Exploring Ecuador: Service Learning, Indigenous Wisdom, and Leadership

The Craig School

April 11-19th, 2025

Open to all 7th-12th graders

Deadline to sign up- December 1st 2024

Register for the Craig School Ecuador Trip

The Gogi Abroad-Palugo Farm partnership is grounded in the common goal of seeing the world, its wonders, diverse cultures, and realities through the eyes of empowerment, education and environmental awareness.
An immersion into simple living begins as soon as students arrive at the Palugo farm in Ecuador. Palugo is a fourth generation family farm dedicated to sustainable practices and providing a space for learning directly from the land and its people. Here, the organic gardens, dairy cows, llamas, and chickens help us to understand ancient farming techniques while participating in engaging hands-on work.

Life at the farm involves a wide range of projects and daily chores. Students will process their own food, learn native crafts and work on service-learning projects.

“In a Service Learning environment, the emphasis is on what we are learning. Our personal growth comes from the perspective that we are all students, being allowed an education by doing. We walk away richer, wiser, and thankful.”~ Laurie Fichter (8th grade teacher)

Program Overview

Palugo Farm is located 1 hour from the city of Quito, and 15 minutes from the airport. The farm is nestled on 240 acres where four families live and twelve families share the work. Palugo sits at the same altitude as Quito, 2800m above sea level. Our days are warm and comfortable and the nights are cool. Summer, or the dry season, runs from March to August and the rainy season from September to February. The farm’s land consists of open fields for grazing, native ´chaparro´ (bush), introduced eucalyptus and pine (now used for construction and firewood), and native trees such as acacia, molle and aliso. The farm gardens have many edible species of altitude such as tamarillos and local berries. Palugo is a year round CSA producing a wide range of organic fruit, vegetables, dairy and meat products for local families. The farm herds of Brown Swiss cows have won numerous national and international awards for the past 25 years. Despite it’s distance to the city, Palugo is an oasis of wildlife attracting falcons, foxes, rabbits, owls and a large variety of bird species.

Indigenous crafts and activities consist of:

Traditional weaving
Carving spoons
Food processing: cheese, butter and yogurt making; preserves, fermentation and Kombucha
Working with medicinal herbs, making healing balms and oils
Felting the wool of Palugo llamas: hats, boots, and gloves projects
Leatherwork

LODGING

Accommodations at Palugo consist of wooden cabins and canvas tents with steel roofs and platforms. One cabin fits twelve bunk beds and a smaller cabin which accommodates up to six people. The cabins are built with local and low impact materials. Beds have mattresses. All lights are solar, and we encourage conscious use of energy as on cloudy days the solar batteries can run out and leave us to candle light. The communal space is called El Chozon and overlooks the beautiful Andes mountains. El Chozon consists of a large kitchen with a traditional wood oven, a small library and a communal space for meetings, reading, and sharing music. The bathroom has spring water to shower with and a solar water heater. The toilet is composting and students will be shown how to care and maintain these and all other facilities to ensure they remain clean and pleasurable to use. If laundry is to be done at Palugo, there is a good washing stone and plenty of sunny places for clothes to dry quickly.

FOOD

Much of our energy at Palugo Farm will revolve around food and meal preparation; a basic connection and sharing ritual which brings us closer to our roots. The meals at Palugo rely largely on what is planted in and harvested from the gardens. The farm provides us with a large variety of vegetables, eggs, meat, and fresh milk that is processed for yogurt, cheese and butter. Bread making, granola and general baking are a weekly chore done in a traditional oven and all food is cooked on an open fire.

Students will learn to harvest and cut wood for cooking and to prepare delicious local recipes. What does not come directly from the farm is brought in from area CSA’s.

Meals are mostly vegetarian except when a chicken, cow, guinea pig or rabbit is slaughtered as a special treat. Snacks are prepared to help maintain energy throughout the day, and include typical garrapiñada, toasted corn and fruit.

Possible menus might include (but depends on the inventiveness of the cook on duty)

Breakfast (6:00 to 6:30 am): fresh milk or yogurt, granola or fresh bread, coffee or tea, butter, marmalade, traditional colada made with oats, arroz con leche
Lunch (12:00 am to 1:00 pm): Quinoa, or cebada soup, rice, wheat, veggie pasta or sandwiches when out in the field
Dinner (6:00 to 7:00 pm): Wood-oven lasagna, corn soup, potato and bean patties and salsa.
We can accommodate all allergies and food restrictions.

HEALTH AND SAFETY

All Gogi/Nahual leaders on the farm are WAFA certified (Wilderness Advanced First Aid). The nearest hospital is located a 20 min drive from the farm. Palugo has safe drinking water.

PHONES AND COMMUNICATION

To keep students fully engaged, we ask them to keep their phones away during the day. This helps them make the most of their experience. Niles will send you updates via WhatsApp, and we’re available anytime to connect you with your child if needed. We’ll provide regular updates and reflections from your child and can arrange calls if you wish. We’ve found that students benefit greatly from being less connected to their phones during these trips.

IMMUNIZATIONS

We’ll be at high elevations of 9,000-10,000 feet, so no extra vaccinations are required. For your peace of mind, you can check the CDC for recommendations, but the final decision is yours.

