Baños, Tungurahua is a town which thrives on tourism…in fact it is the main support of the 20,000 people who live in the city and the surrounding rural areas. The majority of international tourists, even those from Europe and Asia speak English, although many of them do not speak Spanish. Knowledge of how to communicate in English has become essential for the most people in Baños, many of whom operate restaurants, hotels, tourist agencies, etc.
Although English is taught in the schools, students only receive an average of one hour a week of classes taught by a teacher who is not a native English speaker. The opportunities for adults to learn English in Baños are limited; usually taught in the Spanish Schools, they are prohibitively expensive for the average citizen. The teaching in both instances centers on grammar, with little or no conversation or creative participation on the part of the student.
In the future we hope to provide classes for city emergency workers, Police, Red Cross and Bomberos (Firemen) at reduced cost as a community service to the city of Baños.