International Volunteer HQ’s partner NGO in Ecuador requires volunteers NOW! IVHQ has a wide range of volunteering opportunities available teaching English, working with street children, school support programs and summer projects in the Ecuadorian city of Quito and suburban Quito.
LOCATION OF ECUADOR VOLUNTEER PROGRAMS
IVHQ has volunteer placements in Quito and suburban/rural Quito approximately 45 minutes out of the city. Quito, the capital of Ecuador is nestled high in the Andes and considered by many to be one of the most beautiful cities in South America. Despite this aesthetic beauty, there is a great need for volunteers to assist with the development of this city and its communities.
START AND DURATION OF ECUADOR VOLUNTEER PROGRAMS
Volunteers can begin our Ecuadorian placements whenever they wish. Our staff in Ecuador are extremely flexible allowing us to accept volunteers 365 days of the year! Volunteers can choose to volunteer for periods of one week to six months.
ECUADOR VOLUNTEER REQUIREMENTS
Volunteers must be over 18 years of age at the beginning of the program and have at least a high school education.
LANGUAGE REQUIREMENTS
If a volunteer wishes to stay for a period of more than two weeks, and their Spanish is not fluent then it is compulsory to take at least a 20 hour Spanish course with our program partner in Ecuador. Furthermore, we recommend that even two week volunteers regardless of their Spanish language ability (unless they are extremely fluent), take advantage of the very affordable Spanish lessons offered exclusively to IVHQ volunteers, by our program staff in Ecuador as it will allow you to get much more out of your placement. It is expected that all volunteers should have at least some basic Spanish before they arrive in Ecuador. If you have no Spanish, it would be advisable to take some Spanish lessons before you depart to give you some basic Spanish from which to build on when you arrive in Quito.
ECUADOR VOLUNTEER PLACEMENT DESCRIPTIONS
TEACHING ENGLISH
Similarly to other Latin American nations, Spanish is the official language of Ecuador, however in recent times with the onset of globalisation and increasing tourism in a country such as tourism, there has been an increased demand from local people to be taught English by fluent foreigners. Work is mainly at schools and directed towards children but there is also a lot of demand from community groups and adult groups we work with. Volunteers are placed in community schools, public schools or orphanage schools. Many of the people volunteers teach have only very basic English, therefore it is a requirement for volunteers to have at least a beginner-basic level of Spanish to teach on this program. Naturally a volunteer's Spanish will improve over the course of their volunteering but it is highly recommended that the volunteer take advantage of the Spanish lessons offered by our program staff in Ecuador. N.B. Volunteers DO NOT need to be a qualified or experienced teacher.
STREET CHILDREN WORK
For many children in Ecuador, school is simply not an option as they work the streets with their parents to help stay alive. Every day, 365 days of the year these children work the streets of Quito with their parents, selling goods and performing to make a living. The Street Children Program in Ecuador focuses on giving these children some enjoyment in their lives. This program is popular with the children and their families as it gives them opportunities and perspectives on life they would never have otherwise been provided with. Work consists of taking basic school lessons, playing with the children, providing medical support for them and introducing them to activities (such as painting) that they would never otherwise have a chance to do. Volunteers on the Street Children program need to have beginner to basic Spanish to participate effectively on this program.
SCHOOL SUPPORT PROGRAM (available September-July only)
The Ecuador School Support Program (available September-July only) involves teaching children at Summer School and during the school year in a broad range of subjects. This program can encompass but is not limited to – teaching and planning activities for classroom such as Art, Music, Paint, Math, English, Reading-writing and plays (Drama). A reasonable level of Spanish is required for this program (Basic to Conversational) as you must be able to communicate with the children. N.B. Volunteers DO NOT need to be a qualified or experienced teacher.
SUMMER PROJECT (available July and August only)
The Summer Project (available July and August only) is a project organised by IVHQ's partner NGO in Ecuador, helping 80 children, get themselves ready to enter their new year at school. This project gives attention to a variety of different aged children from disadvantaged backgrounds who are struggling in some aspects of their schooling life. The Summer Project focuses specifically on English, Reading-Writing, Art and Recreation. The program helps develops the children's general abilities such as concentration, self assurance, self-esteem as well as progressing their reading and writing ability. As well as having big hearts, volunteers need to be enthusiastic, motivated and willing to have a good time to participate on the Summer Program successfully. A reasonable level of Spanish is required for this program (Basic to Conversational) as you must be able to communicate with the children. N.B. Volunteers DO NOT need to be a qualified or experienced teacher.
