Helping the Community in Cotacachi, Ecuador

By Wendy DeChambeau: Internationalliving.com

For Chuck and Susan Bussey, 60 and 61, relocating from Georgia to the highland town of Cotacachi, Ecuador, was the move that saved their retirement.

They both had good jobs in Georgia, where Chuck was an airline mechanic for Delta Airlines and Susan was a dental hygienist. But “we decided that retiring out of the country was our only choice,” says Susan. “Health insurance rates in the U.S. were never going to go down for us, so we would have to move or just keep working forever.”

As Susan says, “Cotacachi was a very good choice for us. We get to live in a small town, but there are conveniences [in Ecuador’s capital, Quito] close by.”

Perhaps the best thing about their new life in Ecuador is the joy they’ve found helping people in need at the local Place of Hope soup kitchen.

In January 2016, they made the big move and immediately jumped into life in Ecuador. They began researching volunteer opportunities before they came. “We wanted to figure out what we could do and how we could contribute to the community,” Chuck says.

It didn’t take long for Chuck to find information online about the Place of Hope soup kitchen that operates out of Cotacachi. While Ecuador’s culture is family-oriented and most people take good care of elderly relatives, a few folks have no family left to help them. Place of Hope operates out of a community center and provides a good breakfast of eggs, fruit, bread, and colada (a thick, oatmeal-based drink) five days a week to anyone who needs it.

The couple knew right away that that was what they wanted to do once they arrived in town. “It struck a chord with us, because those who need to go there are just sweet old people who don’t have any family to take care of them,” Susan says.

“When we were working 10-hour days, along with a 45-minute commute each way, it made it next to impossible to donate our time to volunteer work. Since we first learned of the soup kitchen in Cotacachi, we knew that is one of the things we wanted to help with once we moved here. It is so rewarding to see how grateful these sweet people are, and the thanks we get from them each day make our hearts happy. We also feel lucky to now have the time to give to others.”

Every Friday, they start their volunteer work at 7 a.m. and work for two hours or so. “It’s not hard work, it’s just busy,” says Susan. “We fill the plates, set the table, and fill cups. When the people come, they want to shake your hand and talk to everybody. And at the end of the day we get 57 hugs.”

Now Chuck has joined the Place of Hope board of directors. But even with their regular volunteer work, they’ve found time to completely remodel their two-story house and enjoy the opportunities their new country affords them. They’ve taken tours to nearby attractions (cloud forests, hot springs, and museums exploring Ecuador’s rich history) and have had fun learning and practicing Spanish with their local neighbors.

They didn’t intend to move to Ecuador, but when they visited Cotacachi, they found that “it just felt like home. We’d walk down the street and it was like a small town back home. Everyone would say, ‘Hi, how are you doing? Where are you going?’ We just fell in love with it.”

The small-town atmosphere, close-knit community, and affordable living are all nice benefits. But the pair has found Cotacachi’s mild climate (days typically hit 70 F) to be ideal, too.

“Atlanta was icy in the winters and hot and miserable in the summers. The weather here is perfect.”

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