About Us | crecer

About CRECER

Our Mission Statement

We strive to promote increased access to health care services in underserved regions of Ecuador through education, treatment and research.

Elaine Keane, OTD, OTR/L
Executive Director

Susana Albuja
Project Manager

Elaine Keane, OTD, OTR/L was elected by the Board of Directors to be the first Executive Director of CRECER at the first annual meeting on July 26th, 2010. Dr. Keane has been an occupational therapist since 1985. She has practiced in a variety of settings including hospitals, nursing homes and outpatient rehabilitation. She first went to Ecuador to do volunteer work in 2001.

Susana Albuja was elected by the Board of Directors to be the Program Manager for CRECER at the first annual meeting. Sra. Albuja is a past Provincial Director for the Instituto Nacional del Niño y Familia (INNFA) (National Institute of the Child and Family) in the province of Imbabura. She was born and raised in Ibarra, Ecuador, and is currently living in Quito. She has worked closely with Dr. Keane to develop volunteer sites in Ibarra and around Ibarra and continues to make sure the activities of the organization run smoothly.

About Our Logo

The underlying yin-yang sign represents two different forces coming together. These forces can be seen as the people from the United States and Ecuador who are working together to build this project. They are represented not as one force greater than the other but as equals and complementary to each other. The hands represent the human element of people reaching out to each other. The colors include the red, white and blue of the U.S. flag and the yellow, blue and red of the Ecuadorian flag. The flag of the city of Ibarra is also red and white. CRECER, the acronym for Centro de Rehabilitación, Educación, Capacitación, Estudios y Recursos, is in the center of the design. The word "crecer" means "to grow" in Spanish.