Ernie Didot, a 1992 ECHO intern, is a great story teller.
He visited ECHO this week, sharing the knowledge he has gained over the last decade and talking about the importance of using a place-based
educational model.
He began his presentation by telling the story of Juan’s Tortillas. The story begins in a small hut in Guatemala, as Juan wakes up to the familiar smells of coffee and fresh tortillas. Juan loves tortillas, especially the way his mother makes them just so.
As the story progresses, Juan’s mother becomes ill. She has trouble breathing and coughs up a sticky black substance. Juan eventually realizes that what is making his mother sick is the smoke from the open cooking fire in the hut.
He learns about a fuel efficient cook stove from another family and encourages his mom to try the new stove. Juan’s mother gets better, and thanks to the new stove that produces much less smoke, the whole family is healthier.
When Ernie finished his story, he asked the audience of ECHO staffers and interns to identify the ‘cultural handles’ – the parts of the story that made it specific to Guatemala.
‘The tortillas!’ one voice called out. ‘Juan!’ another said.
‘Now, what I want you to do,’ Ernie told the group in a dramatic whisper, as everyone leaned forward to here what he had to say. ‘I want you to put this story in another setting. One group, I want you to tell me this story from a Florida perspective. Another group, I want to hear how it would take place in Africa. The last group, tell me how it would sound in Asia. But, you have to convey the main idea on a basic level: tell me about the hazards of indoor air pollution in your setting.’
As the audience split into groups, Ernie smiled to himself, looking relaxed and confident. He was in his element. In the 15 years since he left ECHO, Ernie has received his Masters in Education and worked on video projects around the world. Working with Shellbook Publishing Systems and now HELPS International, Ernie makes videos that carry a variety of messages, from literacy to parables to health related films on worms and diarrhea.
Back to story telling, Ernie shared a brief tale about how he met his wife. Before he did the overseas component of his internship in Haiti, he saw a picture of an attractive young lady working on a project near his site. While putting his agricultural skills to good use in Haiti, Ernie said he, ‘cultivated my own gardens’ and worked on wooing the young woman. The couple spent the next eight years in Guatemala and now have two adopted children from that country.
Ernie Didot, a 1992 ECHO intern, is a great story teller. He visited ECHO this week, sharing the knowledge he has gained over the last decade and talking about the importance of using a place-based educational model. 
