Sandra was born in the community of Alfapamba, in the province of Chimborazo. She lived there until she was 16, when she moved to Gualaceo to reunite with her mother. At 18, she began working on the rose plantations in the area, where she met the father of her children and decided to settle in the region. Since 2010, she has lived in the community of Jerusalén, in the province of Cañar. 

Today, Sandra has three children: two girls aged 11 and 5, and a boy who is just 7 months old. Her routine begins at 4 a.m., when she prepares breakfast for her family before heading out to the hills to tend to the livestock. When she returns from the fields, Sandra gets her daughters ready for school and takes care of her baby, who requires special attention due to a serious health problem. At home, caregiving tasks are combined with raising animals, so after making lunch for the family, Sandra collects grass for the guinea pigs and returns to the hills in the afternoon. Nonetheless, from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m., Sandra attends an online preparatory course with the goal of entering university.  

Sandra graduated from high school two years ago, at the age of 36, studying remotely while working. “I love accounting and administration,” she says, although there is no such distance learning programme at the higher education institute in Cañar. Sandra could not study further away because she takes care of her daughters and her little boy. 

For several years now, Sandra has been a member of Agrocuy Jerusalén Association, where she has found support, new marketing channels, and, above all, colleagues with whom she can share her daily efforts. She dreams that the Association will “excel, achieve its goals, and become known not only at the provincial level, but beyond, so that we can export our products.”