Each year SALEM Ecuador organises a special holiday programme. The motivation for these trips and activities is to make sure the children and young people in the village spend their free time wisely during school holidays by participating in fun, social activities. The holiday program helps to improve self-esteem, independance and and leadership skills. This…

„El Quetzal“ is a local family owned business started and run by José Meza and Barbara Wilson. With an idea, creativity and entrepreneurial spirit, over the last 12 years they have developed a successful, small business based in Mindo, Ecuador and Dexter, Michigan, USA. José and Barbara have invested in the local community in Mindo…

On Friday when we left SALEM to hike up to local a viewpoint, no one imagined that the highlight of the trip would be be sliding back down the hill on the way back to SALEM. 
After the group had completed the exhausting climb up to the viewpoint we took some time to catch our…

One of the highlights of this year’s holiday camp was a trip to „El Quetzal“, a local chocolate producer and restaurant to learn how to make chocolate: To begin with, we looked at the different kinds of cocoa plants, learned about the origen and history of chocolate production and harvested a cocoa pod from a…

On todays summer programme activity some of the older children had the chance to abseil down three local waterfalls! After quite a strenuous hike up to the waterfalls we were ready! One by one we descended the waterfalls. The last one – around 40 meters – was by far the largest and from the top…