Centro Comunitario Manos Solidarias
I had the good fortune in January of 2007 to accompany a group of MIT students and Professor Jan Wampler to Ecuador, where they were presenting their design for a community center to the town of Pascuales. All of this was organized by Nicki Lehrer (see Resume, under Charity). This is a photo essay of the day of the presentation and the celebration that followed.
Click on any image below to begin a slideshow.
Sunday, February 25, 2007
Pascuales' center: a lovely plaza.
Four blocks removed from the center of town.
Construction from whatever is at hand.
But there's beauty to be found everywhere.
Despite tin and brick being the structure...
...hospitality is the cornerstone.
A dusty plaza becomes a forum...
...requiring the efforts of everyone.
Persistence overcame the foreign tongue.
The model was unveiled for review.
A critical eye: the space is for him.
The introductions: smiles work anywhere.
The calm before the storm: final details.
The presentation begins: they move in.
Jan and a captivated audience.
Hundreds of families and children on hand.
The rain never came, everything went well.
Twilight arrives, things are just beginning.
Dancing begins, but I had work to do...
...and an audience to photograph here.
A cornerstone, marked by all the children...
...serves as a reminder of why we're here.
The hard work is done, with thanks all around.
The end of our day: the central plaza.
