Warmi STEM

Leticia is a chemical engineer by profession, and was the first woman of her indigenous community based in northern Ecuador to access higher education. During her time at university, she met mentors that inspired her to give back and share the knowledge she had gained. She founded Warmi STEM in 2019 to empower indigenous women and encourage their participation in STEM fields. Leticia was introduced to other indigenous women in 2020 through the Fundación Kichwa Institute of Science, Technology and Humanities (KISTH), of which she is also a co-founder, and they joined Warmi.

Leticia attended the One Young World Summit in Munich, 2021. She has since helped other young indigenous women from Ecuador participate in national and international events through her mentorship and advisory roles in the community. Leticia has advised other indigenous women applying for international scholarships, with her KISTH co-founder, One Young World Ambassador Janeth Bonilla, winning a scholarship to the Summit in Manchester, 2022, following her successful participation in another programme supported by Leticia.

Warmi STEM has worked to promote STEM fields by directly engaging over 200 students in four indigenous communities in person and another ten communities online. The organisation’s STEM workshop lasts for four hours and introduces participants to a broad range of science-based topics as well as the arts. The workshops are free, and students are only expected to bring food to share as part of the learning process, in keeping with Kichwa tradition and culture. In the future, Leticia aims to reach more communities and continue tackling the stigma around education for women in indigenous communities in Ecuador.

“My experience following the Summit motivated me to work even harder, and build up my team at Warmi STEM. Attending the Summit virtually made me conscious of how important in-person activities are, and it inspired me to continue my in-person activities with more communities. It also made me conscious of how important it is to look after yourself, mentally and physically as a young leader in order to keep working.”