In 2001 the first expedition of indigenous women reached the summit of Cotopaxi, the highest active volcano in the world just shy of 20,000 feet. Four Andean women (Warmis) and two American women all joined together to climb in celebration of women worldwide. Dana Platin was one of the women on that expedition.
Photos from Dana’s Service
Dana Platin’s Peace Corps Story
Where and when did you serve? What did you do?
I served almost 3 years as a Peace Corps volunteer, in a rural community located in the northern Andes of Ecuador, about 2 hours south of the Colombian border. Living above 9,000 feet elevation, I adapted and acclimated to the thin air and highland living. The first language in this community is Kichwa and 2nd language is Spanish. As a generalist I collaborated and worked with indigenous girls and women in leadership development, community health, education, and small business development. Living and working alongside the Warmis (women in Kichwa) I gained their love and respect as together we experienced moments of powerlessness and empowerment and learned how girls and women can address, overcome, motivate and achieve what we want when we put our minds to it.
What is one of your favorite Peace Corps memories?
My top 3 greatest memories of my Peace Corps service:
Mushuc Mullo (pronounced Moo-Shoo Moo-Yo) the New Seed in Kichwa. It was one of my hardest tasks to pitch the idea and help convince the parents to allow this to happen. The New Seed, by planting seeds now we may pave the way for this next generation of girls. I will never forget that moment when I realized that I had an audience right under my nose and that I was ignoring and not taking seriously, the girls. I always had this vision of my Peace Corps service working with the adults and helping them come together as a community to improve their quality of life and community development. I didn’t envision myself working with young girls, it just never came to me nor did Peace Corps request I do this, “yet” I had these little girls following me around since day 1, by my side, “wanting” to work with me but never actually being direct and telling me. In the culture I grew up in, things are much more obvious; people will let you know, it’s “in your face” and here I was just oblivious to the obvious. So, there it was, my moment of clarity, I had an audience, I had these shy, little Warmis, and potential leaders all lined up in front of me with their dusty old notebooks, broken pencils and their best attire ready willing and fired up to learn. I had the future in front of me and I was negligent. I had ignored them; I didn’t take them seriously until now, until I let them lead me…
International Women’s Day- March 8, 1999: when we turned tragedy into community action. The girls and women guiding me, leading us to solutions for some of our communities’ greatest challenges. “Anita, my little sister leading, reading and translating women’s rights from Spanish to Kichwa alongside her mother Rosa Elena to the community. Not only did we stir the pot on raising awareness about women’s rights in a community that stayed silent for so long, we stirred the pot of quinoa soup that brought people together, brought strength and belief that change can happen when you take action and work at it. Our quinoa soup soothed the soul. Women, girls, men and boys gather to observe International Women’s Day to learn and discuss views around women’s rights. March 8, 1999.”
Being a part of the first expedition of indigenous women to climb to the summit of Cotopaxi, the world’s highest most active volcano at 19,347 feet, located in Ecuador, South America.
