Ecuador
Ecuador
Arrival: Upon arrival of your flight in Quito, you should take a taxi that will drive you to your new home, where your host family will welcome you. If arriving on a Saturday or Sunday, you will spend a day meeting family members and having a taste of Ecuadorian life. On the following Monday your family will take you to the EIL Ecuador office where you will be greeted by the Director of our Spanish Center who will also interview you to determine your Spanish level, needs and interests, introduce you to your Spanish teacher, and help you begin your first classes.
Orientation: After classes this first day, you will meet the EIL Ecuador Volunteer Coordinator for 2 hours of cross-cultural orientation. Together you will discuss your first impressions of the homestay to process this initial immersion experience and how best to enjoy living in Ecuador with a family. Practicalities such as health and security measures, transportation system, staff to contact in case of emergencies, procedures regarding classes, volunteer work, and the homestay will be covered too. You will also receive an orientation packet covering the points discussed and other useful information.
Later on during the first month you will have a more extensive orientation to volunteer work in Ecuador and have opportunities to visit some host projects in Quito to help you decide where you would most like to be placed and where your skills and experience can have the most impact.
Homestay: During your Spanish program you will live with an Ecuadorian host family- an excellent way to learn about Ecuadorian life and to practice the language. EIL Ecuador's host families have a reputation for being warm and fun-loving, making it easy for you to feel right at home. Our Homestay Coordinator in Quito carefully selects our host families and is in touch with both you and the family during your stay. Your family will welcome you upon arrival and treat you as a family member.
We will keep in touch with you throughout your stay to assure that you and your host family have a rewarding homestay experience. If your volunteer service is in Quito, you will continue to live with the same family.
Volunteer Service: Following language training and orientation you'll join your host project to begin your volunteer service which can last from 2 – 10 months, depending on your schedule. In areas outside of Quito, accommodations will probably be with a host family that is arranged by our Local Coordinator but in rural areas such as a reserve in the cloud forest, you will stay and have meals at the volunteer quarters of the host project or at any other adequate arrangements made by the host project with costs covered by EIL Ecuador. Our Volunteer Coordinator will be in touch with you and your host project periodically during your community service and you can call her at any time to report and talk about any concerns.
Social and welfare services
CIBV: Day care centers in Vista Hermosa San Vicente de las Casas and Carcelen neighborhoods
Children from 4 months up to 4 years get professional care and education at the centers. Most of the centers do have special need of volunteer help due to the number of children.
Help with children's care: such as feed children, change diapers, clean … But also contribute with recreational and educational activities for small children.
CAE- School Support Center
After classes about 60 children from the San Vicente de las Casas neighborhood get to the Center to have lunch and get help with their homework. The Center also gives school support and during school vacation they organize a summer camp.
Help children with homework, organize and develop extracurricular classes e.g. English, sports, music,…
Sin Soluka
Together with former volunteers who have founded partner organizations in Holland and Switzerland, Sin Solunka supports over 100 primary school children with scholarships. Lots of the children are sons and daughters from parents who have lived on the streets, are prostitutes, were drug or alcohol addicts, etc. This project wants to prevent children from continuing with their parents lifestyle in order to give them appropriate education and extracurricular activities. After school children get to the center for lunch and will be helped with their homework afterwards.
Help serving lunch, educating children with basics of hygiene and social rules. Help with homework.
Shelter for elderly people
The Shelter counts with different departments, where elderly adults get adequate care. There are departments for elderly with physical or mental disabilities, psychiatric problems, but also just those who were abandoned by their families and need help. There are mainly elderly people from low income families. The shelter is managed by a catholic sister's congregation.
Support the nurses with care of the elderly people in need: Washing them, helping with the meals, organizing and developing activities and programs for special events.
Children's Hospital
The Ladies volunteers support children in need from all over the country at the public Children's Hospital with diapers and meals. They visit all of the children every day to share some time with them. If there is a special need for the family they also help with clothes and therapy material.
Visit children in the hospital to find out about their need for meals and diapers. Prepare needed diapers and meals and hand them out to children. Talk with the children, play with them, read stories,…
Shelter for children with cancer
During their treatment children with cancer live in the shelter accompanied by one of their parents. During the morning children have their medical checks and treatments at the hospital. They come back for lunch and during the afternoon they get educational, extracurricular and recreational activities. If needed a psychologist also supports the children.
During the mornings, there is not much to do for a volunteer, but he/she may accompany the children to the hospital. Help is needed in the afternoon, with recreational activities for children, volunteers can support them during their time of treatment and recovery is very important for each of the children in the shelter.
Social - disabilities
Education for disabled children and young adults in the highlands Shelter for disabled people from all over the country in the highlands health – rehabilitation center.
Environment
Santa Lucia Reserve
This is a conservation organization in the cloud forests of northwestern Ecuador. Their aim is to conserve and protect the forest while developing sustainable income sources for the local families through eco-tourism and volunteer work. Work involves reforestation, trail building and repair, organic agriculture and conservation education. Room and board will be provided at Santa Lucia.
Botanical Garden
The botanical garden of Quito lies in the middle of the town in the Carolina Park. It represents the flora of different parts of Ecuador. The park is a beautiful and peaceful space in the hectic metropolitan city. Its aim is to educate children and adults the importance of nature and its conservation.
Depending on the volunteer's abilities: In the mornings help to guide school classes through the garden and in the afternoon help the gardeners in maintenance.
Organic Farming
This project is situated in the far northern part of Quito, the parish of Carapungo. In this project women from the local, margined neighborhood work together in order to produce healthy food. In the big garden they produce all year round many different vegetables and fruits. Chicken and guinea pig are also grown in a sustainable way. The products are sold all over the city of Quito, and they even offer delivery service.
Support the organic farming with all the processes of gardening and composting. Help to organize orders from clients. Contribute with your own experiences and ideas.
Agroforestal Farming: In the Ecuadorian cloud forest
Animal rescue center / zoo: in the Ecuadorian jungle
Protected dry forest in the coastal region: Work to develop sustainable income sources for the local families through eco-tourism and volunteer work.
Education and teaching: Volunteers may be placed several schools in the rural areas of Ecuador in the lowlands of the coastal region and the Ecuadorian jungle, depending of the time of the year.
Musical Musical Education Brass Band
Music School for children from marginal neighborhoods of Quito. Volunteers with good musical knowledge and able to play an instrument are welcome to help and support the local music teachers. They are also welcome to help teach English- as often Ecuador Brass Band's students get the opportunities to study music with a scholarship in foreign countries, or they show their abilities on international benefit tours.
Entrepreneurship
Fair trade in the highlands. Get to know one of Ecuador's commerce and support their daily work, share with people in the communities and offer workshop for children in the afternoon.
Program for early education for babies and their mothers in the cloud forest, the coastal lowlands or the Amazon basin.