The Mancos Public Library hosts Anna Taft's slideshow presentation "Intercultural Adventures in Ecuador and Mali" on Thursday, July 9.

This is the fourth program in the library's series "Life Is An Adventure."

Join Mancos resident, founder and executive director of The Tandana Foundation, Anna Taft's presentation about the adventures of encountering people of different cultures in Ecuador and Mali, building relationships with them, and finding ways to collaborate for mutual benefit.

Adventures such as these led Taft to start The Tandana Foundation. The word "Tandana" comes from a Kichwa root meaning "to gather together" or "to unite" and represents the spirit of the organization's work as a nonprofit that offers intercultural volunteer opportunities, scholarships, and support for small community projects in highland Ecuador and Mali's Dogon Country.

The adventure of creating and nurturing real and responsible relationships among people of different cultures has led to humorous challenges and experiences, as well as valuable lessons.

For more information, visit www.mancoslibrary.org or call the library at 970-533-7600.

About Anna Taft

Anna Taft began The Tandana Foundation in 2004 and has served as executive director since its inception. After graduating from high school in Ohio, Taft spent four months in Panecillo, Ecuador, where she taught at a local elementary school and built the connections that inspired her to start Tandana.

In 2002, she graduated magna cum laude from Whitman College with a bachelor's degree in politics and a minor in environmental studies. She has worked for The Traveling School, teaching Spanish, history and literature while guiding high-school students through the Andes and New Zealand. Taft also spent eight summers leading teenagers in wilderness and community service programs for Deer Hill Expeditions in Southwest Colorado.

In 2006, she spent four months in Mali, learning about a different cultural world and contributing to community projects. She is fluent in English, Spanish and French, and she is conversational in Kichwa and Dogon. She enjoys paddling, exploring, reading, and writing. Taft founded The Tandana Foundation to increase opportunities for cross-cultural sharing in experiential education programs. Taft enjoys offering others opportunities to grow through new experiences. She appreciates the power of cross-cultural friendships to change our views of the world and help us better understand what it is to live as a human being on this Earth. When not working in Ecuador or Mali, she lives in Mancos with her husband, John.

For more information about The Tandana Foundation, visit www.tandanafoundation.org.