Child Welfare Project, Ecuador

Living and volunteering in Ecuador, you could help enrich the lives of Ecuadorian needy people by sharing your skills, your worth and your time. This project is aimed at giving children from low income backgrounds, poor homes and different difficulties (children victims of domestic violence, abandoned, mistreated and children have to work in the streets, etc.) a chance to experience a better standard of living. As a volunteer you will become directly involved in the daily lives of these children, becoming an integral part of the solution and help improve the quality of life of these children.

This volunteer project is dedicated to volunteering in NGOs for children such as: street children centers, orphanage, children worker, centers for infant care, shelters or home-day centers and children hostel. Depending on your personal skills and interests, you will provide general day-care of the children. Day-care involves feeding, playing, dressing, washing, and/or bathing the children, personal development, teaching English or music, assisting staff with the maintenance of the orphanage, shelter or home/day care for children, administrative task, etc. Volunteers will work with children between the ages of two and twelve.

Volunteers can work either in the morning from 8:00 am to 1:00 p.m. and/or in the afternoon from 12:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m. from Monday through Friday. Nevertheless, working hours will vary according to the needs of the center.

Location: Puerto López, Otavalo, Ambato and Quito

Skills: Everyone can help and make a real difference to already-existing children institutions in their noble effort to provide some hope and improving the living conditions of underprivileged children. No special skills are required to participate in our child welfare volunteer project, only a willingness to share your time and work with children. Nevertheless, we would like to recommend traveling with an open mindedness, flexibility, a basic knowledge of Spanish and dynamism.

Restrictions: None. This volunteer project is available for individual, families or groups (from 3 and more)

Role: Supporting staff of the shelters and children centers and provide welfare and childcare to underprivileged children.

Working hours: Flexible. 25 – 30 hours per week from Monday through Friday.

Accommodation: During the stay in Ecuador, students and volunteers will live within selected Ecuadorian families which will provide comfortable a single room, three daily meals. All families that work with us are chosen according to your profile and requirements. A 'host family' can be a married couple or a single person, with or without children and/or pets. All our families are middle-class and live in safe neighborhoods.

Ages: 18 years old and over.

Arrival & Departure Airport: Quito International Airport

Free time: During the week after the workday, before and after dinner, there is free time used by the volunteers to visit a bar, disco, café internet or cyber café, go to a night cultural sites, concert, go to the movies, meet with new friends, or merely change experience a change of environment such as go to a restaurant and enjoy dinner outside of their homestay, etc. During free time on weekends, volunteers can visit neighboring places.

Local sights: Depending on locations where volunteers are, they can visit cultural sites such as museums, archeological and historical places, etc. Moreover, they can visit rain and cloud forests, national parks, beaches, Indian markets, tourist cities, etc.

Weekly Budget: You will need a weekly budget of up to US$30 to cater for all your other expenses like bottled water, personal costs, beverages and entertainment.

Project Start Dates: 1st and 3rd Mondays of every month

Program Fees are in British Pounds

Weeks Program Fee
1£299
2 £389
3 £479
4 £569
5 £659
6 £749
7 £839
8 £929
9 £1,019
10 £1,109
11 £1,199
12 £1,289
Additional Week = £90
convert our program fee into your local currency

WHERE THE PROGRAM FEE GOES:

Field Expenses: Food, Room, Donation to Project (42%)
Program Development (23%)
Outreach (14%)
Volunteer Coordination (11%)
Administrative Cost (10%)

What is Included in Fees?

Airport Pick Up: Upon arrival, our in country coordinator and a staff will be at the Airport to pick you up. Please do not forget to send us your flight information as we would be waiting to pick you up. We guarantee, you will never miss us at the airport.

Orientation: Orientation about the local culture, history, safety, project and other issues relating to the country.

Accommodation: You will be staying with a host family, within a rented house or a hostel and volunteer will stay either in a single or shared room. Our host families are carefully screened and must meet Volunteer and Culture Xp's requirements before being accepted as a host family. All our families are middle-class and live in safe neighbourhoods. The distance from the project varies.

Meal: In most cases your meals are cooked and provided for you by your host family. You will be getting 3 Meals per day (Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner) Traditional but very nutritious. If you're a vegetarian or have any allergies, this is taken into account when we arrange your placement.

24/7 in Country Support & Supervision: There are field offices and staffs all over our projects sites and our country co-ordinator will also be available to help you when you need it, including a 24-hour support team. Volunteers and Culture Xp is committed to making sure all participating communities and volunteers benefit from the collaboration.

Safety: Your well being while volunteering with us is our priority. We make sure your trip is safe and our in-country coordinator will provide whatever support you may need at any step along the way.

Administrative Charges: Our staff works every day to take care of our volunteers: Emails are answered; phone calls are taken; coordination occurs between projects; and most importantly volunteers are placed within areas of their interest in villages. Even though we try hard to keep these administration costs to a minimum so that your money can be used most effectively.


What is NOT Included?
Flight, Airport Taxes, Visa, Immunizations, Personal expenses, Soft drinks, Mineral Water, Passport, Travel Insurance, Entrance fees and in-country travel expenses including any excursions the volunteer wishes to take whiles volunteering except our programs that include travelling.

Volunteers arriving earlier than the program start date or staying after the completion of the program may be ask to pay additional fee of £20 per day to cover their accommodation and food.