ECUADOR PROGRAM COSTS
One of the strengths of IVHQ is our extremely affordable fees. CLICK HERE to see the program cost to volunteer in Ecuador and what you receive in exchange for your fees.
ACCOMMODATION AND MEALS
Volunteers are accommodated in either a home-stay or volunteer house where they will live with a local family or other volunteers. We give that local family money from your fee for support, food and board. It is exciting to stay with a family; that way you will learn the Ecuadorian way of life, meet local people, eat local food, speak the local language (Spanish) and engage in local customs and traditions. Living is comfortable and all home stays and volunteer houses have electricity and running water. Volunteers can expect to share a room with one or two other volunteers but in some home stays volunteers get their own rooms. Ecuadorian food is tasty, diverse and volunteers can expect to experience a myriad of flavours and meals during their home stay experience. If volunteers wish to eat out, there are a large numbers of restaurants and diners to suit all tastes and budgets. If you have special eating needs, please let us know ahead of time so that we can make arrangements for you. However, we need to stress the point that you should not expect to eat as you normally do at home. We will do our best to see that you are well taken care of, but also as a volunteer, there is a need to be flexible. Laundry is included in your program fees.
ORIENTATION
Orientation will begin on the first morning you arrive in your host volunteer city. Orientation will be conducted by staff in Quito and cover everything you need to know for your volunteering placement in Ecuador – Introduction to Ecuador, Ecuadorian Customs, Language Training Information (Spanish), Rules and Expectations, Safety, Travel Opportunities in Ecuador, Introduction to your project and placement. The orientation will also give you a chance to meet other volunteers and swap contact details for weekend travel and socializing. Once orientation is complete, volunteers will be transported to their home stay and introduced to all relevant parties – home stay family members and program placement staff.
LANGUAGE COURSE
Spanish language courses are available for all volunteers regardless of their ability. IVHQ strongly recommends these for all volunteers unless they are extremely fluent. If a volunteer's Spanish is anything less than fluent and they are staying for a period of longer than two weeks then it is compulsory for volunteers to take at least a 20 hour Spanish course through our partner organisation in Quito. All volunteers (even those staying for two weeks or less) should strongly consider these courses as they will allow them to work and communicate with all parties a lot more efficiently during their stay. These language courses are organised on your arrival in Ecuador at the program orientation. The language course is tailored to each volunteer's current level of Spanish. The cost is very affordable and offered exclusively to IVHQ volunteers at the prices below.
SPANISH LESSONS
| 20 Hours | US$120 |
| 30 Hours | US$180 |
| 40 Hours | US$230 |
| 60 Hours | US$330 |
| 80 Hours | US$420 |
VOLUNTEER WEEK
First Day: On the first day of the volunteering placement, the volunteers will be escorted to the project and introduced to the staff at the project you will be working with.
Weekdays: While our programs are flexible and can be fitted to your requirements, an example of a typical day is as follows.
- 7.30AM Breakfast with the host family or other volunteers (if staying in a volunteer house).
- 8.00AM Volunteer leaves home and is dropped (or walks) to the project; The volunteer joins with the local staff. You will be given a duty roster and a plan for your work. There is usually a tea break and a lunch break. Work and hours is dependent on the project and location that the volunteer is participating in.
- 12.00PM-5.00PM Work at the project usually ends. The volunteer at this point is free to visit and see places or do shopping. You may also want to hang out with the kids up to around 6.00PM.
- 8.30PM Dinner with the host family.
NB If a volunteer is taking advantage of the Spanish language course (20 hour course is compulsory if volunteering over 2 weeks and do not have fluent Spanish) they will usually volunteer for half the day and spend the other half of the day (3-4) hours taking Spanish lessons.
Weekends: During the weekend, volunteers have spare time and usually just relax or take the opportunity to explore other parts of their local town and Ecuador. Long weekends can be taken to travel further afield such as the coast or Galapagos Islands. If volunteers wish to volunteer over the weekends they can join local teams and visit other orphanages (or other children helping organizations) to spend time simply playing with and entertaining the children.
GENERAL COUNTRY INFORMATION
Capital: Quito
Population: 2007 estimate: 13,810,000
Official language: Spanish
Currency: U.S. dollar (USD)
Time zone: PET (UTC-6)
Climate: Because of its three mainland regions, it is subjected to much rain in the months of August and September although Ecuador's climate cannot be generalized. La Costa (Pacific coastal area) is tropical.La Sierra (Andes highlands) is temperate;and El Oriente (eastern side of the mountains) shares the jungle climate of the upper Amazon rain forest.