Poko x Piñán Scholarship Fund
Poko x Piñán Scholarship Fund
Your Purchase Has Power
The Piñán x Poko Scholarship is a part of our long-term giveback initiative to bring sustainable education opportunities to youth in Piñán, Ecuador who have previously never had the chance to further their education within their rural village.
Every purchase from the Ecuador collection gives 5% to the scholarship fund and is directly shared with the eligible candidates, thanks to your purchase.
WHY Piñán
Origins & Impact
The remote village of Piñán, Ecuador is not far from our Ecuadorian artisans. Pokoloko began thanks to the rich culture & heritage of the Quecha Indigenous communities. To honour our origins is to support these global neighbours in a sustainable way that honours their origins.
POKO X Piñán
Reconciliation & Education
Today, Piñán remains one of the last communities in Ecuador still affected by colonial plantations which has impacted the villagers' ability to learn, develop & evolve. We’re proud to support the ongoing work of the Community Ascent Project since 2020.
GROWING TOGETHER
Shared Success
We’ve watched the classrooms & curriculums be built, and are already seeing the first graduating class. This scholarship fund directly supports the students, so that they can attend university and bring economic development to their community.
“This will give young women in the community an opportunity to pursue a career for the first time, and for this generation to follow their dreams to become local, bilingual guides, agricultural engineers, veterinarians and environmentalists.
Our mission now is to help these students become the next leaders in their community and to begin bringing local, sustainable, meaningful jobs to Piñán.”
-Simon Cretien, Co-Founder of Community Ascent Network
The Piñán High School
CAN works alongside contracted teachers through the local education district to ensure the curriculum aligns with required standards, and the architects at the University of Azuay created blueprints for the high school - built entirely by crowd-funding.
The Curriculum
Students are offered language training - enabling students to start working as guides in their region for eco-tourism. One of their teachers has been giving kiwcha language studies as this indigenous language has been lost due to their history.
The Next Steps
The Poko Scholarship is shared with graduating students to attend local educational institutions - a very first for this village, ever to see. The intention is that these students will help bring economic and sustainable development to Piñán through eco-tourism and more.
