Marching in Cayambe

By Mackenzie M.

During my life, I’ve attended protests and marches for various causes, all relating to human rights in some way. Because of this, I’ve come to appreciate and enjoy using my voice in this way to show support for many movements. During my time in Ecuador on service, I was very excited to learn that for March 8th, International Women’s Day, my host sister was going to be attending a march in the center of our city. She is part of a team that works to protect women in at-risk situations. While I wasn’t quite sure what to expect, I was excited to see and participate in something that feels very important to me, especially as a woman myself.

The day before the march, my sister’s team prepared both signs and a large banner that had the name of their organization to carry. The day of the march, we arrived downtown to find a massive amount of people organizing themselves in various groups. There were five or six different school groups, all distinguished by their own unique, formal uniforms. Many carried instruments, such as drums, or else were carrying batons with colorful tassels on the ends. In addition to school groups, there were also many other types of businesses and organizations there, all in matching shirts with banners to show who they were. Many other people also participated, either by walking or lining up along the street to watch.

While taking all of this in, I also noticed that there was a group of women who my sister had personally invited to join us in the march. I found out later that these women were all individuals who had received help or were in some way connected to my host sister’s team or organization. I felt empowered and proud to be walking alongside these women and to be celebrating both their and all women’s strength and courage. I also was proud to be walking with my host sister’s group which does such valuable and impactful work for women in the community.

We marched for around an hour in total, during which we listened to different school groups play music, chanted various chants, received roses, and waved pink, purple, and white balloons to show our appreciation and support. The march ended in the town square, where many people were gathered to celebrate, which included street vendors selling food, more chants and cheers, and people spending time together. Overall, it was a beautiful show of support for women in a way that I had never experienced or participated in before.

Since being in Ecuador, I’ve had the opportunity to try and experience many new things. While the idea of marching is not necessarily new for me, being a part of something so large in a new way was very powerful and beautiful, especially while experiencing it in a different culture. This experience meant a lot to me, especially being able to further connect with my host sister and her organization, and learn more about the work they are doing in the community. Being able to participate in something that was both familiar, but also very different has given me a new perspective and appreciation for this place and culture, and I am incredibly grateful to have been able to use my voice in a new way to show support for women everywhere.