Students, faculty expand literacy improvement efforts in Ecuador with support from Fund for WCU
Participants in a program funded by 甜瓜视频app鈥檚 1889 Impact Grants Program designed to improve literacy in Ecuador display the university flag while in the South American nation.
By Bill Studenc
Students and faculty from 甜瓜视频app鈥檚 College of Education and Allied Professions expanded ongoing efforts to improve literacy in rural communities of the Andes Mountains of Ecuador using educational materials purchased through an 1889 Impact Grant of $1,500.
The grant was made possible by donations to the Fund for WCU.
The 2024 project was the latest effort in a global community engagement partnership launched in 2022 with READ (Rural Education, Advancement, and Development), a nonprofit based in Haywood County focused on improving the economic, educational and health opportunities of underserved populations in Andean Ecuador through enhanced literacy.
In addition to providing teaching and learning materials to READ regional education resource centers in the Ecuadorian state of Cotopaxi, the funding also enabled the purchase of equipment to improve international Zoom meetings, said Patricia Bricker, WCU鈥檚 Jay M. Robinson Distinguished Professor of Educational Technologies.
鈥淭he project centered around academic excellence and the student experience with particular attention to experiential learning, global awareness and cultural understanding, community engagement, and external collaboration with nonprofits,鈥� Bricker said. 鈥淲hile our overall partnership would exist without these funds, the 1889 Impact Grant purchases help make these collaborative literacy-focused ideas actually happen.鈥�
The project also included two North Carolina educators from the kindergarten through 12th grade sector. 鈥淭hey participated in the learning activities before, during and after the trip, and they added a great deal to our community by sharing their teaching experiences and expertise, served as mentors to the WCU students and gained experience that positively influences their work as teachers,鈥� Bricker said.
For Breanna Barlow, a third-year graduate student in school psychology, participating in activities to help improve the lives of underserved populations in Ecuador through access to teaching and learning materials was a life-changing experience 鈥� for all involved.
A resident of a rural community in Ecuador鈥檚 Andes Mountains receives literacy tutoring through a program made possible by donations to the Fund for WCU.
鈥淲ith this project, community libraries were provided new materials for the children to use and for tutors to teach literacy skills. Without these libraries and resources, many children in underserved communities would have less access to education and learning opportunities,鈥� said Barlow, a Belmont resident who earned her bachelor's degree in elementary education at WCU in 2022.
鈥淲ith this support in place, these children not only are provided with literacy instruction, but they are provided more opportunities for their future as they have the potential to use their literacy skills to further their education and find a path out of generational poverty,鈥� she said.
Faculty and students from the School of Teaching and Learning were also positively affected by the project, Barlow said.
鈥淭he biggest impacts I noticed from this project on the students and faculty working to improve literacy in Ecuador was excitement for learning, an increased passion for teaching and confidence in their abilities,鈥� she said.
Donors to the Fund for WCU who contributed financially to the 1889 Impact Grants Program should feel good about how their gifts were used to make the latest Ecuadorian literacy project a reality, Barlow said.
鈥淭o the donors of the Fund for WCU who helped make this project possible, I would like to say thank you and extend my gratitude for your generosity and the opportunities you provided our group as we traveled to the beautiful country of Ecuador to support learning and literacy for underserved populations,鈥� she said. 鈥淣ot only did these funds support our group members in our efforts to teach literacy strategies and share resources, but they also had a major impact on the youth and faculty in Ecuador by opening up new, accessible opportunities for literacy education.鈥�
Plans are underway for the College of Education and Allied Professions next faculty-led trip to Ecuador in July 2025. It is open to WCU undergraduate and graduate students in education-related fields and to North Carolina educators, school administrators and professional staff in grades prekindergarten through 12. For information, contact Bricker at 828-227-3352 or bricker@.wcu.edu.
Launched in 2021, the 1889 Impact Grants Program is designed to provide a consistent source of funding for colleges and other units at WCU in support of initiatives that enhance the engagement of alumni and community stakeholders with the philanthropic activities of the university.
Funding for the program comes from annual contributions to the Fund for WCU, including leadership gifts from members of the 1889 Club, which recognizes donors for gifts made on an annual basis to the Fund for WCU. The club, among four giving societies established by the Division of Advancement to celebrate the impact of philanthropy on the institution, is named in honor of the year of WCU鈥檚 founding.
Campus partners requested more than $176,000 in 1889 Impact Grants through 23 campuswide grant applications for the 2023-2024 academic year, and the Division of Advancement allocated $47,000 overall for 12 projects, a slight increase from the $43,500 in grant funding awarded last year.
The WCU Foundation Board Executive Committee reviews all submissions and selects the awardees in the fall of each year. In addition to the 1889 Impact Grants Program, the Fund for WCU provides first-year access scholarships to new incoming freshmen and transfer students and supports ongoing donor stewardship efforts. To learn more about the 1889 Impact Grants Program, visit the Fund for WCU website.
