The Santiago Partnership seeks to serve underprivileged communities in Ecuador by transforming the lives of at-risk children and their families. One of our primary goals is local self-sustainability from a financial and leadership standpoint. Specifically, we look to maximize the financial resources generated in Ecuador so our projects are less dependent on outside aid along with empowering the local Ecuadorian Leadership by having local Ecuadorians responsible for all projects. The Forever Flowers social enterprise is the next step in reaching the goals for the Project.
The Problem
What we've seen all around the world is that when international projects are dependent upon foreign aid, they just don't last in the long-term.
We, the Santiago Partnership (the U.S. based 501c3 nonprofit organization), realize it's time to get out of the way and allow Rolando and his team to lead this project into the future. The Santiago Partnership's goals from when we started out in 2014 were to: 1. Open the Medical Clinic (check!) 2. Open the Home for At Risk Children (check!) and 3. Help the project to become self-sustainable. We don't want the story of the project in Cayambe to become one of those stories of an international project which was great while it lasted, but it just didn't last.
The Solution
Our goal from the beginning has always been self-sustainability for the project, but since we were starting from scratch, we felt it was important to develop the ministries first. That said, Rolando and his team have always been working toward self-sustainability as you can see how the percentage of the project's budget has been sustained by funds within Ecuador and how that percentage has grown over the years:
But now we would like to take a bigger step...
Enter: the Forever Flowers initiative
Our business model will be to start small, produce high quality flowers, and then teach others to grow the same beautiful flower as well, so that way we can produce more product together to be able to sell at higher quantities. After we establish a revenue stream with only domestic sales, we will then look to convert our flower into an international product.
You can support the Forever Flowers Initiative by clicking Donate below and marking your donation for “Forever Flowers.”
At Forever Flowers, our unwavering commitment lies in environmental stewardship. We uphold sustainable flower production practices that encompass the use of organic fertilizers and eco-friendly materials, all under the vigilant oversight of seasoned horticulturists. These practices not only ensure the absence of biological risks to our workforce but also align with and adhere to the stringent regulations and protocols set forth by the Ministry of the Environment of Ecuador.
In our pursuit of social responsibility, we have woven a tapestry of opportunity within the indigenous community that serves as the Forever Flower's home. This endeavor has led to the creation of employment opportunities, fostering an environment where both novices and seasoned professionals can grow and flourish together. Our commitment to diversity and inclusivity is evidenced by a workforce that is equally composed of women and men, each enjoying equitable compensation—a testament to our dedication to wage parity and gender balance.
Updates to Forever Flowers
December 10th, 2020 - A pickup truck with a cooler was purchased for Forever Flowers.
February 24th, 2021 - Received the emission of the updated legal paperwork for FACE (our local NGO).
March 11th, 2021 - Esther Moreira was hired as the Forever Flowers Administrator.
July 24th, 2021 - Shipping container half-filled with farming equipment to be shipped from Minneapolis was approved by the Ecuadorian consulate in Minneapolis.
August 31st, 2021 - The land for Forever Flowers was officially purchased and put into the name of FACE.
September 12th, 2021 - The ground was broken for the first time on the land with repairs being made to the entrance and the first tilling of the soil.
September 15th, 2021 - The shipping container was shipped to Ecuador from the port of Seattle.
October 8th, 2021 - The shipping container arrived at the port of Guayaquil, Ecuador.
November 19th, 2021 - A new initiative Forever Flowers 2 - Extending into the Commmunity was started.
November 29th, 2021 - Construction on the Forever Flowers Greenhouses began.
December 3rd, 2021 - A Container filled with supplies for the farm arrived to Cayambe.
January 15th, 2022 - The construction of the Greenhouses was completed.
April 3rd, 2022 - A new Reservoir was dug on the Forever Flowers farm.
May 11th, 2022 - The Irrigation System and the Reservoir were completed.
June 12th, 2022 - The Alstroemerias were planted.
July 8th, 2022 - The Baseroots for the Roses were planted.
September 6th, 2022 - We welcomed Karolína Nováková to the Forever Flowers team.
September 21st, 2022 - The Rose Varieties were grafted into the baseroots so our first rose cultivation is complete.
November 20th, 2022 - We harvested our first 150 alstroemerias.
January 22nd, 2023 - We completed our first sale of alstroemerias.
February 6th, 2023 - We harvested our first roses.
February 14th, 2023 - We completed our first sale of roses.
February 15th, 2023 - Construction was started on the Forever Flowers’ Business Center.
September 20th, 2023 - The Ecuadorian government approved the new statutes of FACE
All these updates with more detail can be found on our Blog