Ecuador

Placement locations

Placements are located in and around Quito and Cuenca with a couple of placements in Yunguilla in the cloud forest.

Roles explained

A basic knowledge of Spanish is required for these placements.

Teaching (including music teaching)

Ecuador offers the opportunity to either work in a primary or secondary school. Many of the schools only have basic facilities, but some better equipped private schools are also included in the programme. Volunteers will assist teachers in the classroom, teach their own subjects and help to organise extra-curricular activities, such as sports, music and art.

We have one exciting opportunity to teach music in Cuenca. Volunteers will have their own students and will also be able to sing in the Conservatoire choir and audition for the Symphony Orchestra. There is another placement in Quito to work with children who have musical talent but no financial means to learn to play an instrument. This placement has been rated very highly by our previous volunteers and they have gained a huge amount from their time there.

English Teaching (Including teaching and environment work)

We also offer a unique placement to teach English to a community in the Andean cloud forest. This is an isolated but beautiful organic farming community home to about 40 families. Volunteers are needed to teach English and will also get involved with other activities taking place in the community such as looking after the animals and caring for the crops. This is a fascinating, demanding and very rewarding project where you will stay in Yunguilla during the week and return to Quito at weekends.

Caring

Our caring placements involve working with children in care who have physical or learning difficulties and street children. Volunteers will be based in a state school for children with disabilities and will help with teaching, caring, gym, dance, art and anything else the children want them to do! If volunteers are working with street children, they will be involved with teaching, helping with homework, art and writing a newsletter. In Quito there is also the opportunity to volunteer at a social NGO providing rehabilitation therapies and special education for children, young people and adults with cerebral palsy and other associated disabilities (intellectual, visual, auditory, multi-challenges) and in need of general support.

Placement details

Volunteering in Ecuador is unique in that it offers volunteers the opportunity to complete two placements, one in the morning and one in the afternoon. English teaching, conservation and caring placements are available in Quito, Cuenca and Yunguilla and volunteers in the past have enjoyed the diversity of experience that the two placements give them.

An example of a teaching and caring placement could be working in a women and children’s centre in Cuenca. Established in response to increasing violence towards women and children in Ecuador, this centre provides psychological and emotional support to individuals who have gone through difficult times. Volunteers duties would include helping children with homework, feeding the younger children, leading activities with children and helping to organise games for the centre’s monthly birthday party. At this placement, volunteers work either 8am-12pm or 2pm-4pm.

Other volunteers may be placed in an outreach centre in Quito. The centre aims to help improve the quality of life of working children through education, job training, nutritional programmes, psychological support and recreation. Volunteers can get involved in literacy classes, teaching English, jewellery and leathercraft classes and helping in the clinic. Typically, working hours are 1.30pm-5pm but some morning placements are also available.

Volunteers in Ecuador also have the opportunity to undertake exciting placements in musical schools, usually working between 3pm-7pm. For these placements you would be expected to teach theory and music to adults and children, and would have the chance to join the resident orchestra or brass band.

Conservation and teaching placements in Ecuador are located in Yungilla, in the Andean cloud forest. This community, which has united to form an association to protect their environment, produce local products and promote eco-tourism, welcomes volunteers to help with a range of activities, from teaching English to sowing, harvesting, reforestation and even herding cows!

Accommodation

All volunteers will live with a host family whose son or daughter is volunteering in the UK. You will therefore be included in all family activities and it is an excellent opportunity to be part of the Ecuadorean way of life. Living with a family is also the best way to learn Spanish and when you leave you will have gained a second mum, dad, and brothers and sisters who you will never forget.

Food

Is it for me?

If you are up to the challenge of helping a variety of different students whilst learning a new language and becoming immersed in a completely different culture then Ecuador is for you. Volunteers must be mature and behave in accordance with their host family’s rules. It is also necessary to have knowledge of Spanish and volunteers will attend a one or two week language course in Quito before starting their placements.

Need to know

• Pre departure briefing - all volunteers are invited to a group briefing prior to departure
• On arrival - all volunteers have a week-long orientation in Ecuador
• Volunteers need to be able to speak (basic) Spanish and those who need to will attend a one or two week immersion course on arrival in Ecuador. If you are concerned about your level of Spanish, get in touch!

Free time and travel

Ecuador is far from being the largest country in Latin America but it is arguably the most biologically and geographically diverse. A combination of cheap transport and relatively short travelling distances make Ecuador the perfect country to explore, inch by inch over various weekends.

If you are based in Quito, you are perfectly located for discovering a whole variety of cultural gems. Discover the life and colour of the Otavalo market, nestled between the volcano peaks of Imbabura, Cotacachi and Mojanda or relax in the lush greenery of Mindo’s cloud forest. Quito, the world’s highest capital, is a traveller’s delight in itself. Ride the city’s iconic trolleybuses to the Mitad del Mundo (centre of the world) or scale the top of El Panecillo in a yellow taxi for some stunning 360° views of the capital.

If you are based in Cuenca, you will also get your fair share of natural beauty. Not only is this beautiful colonial town the country’s cultural capital, but it is also just a stone’s throw away from Cajas national park, Baños natural springs and lively towns such as Gualaceo and Chordeleg, famous for their lively markets and beautiful silver jewellery. Volunteers in Cuenca are also closer to the southern province of Loja and the small but unforgettable Vilcabamba. The seven hour bus journey is definitely worth it to experience a sun-drenched horse trek down this captivating valley.

Aside from travel, the open and friendly disposition of Ecuadorian hosts often mean that volunteers are kept busy with family events and gatherings. Past Lattitude Global Volunteering volunteers have formed close friendships with hosts and colleagues and have grown fond of dancing salsa late into the night with their new “siblings”.

Costs

Lattitude Global Volunteering fee:
All departures: £2,500

As part of the placement the following is provided:

What’s included?

• Accommodation & food (provided by host family)
• In-country support
• 24/7 support
• In-country orientation
• Assigned Volunteer Coordinator to help with all pre-departure support and offer guidance
• Pre-departure briefing
• Debrief
• Airport pickup
• In depth matching process to align your skills and interests with a placement that really suits you

Please note this fee does not include the cost of getting to Ecuador or extras such as insurance or any inoculations you may need. For an estimated break down of all costs you may have to budget for please click here

Fundraising

As a charity we always recommend our volunteers fundraise to help meet the costs involved in volunteering overseas. In many ways it is part of the whole experience. For more information and fundraising ideas please click here

Planning your trip

*Application deadline refers to the time by which your application must have been accepted and the £25 interview deposit paid.

Please note that the deadline is the last possible time allowed to get an application form in that allows us enough time to match volunteers and begin sorting out visas.

We always recommend applying as early as possible in order to secure your place.

We are currently accepting applications for departures in 2016 and 2017.

Volunteer in Ecuador: apply now>>