefully when she finishes we will have a video for the web page for previous volunteers to see some old faces and places and for prospective volunteers to see what we do, where and with whom and a bit about life here in the Ecuadorian rainforest.

Also I finally, at the end of February, saw the volcano Sangay some 80 kilometres from the house) after nearly two months of waiting - an awesome sight!

Simon Barlow, Arajuno Road Project Coordinator