We take with us an unforgettable experience. Each day we learned from the values of the indigenous community, their eagerness to learn, to improve, and their warmth.
Ana Zapata
Marketing
Inma Sotelo
Administration and HR – Levante
Ecuador with Fundación CODESPA
When Mª José Gassó proposed the project and explained that it would be the first corporate volunteer project involving support services, we felt a huge responsibility—but also great excitement to take it on. The project we joined was developed by Fundación CODESPA in the Colta Canton (Ecuador). There, indigenous dairy-producing communities formed a cooperative of 200 families called COCICH, whose goal was to collect milk and process it into fresh cheese to sell to the public. Milk is the main source of income for these families, so the future of the cheese-making company is key to their development and survival.
Our work began several weeks before the trip. We held several Skype meetings with the foundation to get up to speed on the project’s status. We read all previous studies and business plans and prepared part of the work before arriving in Ecuador. Honestly, we weren’t sure what we would truly be able to contribute. Would our knowledge be helpful? Would what works here also work there? Would they be open to our suggestions? Would it be useful? All of our doubts disappeared on the very first day we visited Colta and set foot in the cheese factory. Pablo, the manager, welcomed us enthusiastically and asked for help improving the factory’s management. He told us that he was a teacher chosen by the general indigenous assembly to lead the company, but he had no formal business training. He was eager to learn everything—organizational charts, job descriptions, investment plans, marketing plans, etc.—and wanted to make the most of our expertise to implement improvements as quickly as possible. We spent hours talking to all the workers to understand their needs and motivations firsthand. We also visited the dairy farming families, witnessing their way of life in the peaceful, serene Colta highlands.
Each day we worked closely with Fundación CODESPA staff and the cheese factory employees. After many meetings and interviews, we identified their key needs and developed an HR plan and a marketing plan to help professionalize the business, improve product sales, and boost income.
Our last day on the project was very special. We presented our final work to the board of the indigenous assembly, which had recently appointed a new president. This was our biggest challenge: adapting our proposals to the audience—rural indigenous leaders—and earning their trust. Our ideas were always based on their identified needs and priorities. They listened intently throughout the morning and welcomed our proposals enthusiastically, fueled by the new leadership, recent management changes, and a shared desire to improve the company for the good of the entire community.
We presented the HR and marketing plans, including a proposed new logo and packaging, which were well received. As a token of gratitude, they prepared a traditional indigenous meal—corn, beans, cheese, and soup—all delicious. They also gave us a handmade bag as a thank-you gift for our work with the community.
We walk away with a deeply meaningful experience that we will never forget. We’ve learned every day from the values of the indigenous community, their drive to learn and improve, their warmth—and also from each other. We want to thank GAES Solidaria for giving us the opportunity to kick off this first international corporate volunteer program, and also Elena Santaclara and the GAES Ecuador team for their warm welcome. We hope we’ve contributed our small grain of sand to support COCICH and the broader Colta indigenous community.