We had the best time meeting our new friends on Monday night at Rotary Club of Riobamba. We immediately received the most gracious welcome from President René Mesias and his wife Edith and Secretary Orlando Echeverría and his wife Natalia. Both were consummate professionals and it was obvious there was strong leadership “at the top”. Rotary banners from hundreds of other clubs were displayed on the wall indicative of the wide spread influence this club has had in other communities and countries.
Agua Viva was given plenty of time (over an hour) to present our humanitarian proposal with almost constant interruption with intelligent questions and genuine concern for the needy. Question after question was discussed and our leadership felt certain we had found a good match with these compassionate businessmen and women. After our program, we enjoyed Quiche with jamón y pollo and more wonderful conversation about our families and their country. To top off the evening, the leadership invited us to dinner on Wednesday night.
Much to our surprise, some our new Rotarian friends showed up at our installation the next day. They have already picked our first installation site; a parroquia (county) called Columbe. So, we have started yet a new adventure into the wonderful country of Ecuador to serve these needy communities with NO access to clean drinking water.
