From Ecuador: Program evaluation for savings and loans

Our project was made possible through Freedom from Hunger, the nonprofit that funds the youth savings programs we are studying. The organization believes that educating youth about good financial habits and encouraging them to save will help bridge the poverty gap as Ecuador’s next generation enters the workforce.

Of the dozens of youth we’ve met with so far, there is one young man that particularly exemplifies a success story for the program.

This young man is 19 years old. He started attending the program’s financial education talks over two years ago, and opened a savings account shortly after. We visited him at his home in a rural area in Ecuador.

There, on his family’s pig farm, this young man explained to us how the savings program encouraged him to plan for the future, secure a job, and save. Through the job he currently works, he is able to put money away in his account and help support his mother, brothers and sisters on their farm.

He hopes to continue working and eventually attend university. He has a clear vision of what he wants in the future, and the program has assisted him in achieving his goals.

Randall Cass, graduate student, International Agricultural Development
with Lady Carolina Tavarez, undergraduate student, Spanish

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Here you will find updates on our organization, and blog posts written by each of our Blum Fellows about their experiences abroad. Make sure to check out our website at blumcenter.ucdavis.edu, and like us on Facebook at www.facebook.com/UCDavisBlumCenter to get regular updates and see our upcoming events.

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