International Volunteering in Ecuador
Lets talk and we can go over all the possibilities!
This Unique location offers volunteers the opportunity to share your skills and hobbies and participate in a variety of activities in the community. Volunteers in this project will have a variety of projects to choose from such as reforestation, small business, teaching English in the local school, work in the Ecotourism office, organic farming, and wildlife observation, environmental education, teaching social media or computer classes and more.
Ask us today and we can match your skills while volunteering in Yungilla, you will have the opportunity to do as much or as little of any of the projects you wish, depending upon the current work to be done. You might even learn how to make cheese, yogurt and Jams, from scratch in one of the community’s small business projects.
We have done our best to list as many projects as we can.
Explore some of our more popular projects here and let’s talk we have many more volunteer opportunities within each project and location
Volunteers Projects in Quito
Testimonial
English Teacher – Primary Schools
There is also a real demand for native English speaking teachers in Ecuador. You can choose to teach from Elementary school to high school.
As volunteer in this project you can teach English, German or other languages, basic computer classes, arts and crafts, assist the main teacher with creative ways to teach Basic English, proper nutrition and Psychical Education.
The desire to work with children, knowledge of the English language, a creative mind and a desire to help are all that is needed to be successful. Spanish is helpful but not necessary.
Volunteer in an Orphanage
Make a difference in the lives of these children often coming from extreme poverty, abusive homes and living in the streets. Short staffed and lack of Government funding you can help make a difference.
Join us in helping these orphans reach their full potential by caring for them, helping with homework and creative activities and most important one on one attention with hugs and fun time.
Animal Rescue Program
Do you like animals? Want to help to prevent illegal trafficking of animals? Want to help with medical aid to those animals that were in captivity and are now sick? We require people who likes animals and who want to contribute to their physical and emotional wellbeing. The animal center wishes to offer a high-quality volunteer program which gives each volunteer a chance to make a difference while being supervised and supported Animal Rescue Center staff. Every day the supervisor will describe the volunteers’ tasks including how to feed or how to protect the animals. Volunteers here will live and eat in the Center together with the other local workers and volunteers.
You can work in any of the following areas within our zoo: Nutrition, Forestry, Quarantine, Tourism, Veterinary, Biology and Restaurant. You can either choose a single area or be rotated weekly to learn the general management of a zoo.
• AREA OF NUTRITION: In this area you will be involved in feeding the zoo’s animals, including our big cats. In some cases we receive animals in an advanced state of malnutrition so you will help to track the animal’s progress and provide the diet or supplements approved by our veterinarian.
• FORESTRY AREA: In this area your work will involve improving the animals surroundings by providing them with as natural as possible environment. You will be working in the animals’ enclosures providing them with new plantation to improve their living environment and provide stimulation. You will also be planting around the zoo on our trails to improve the natural space around the zoo to not only improve our tourists’ visits but also create an overall more natural environment for our animals.
• BUILDING AREA: The zoo is currently expanding and we often receive new individuals so it is important that construction is continued to avoid animals being kept in small enclosures. You will assist the building and design new enclosures helping to provide the animals with the best possible enclosures. Your work will also include creating toys for enrichment, this is especial important for animals in quarantine as it will help to avoid stress and boredom.
• QUARANTINE AREA: In this area you will be working with sick animals, you will tasked with aiding their recover to health, administering medicine and maintaining hygiene under the supervision and coordination of the vet. New arrivals to the zoo are kept here initially to ensure they are not carrying diseases that could endanger the other animals, so you will be charged with caring for these animals as well.
• TOURISM AREA: An important part of our mission is education, educating visitors on the importance of conserving wildlife and our natural environment. As we do not release all of our animals we do not receive funding from the government. We take the animals that have been refused by other refuge centers and provide them with a home and we will release animals wherever we can. We have become a zoo and volunteer organization to fund this.
Year Round.
With two locations Quito and Yungilla nestled in the Andes Mountains just a 45 minute drive from Quito we have project year round for you to enjoy. In the teaching English project Ecuador has a school break during July and August; volunteers interested in teaching English during these months are welcome to teach in other projects such as such as the orphanage or Yungilla location.