Cultural Immersion in San Clemente (small village in the North)

Students will become engaged within the San Clemente community! They will visit the medicinal gardens and be immersed in daily life. Students will learn about the importance of cuy (guinea pig) within indigenous philosophy as a provider of strength and positivity as well as how it is used to diagnose illnesses. Students will help their host family in daily life activities, working with them in the kitchen and with the animals. A variety of daily activities will be accessible depending on the host family needs.

Helping at the Minga while we stay in San Clemente

Students will participate in a Minga and be immersed in the community! Minga is an ancient indigenous tradition based on solidarity. It means working together for a common goal to achieve better and faster work. Students will work with community members to improve their neighborhood by building, creating paths, maintenance or improving a children’s park. There are many activities students can help with while they interact with the community and learn from them!

We customize your trip to fit with your curriculum and goals. Gogi Abroad will organize all of the logistics of the trip and the teacher or administrator from your school can participate and witness their students excited to learn more about the world, themselves, and their place in the world. Our Gogi guides have a role of being nourishing and we support students, teachers, and families preparing for the program.

Craig School Program Information

Duration: 9 days
Focus: Indigenous cultural ways of living and knowing the world, Spanish immersion, crafts, simple living, service learning, community living, sustainability
Special visits: thermal pools, artisanal market, San Clemente village
Possible crafts: weaving, leather pouches, healing balms, felting, clay bowls
Community and Farm: We will work hand-in-hand with local community members. Farm activities range from working with the land and animals to contributing to sustainable building projects and service work with the local community.

Gogi has nurtured a relationship with Nahual and Palugo Farm for over a decade. Our own families have developed a relationship; we’ve connected with the indigenous people and the land. Over the years, we’ve created an important sisterhood to help students and adults transform while traveling. The Gogi-Nahual sisterhood is based on the common goal of seeing the world and all its cultural wonders through the lens of exchange, empowerment, education, and environmental awareness.

Example Itinerary

Please Note: Itinerary is subject to changes depending on group needs, weather and the group’s well-being

Day 1 - Arrival at Palugo Farm – Welcome circle and dinner

Day 2 - Palugo- Farm days

Activity AM: Tour of the farm and our regenerative agricultural systems, community building games. Introduction to farm chores.

Activity PM: Start craft projects and agricultural community service projects.

Day 3: Palugo- Farm Days

Activity AM: Morning farm chores, continue working on crafts projects

Activity PM: Geographic and historic lessons about Ecuador, and communal. Light up the wood burning oven for Pizza Night.

Day 4: Palugo- Farm days

Activity AM: Service Learning Project

Activity PM: Exploration and visit to the Palugo Caves. And learn about how these water systems were created for the farm to irrigate all of the fields.

Day 5: Palugo- Cuicocha lake- San Clemente community

Activity AM: Early departure to Cuicocha lake for a hike. Arrive in the community of San Clemente- meet host families and become acquainted with this magical indigenous community.

Activity PM: Cultural immersion with families and community

Day 6: San Clemente Village and Homestay

Activity AM: Time at host families house. Cultural immersion

Activity PM: Dinner and tour of villages/ farms/ animals and countryside.

Soccer game at the local school in the late afternoon.

Day 7: San Clemente- Back to Palugo Farm

Activity AM: Spend the morning with the community and head out after an early lunch. Say good-bye to our families

Activity PM: Stop off at Otavalo craft market to shop and admire local crafts. Arrive in the evening to the farm

Day 8: Palugo-Papallacta Hot Springs

Activity AM: 2-hour walk through the highland landscape to arrive at the hot springs.

Activity PM: Soak up the warm water of the hotsprings and enjoy and share the memories of our adventure. Clean-up, pack and closure.

Day 9: Departure to the USA

Trip highlights:

Arrive at Palugo Farm and take part in the rhythm of a permaculture farm. Prepare for an expedition through food preparation, community building, and farm work
Experience an indigenous homestay and community.
Here we will learn about traditional farming and living and spend days working with the local Kichwa community in education and reforestation
Explore caves and beautiful rock formations, swim in natural rivers
Discover and be immersed in a new culture with Kichwa communities promoting self-sufficiency and eco-tourism initiatives
End your journey by relaxing and rejuvenating in the mineral-rich, Papallacta hot springs

Tuition: $4,900 per student

Craig School Teacher Chaparone for this trip is Mr. Furlong

We require a $500 non-refundable deposit to hold your spot. GOGI can then do a payment plan for months leading up to the program.

Tuition includes:

All ground transportation in Ecuador, including pick up from the airport
All accommodations in Ecuador
Three daily meals (made from locally grown, organic food), including water, tea, and juice
Craft supplies and instruction
Guided tours and Gogi T-shirt
Excursion to hot springs
Gogi - Nahual guides to inspire, educate, and connect students to another culture and family.

Tuition does not include:

Roundtrip airfare to Quito ($1,200-$1,500) AND any excess baggage charges. GOGI will be purchasing airfare.
Food and drinks at the airport
Personal expenses, such as gifts (max $60)
International Travel insurance with World Nomads (around $100-$200)
HOW TO SIGN UP
Questions? Feel free to Email us at: info@gogiabroad.com or call for more information at 802-275-2948