Hello from Quito, Ecuador!
I arrived with no problems - in fact the flight was almost the same length as the Boston-SF trip that I'm so accustomed to. A FINCA driver picked up from the airport, and the next day I was at the office at 9am to start work. Lucia, the head of marketing with whom I'm working, is great! I think we'll have a lot of fun together - and we seem to work together very well. After a few visionary differences we managed to come up with a project schedule and terms of reference that I am quite excited about.
I'll spend the first week or so in Quito, then head to La Libertad, on the coast, then to Guayaquil (the other main city) to interview clients in the different branch offices. The back to Quito....then up to Ibarra (in the Northern highlands) where I will spend most of the remaining time. For FINCA, I'm gathering information about the demand for savings accounts. FINCA Ecuador is in the processing of converting from a non-profit into a registered bank - and so in a few months they will be able to offer clients individual savings accounts. At this point clients only have small group savings accounts as part of their village banking group. (For more info on FINCA or village banking click: www.villagebanking.org )
The research for my thesis will mostly be carried out in Ibarra...and will be focusing on 2 or 3 communities in the region. The field research will consist of learning about the communities main livelihood strategies and their access to markets. The main question will be how they think they could better take advantage of market opportunities, and the role that microfinance might be able to play in that process. As it gets more defined I'll give an update on the specifics.
For now, I'm off to meet my new Quiteño friends for lunch and to find a better place to stay for the rest of my time in Quito. Keep in touch!
About Me
- Amanda
- Amanda has an M.A. in Law and Diplomacy from The Fletcher School at Tufts University where she studied development economics and poverty reduction strategies. For more on her professional background, visit the AC official site. www.theandeancollection.com Amanda is continuously impressed by the power of the blogosphere and is not quite sure she really grasps the enormity of this world. In the morning she needs one cup of coffee (which is sometimes difficult in Ecuador) and NPR and/or the NY Times to start off the day correctly. When she is not traveling, you can find Amanda in Manhattan’s East Village or waiting for the F train to Brooklyn. Her work is inspired by her passion for development studies and the belief that there has to be a better way. Bigger is not always better, and sometimes just getting up and taking action is more effective than years of debate and theory. She tends to agree with Economists Dani Rodrik and Bill Easterly, and thinks Jeff Sachs doesn’t really understand how the world on the ground works. Amanda also loves thrift stores and recycled jewelry.
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