Library empowers Girls & Women in coastal Ecuador

Dear friends and supporters,

Over the past few months, our library has experienced meaningful change and new beginnings. In August, Adriana Vaca returned from a transformative year in Germany through the World-Horizon program, which fosters international volunteer exchanges to support cultural interchange and peer empowerment. 

A Don Juan native, Adriana began volunteering with A Mano Manaba during the pandemic before becoming a full-time librarian.  Last August, she was one of the first local people to participate in this international cultural exchange program. For Adriana, living with a host family and working in a foreign country strengthend self-awareness, confidence, and independence. Despite language barriers and challenges, she describes her year as a transformative journey filled with growth, care, and lessons she is eager to bring home to Ecuador.

Back home, Adriana finds joy reconnecting with our community and inspiring younger girls as one of the first from Don Juan to live abroad. Adjusting hasn’t been easy—she’s navigating reverse culture shock—but she’s channeling her experience into new leadership. Adriana is now preparing to lead intercultural tours across Ecuador through a partnership with Grenzenlos, and Austrian organization to share her global learnings locally while empowering young women to seek opportunities they never imagined possible. Her work is especially vital as coastal Ecuador continues to be classified as a high-risk zone, restricting volunteer exchanges. Despite these limitations, Adriana’s efforts help keep cultural learning and connection alive.

As we welcome Adriana home, we also celebrate Karina, another A Mano Manaba volunteer who began her own year in Germany this September. For Karina, it’s her first time abroad—a leap of courage and discovery. She’s settling into life with her host family, working in a local school, and embracing the challenges of a new language and culture with gratitude and enthusiasm.

We are deeply proud of Adriana and Karina. Their journeys embody the power of learning, cultural exchange, and women’s empowerment. With your continued support, A Mano Manaba remains a place where such transformations take root.

With gratitude,
The A Mano Manaba Team