Affordable Volunteer Opportunities Abroad
Africa, Latin America, Asia

This exciting program offers the opportunity for volunteers to work in the Alto Choco Reserve with organizations committed to pursuing sustainable development projects that combat the recent threat to the land due to the rise of mining expeditions.

The communities you will be volunteering within are attempting to set an example to other communities by demonstrating that it is possible to enjoy a high standard of living without harming the environment. Our volunteers play an integral role by becoming involved in the local conservation efforts and developing and innovative ways to develop and protect the community in an eco-friendly manner. As part of the project you will have the chance to live and breathe a new lifestyle as an active member of the community devoted to conversation.

Minimum Program Length: 2 weeks
Start Date: Every Monday
Arrival Date: 2 days prior to your Start Date (Saturday)
Minimum Age: 18 years old
Volunteer Gender: Male and Female

Accommodation:
Volunteers have the choice of living with a family within the indigenous community or being housed approximately 20 minutes away from the community in a volunteer dorm located in the Tropical Rain forest project. The volunteer dorm has 4 shared rooms and is located inside the reserve. Please note that there is not electricity available at the project site and that the living conditions are very basic.

Food:
Three meals a day are included in the program price. Meals are prepared and served by women from the community who are a part of the cooking group. On Sundays everyone takes part in the community's work.

Pick-up Info:
A Volunteer Visions representative will be waiting for you at the airport in Quito and transportation will be arranged from the airport to your accommodation in Pucara or Santa Rosa. The coordinator will guide you to your project location the first day so that you become familiarized with the route to your destination. The coordinator will also introduce you to the staff of the project to ensure that you are properly placed in the program.

Project Schedule:
Half day: 8am - 12pm or 1pm - 5pm
Full day: 8am - 5pm with a hour lunch break

Project Closed Dates and Holidays

December 22 - January 1 (Christmas Holiday)
March 24 (Easter)
August 10 (Carnival)
October 9, November 2-3, December 5-6 (Guayaquil)

Suggested Donations
For any donations, please inquire with Volunteer Visions prior to your arrival at the project site.

Volunteers on this project will find themselves involved in a range of these exciting activities:

• Environmental Education: Reaching out to the children about the importance of preserving their natural habitat for the long-term health of their community.
• Reforestation and tree farming: Building out the tree population of a 90 hectare region through planting seedlings and collecting seeds for germination of future seedlings.
• English Teaching: Teaching English at the schools in the community and to the group of communitarian foresters.
• Botanical Garden: Identifying species found in the botanical garden; there are about 60 species of orchids and a similar number of bromeliads. Our volunteers role will also involve accompanying project personnel on walks within the reserve to observe and collect plant species not found in the garden.
• Trail work: Rebuilding trails that have been damaged and building new trails along trade routes
• Craft work: Gathering of the raw materials that the tribes women will use in the creation of their crafts and apprenticeship through the creation of these items
• Bamboo paper: Cutting bamboo, transporting it and storing it at a storage station for use in future projects. Such projects involve alternative energy generation with bamboo and the manufacturing of handmade bamboo paper.

  Suggested Skills and Interests

  This placement is for volunteers interested in the history and culture of the indigenous people of Ecuador. This is an opportunity for volunteers to interact directly and live amongst what is left of the indigenous community in Ecuador. Volunteers should be prepared to become involved in physically demanding work such as construction, reforestation, planting etc. Due to the remote nature of the project location, volunteers should be experienced or open to living without the common amenities.

  Suggested Language Level

  Supplementary Spanish language classes are offered at the local language school in Quito for volunteers interested in practicing and learning Spanish. The classes are run by certified ESL teachers and the groups are typically no larger than 6 students. Although these classes are not mandatory, we suggest that you take these classes if you have little or no background in Spanish. Classes are offered at $335 for 20 hours of language instruction per week. This fee includes all food and accommodation in Quito. Please note that the language classes must be taken prior to participating in your volunteer project and that the language course cannot be taken while volunteering.

This project is located next to Intag; there are 2 local communities in the area Pucará and Santa Rosa. The reserve provides modern living conditions and facilities on the western slopes of the Andean cordillera. It is a unique area rich in culture and bio-diversity. This area is home to an extensive portion of the Andean cloud forest, a seriously threatened ecosystem.