Accommodations in both locations will be with a local host family vetted and approved by our coordinator. Our Ecuador coordinator has decades of experience and history with our local host families. Host families in Quito are typically located in middle class areas of Quito safe and enjoyable sure to be a cultural immersion. The community of Yungilla consists of approx. 52 families and as a sustainable community that work in unison 95% of the families participate in hosting our volunteers. You are sure to have a beautiful mountain view outside your bedroom here! You will have your own bedroom and in some cases might share a room with another volunteer of the same gender if you’re with a group.
All meals will be cooked by your host mom, please be sure and let us know if you have any dietary needs. Vegetarian meals are commonly cooked in Ecuador for those that request this. Enjoy your time with this new culture!
Being close to the Equator and because of its elevation Quito has a fairly cool climate. Expect cool mornings, warm days and cool again in the evenings in both Quito and Yungilla. The average temperature is high 60’s to mid-70’s during the day and mid 50’s to in the evenings. The warmest month is January and the coolest is in May. Rainiest months are March, April and October where a quick rainfall will cool down the afternoon sun.
There is so much to experience in and around Quito. Our experienced guides offer hiking the Inca trails, a tour of Old and New Quito, ride the Teleférico Quito’s Sky rail, take a trip to the Mindo cloud forest or experience a trip to the Equator where you can also get your passport stamped and do some fun shopping, you can even order the local cuisine of Guinea pig. Our team is happy to talk with you about more exciting things to do in Ecuador during your trip!
Volunteers Projects in Yungilla
Sustainable Development and Conservation Program in the cloud forest (Yunguilla Community) Yunguilla is a rural community located only an hour away from the north of Quito, off the major roadway from Calacalí. Yunguilla is in the cloud forest at an altitude of 2,650 meters above sea level. Over the past 20 years, community members have been working to improve the quality of life while protecting their natural resources, developing sustainable activities, and creating a hospitable and welcoming community. Through ecotourism, the residents of Yunguilla have seen positive environmental impacts and share their successes with visitors.
Volunteers in this project will have a variety of projects to choose from such as reforestation, small business, teaching English in the local school, work in the Ecotourism office, organic farming, and wildlife observation, environmental education, teaching social media or computer classes and more. Ask us today and we can match your skills while volunteering in Yungilla, you will have the opportunity to do as much or as little of any of the projects you wish, depending upon the current work to be done. You might even learn how to make cheese, yogurt and Jams, from scratch in one of the community’s small business projects.
•Dairy Processing and jams: work is in the Tahuallullo smallholding, where you can participate in the production of cheese, yogurt, milk products, jams and handicrafts.
•Environmental Education: We need volunteers to support the development of an environmental education program for the children of Yunguilla.
•Forest Research: You can also contribute greatly to the research of non-timber resources of the area (orchids, bromeliads, medicinal plants), or to other aspects, such as environmental services.
•Organic gardening: You can participate in activities such as planting, weeding, harvest and postharvest, bed preparation, and everything related to the maintenance and production of the organic gardens of the families of the community. For this you will always work with someone who´s in charge. This will help you gain practical knowledge of organic agriculture.
•Tahuallullo Community House: Your support in building and maintaining trails, the camping area, the recreation area, the entire infrastructure proposed in the management plan, and in the maintenance of facilities, is key. These activities are coordinated and have the backing of the Ecotourism project coordinator for the community. You can also be directly involved in the ecotourism operation.
•Family Farms: You can participate in agricultural tasks and forestry (reforestation) on the farms of the members of the community organization, which also form part of the Bosque Protector Guayllabamba River Upper Basin (CARG). These activities are carried out with the participation of family members.
If relevant, volunteers have the option of participating in social events, sports and/or festivals that take place in the community. Located in this community are the Calunkos Inca trails, you will have the opportunity to hike!
If you have other knowledge, experience and skills you wish to share please contact us we can put your skills to work!
I had the amazing opportunity to work with Deborah in Yunguilla, Ecuador and it was life changing. The chance to volunteer in a unique community like Yunguilla shifted my perspective on the world.
Deborah is very easy and fun to work with, and she has great personal connections all over the world. Simply put, she’s the kind of person who gets important things done, in a timely manner, without overcomplicating them.
She has the ability to cut to the heart of a problem, find a solution, and communicate it in a way that can be understood across multiple cultures.
Give yourself the opportunity to volunteer with her organization. You won’t regret it!