Dear Friends: 2025 was a big year for CWEF – our 20th anniversary! Thirty-three graduates, twelve current scholars, and we hope to continue for another 20 years, at least. In January, our local committee decided to mark the milestone with a celebration in April. We formed several work groups—communications, planning, food, program, and so on. I joined the communications team, which meant helping to design promotion materials, and ensuring that out-of-town guests who are a part of our history received invitations.

We worked with a local designer to create the banner above and a beautiful three-fold flyer for the event that was shared with all attendees. An artist friend in New Jersey, who has an adopted a son from Cañar, contributed the cover image.

As the date got closer, our committees went into high gear, making sure that every graduate was contacted, out-of-town guests invited, and all other details covered: program, logistics, food, and flowers. And the location?  Our front yard!

The day before the event, the logistics committee delivered a sound system along with two huge speakers and a technician, five wedding tents (with the logo “You Deserve to be Happy”), and 50 chairs (donated by the municipality). I ran out into the yard, saying, “No, no, we don’t need all this stuff. It is a simple event.” But I was ignored.

Ha. I had no idea. The following day, when about fifty guests, including graduates, current scholars, parents, children, siblings, grandparents, and visitors from Quito and Cuenca showed up, I saw how wrong I had been. This was no “simple event.” And we even had the enormous luck of a good weather day.

The day-long celebration began with a blessing by a yachac…,

…and ended with a pampamesa, a communal meal.In between, we had speakers and demonstrations, we heard from our graduates, we gave gifts, and we schmoozed…

Special guests were two friends who managed the scholarship program before I came to live in Ecuador: Lucia Astudillo in Cuenca and Marta Alban, in Quito (Lourdes Abad, in the black hat, was the architect of our house). There were many happy reunions with early graduates that Lucia and Marta had not seen in many years.

And that, dear friends, was the end of a wonderful day marking our 20th anniversary. We could never have reached this goal without your kind support over the years. Mil gracias!

A final note:  My Cañar Chronicles website was hacked last year just as I was sending out the 2024 scholarship letter. Many of you got warnings, my site was blocked, and the letter might have ended up in your spam file. I switched to the Substack platform for my chronicles, but this website was fixed way back in February. I’ve regularly checked it since, and I’m using it again for the scholarship letter, as the Substack has become public with subscribers I don’t necessarily know.

However, I will post a short note on my Substack site with links this letter and to the PayPal button. Many of you will also receive the paper letter. Sorry for the multiple communications. I hope to be more streamlined next year.  Until then, un abrazo de Cañar Judy B.

CWEF is an official 501(c) 3 nonprofit, which means your contributions are tax deductible and every dollar goes directly to the women. Checks can be made to CWEF and sent to Charlotte Rubin, 2147 NW Irving St., Portland, OR 97210. Or you can contribute through PayPal with the secure “DONATE” button above. Please stay in touch, and know that your support of our program means so much to our scholarship women, their families, and their communities.   Thank you, Judy