The document summarizes the founding and work of the Kawayan foundation, which was started by students in Ecuador to help families affected by a devastating 2016 earthquake. The foundation focused on building bamboo homes in the city of Bahía de Caráquez. Over two trips in 2019 and 2020, the foundation built a total of 6 homes for families in need. The work gave the author a new perspective on appreciating his own opportunities and family. He was moved by the gratitude of the families, who welcomed the group like family despite their circumstances. The foundation hopes to continue its work of building more homes with younger generations now involved.

1. The
Foundation of
KAWAYAN
BY: JOAQUIN ACOSTA

2. Introduction
On April 16 of 2016, the coast of Ecuador was hit by
one of the strongest earthquakes ever recorded in
the country's history. The result, a 7.8 magnitude
earthquake causing hundreds of deaths and millions
of dollars in damages.
By 2018, people of the region were still struggling by
the aftermath. So, a group of students from our high
school, including myself, decided to get together and
began an initiative to help those in need.
After meetings and planifications by us , a non profit
organization was born: Kawayan. The purpose of the
foundation was to pick one of the most affected
cities in the coast of Ecuador and build homes for
the families affected.
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3. KAWAYAN
The first city that received our help was Bahía de
Caráquez, located in Manabí, the province most
affected by the earthquake.
There we chose a neighborhood called San Roque,
and guided by the government's requirements, it
was decided to build 15 houses made of bamboo
wood (an environment friendly material) .
The materials for the houses were provided by
another foundation called Caemba.
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4. First trip To Bahía de
Caráquez
In February of 2019, the first group went to San
Roque to begin the construction. By the end of
our first trip, it took about three weeks to build
3 houses out of the 15 and they were given to
the first families in need.

5. Second trip To Bahía
de Caráquez
The second trip took place in February of 2020.
Here we managed to build 3 more houses, but
in record time.Thanks to another foundation,
Caemba, we were able to gather more
personnel to finish the homes in just 5 days.
They explained to us more efficient ways to
build these houses and how to work with the
materials.

6. Pictures of the Second Trip

7. Impact on Me
This trip changed my perspective on valuing
family and the things that I have. At first, I
believed that the people were not going to
accept us, but they welcomed us with love
and gratitude.
They practically treated us like family. I was
filled with so much emotion to know that
these jobs mean so much to them who do
not have the same possibilities as me.

8. Impact on Me
Despite it’s circumstances, the
population of San Roque is a clear
example that wealth is not
needed to achieve happiness.
From the first moment, they
opened the doors of their homes
to us, and that shows that in
humility people live completely.
Truly, the KAWAYAN experience is
unique because it connects
everyone's hearts and feelings,
changes your perspective on the
world, and you begin to give
thanks for the opportunities in
your life.

9. The Next Generations
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Due to COVID-19 and the lockdown, we didn’t go this year to Bahía,
but we have sent them some supplies that they have asked for.
We want to continue with this project so this year we asked
younger generations to be part of Kawayan and become a new
legacy to continue with this amazing duty until we achieve our
objective.

10. Thank
You!