DRAFT: This module has unpublished changes.

Course Description

 

NGO Management; Training Practicum, is a month long preparatory course for a larger 5 month management position working for the Ecuadorian based non-profit, Fundacion Runa, as their regional coordinator in Archidona, in the province of Napo. Fundacion Runa provides technical assistance to over 600 indigenous Kichwa farming families in the Napo, Pastaza, and Morona-Santiago provinces of the Ecuadorian Amazon, helping to plant organic agro-forestry systems with guayusa, food crops, fruit trees, forestry species, and medicinal plants. The training practicum, as mentored by Runa’s president, Tyler Gage, will focus on Runa’s organizational structure and projects. The course functions first as a tutorial on Runa’s U.S based LLC, Fundacion Runa’s incorporation as an NGO in Ecuador, and Runa’s organic and Fair Trade business practices. Additionally the course reviews regional projects, strategic alliances, staffing and internship positions, investors and investment strategies, and outlines of responsibilities as Runa’s regional coordinator in Archidona. 

 

 

Objectives  

 

The primary objectives of this course are to gain a greater familiarity with the organizational structure of Runa and to define my role as regional coordinator in Archindona Napo. Most importantly, I will need to develop strong relationships with staff in Quito and in all of the regional projects centers so that I can learn as much as possible about how Runa operates locally, nationally, and internationally.  A third, yet equally as important objective for the course, is to increase my cultural knowledge of the Kichwa communities in the Ecuadorian Amazon so that I can have a greater sensitivity to political, economic, religious/spiritual, and social conditions of the indigenous communities that I will be working alongside. Another objective is to increase my Spanish abilities, so that I can be an effective regional manager for Fundacion Runa.

 

Activities

 

To better understand the organizational structure of Runa LLC, U.S.A, and Fundacion Runa, Ecuador, I have compiled logistical documents written by Runa. These documents record Runa’s business plans, organic certification requirements and application documents, international and domestic grant proposals, Runa LLC’s Operating Agreement, documents on Runa’s export branch Runatarpuna, among other documents which profile Runa’s organizational development.

 

To ascertain what my future role as regional coordinator in Archidona, Napo, will be, I have compiled a list of activities that will help me figure out this position. I will have weekly meetings with Runa’s regional director, Fausto- Garcia, and with local field technicians “tecnicos”, who oversee the planting, maintenance, and harvest of Guayusa in farming communities that are within the regional domain of Napo. These meetings will be an opportunity for me to gain a comprehension of the scale, efficiency, and direction of Runa’s projects in the province of Napo. Additionally, I will also begin to oversee data collection, analysis, and record keeping from regional surveys of local farmers. Another responsibility will be for me to gain a familiarity with Runa’s Guayusa processing facility, located at office headquarters in Archidona. Furthermore, I will coordinate and help to design the volunteer/internship program in Archidona alongside Runa’s Project Development coordinator in Quito. We will work together to create a volunteer welcome brochure that outlines the requirements, work opportunities, and project goals of the volunteer/internship program.

 

 A third area of activity is geared towards broadening my comprehension of indigenous cultural knowledge and regional histories. I have gathered resources on guayusa agro-forestry, the ecological and cultural effects of the petroleum industry in Napo, reforestation initiatives, conservation issues, and indigenous Kichwa cultural heritage. Additionally,  I will participate in traditional Guayusa ceremonies in order to gain experience with the indigenous Kichwa way of life.

 

Mentorship Evaluation

 

My mentor, Tyler Gage, will evaluate me based on a variety of criteria. As a means of evaluating my competence in becoming a regional coordinator in Archidona, Napo, Tyler will rely on critical feedback from Archidona’s regional director, Fausto Garcia, as well as respective feedback from the field technicians. I will also be reviewed on my general knowledge of Runa’s organizational structure, my understanding of guayusa agro-forestry, and my knowledge of Runa’s local projects collaborating with communities in the province of Napo. I will also be evaluated on my work developing and coordinating the volunteer program with Runa’s project coordinator in Quito. Our welcome brochure packet, and our description of the volunteer/internship program will serve as a document of evaluation by my instructor.  

DRAFT: This module has unpublished changes.