Volunteer Vacations Abroad in Latin America

Introduction: Ecuador is a South American country which is geographically, economically and ethnically diverse. In the Andean Highlands, the most important cities include the nation's capital, Quito, and the commercial centers of Cuenca and Ambato. Economic activity is also dominated by small-scale farming and services.
The coastal area, and its major port city, Guayaquil, thrive on commerce, agricultural and fishing exports. The sparsely populated Amazon region contains most of the country's largest export commodity: oil. Ecuador's population of 11 million is essentially divided among the coastal and highland regions.
Finally, the world-renowned Galapagos Islands contribute to another of the country's main industries, tourisism.

Why Ecuador needs volunteers

The small size of Ecuador's economy has meant that historically its development and growth have come from external markets. Periods of high economic growth have mainly resulted from export booms. This development pattern, along with inadequate export diversification and internal development, has left the economy vulnerable to terms-of-trade shocks. Such shocks, together with the rigidities of the domestic economy, the lagging structural reform in the public and financial sectors, and inadequate policy responses, have had a negative effect on the economic and social development.
For this reason Ecuador, needs volunteers who help in the development and creation of social programs and initiatives.

uVolunteer working with our local partners offer an exciting range of volunteer placements in many locations around Ecuador. Volunteer can participate in various social projects from volunteering with Underprivileged Inner City Children, Teaching English, Community Development with an Indigenous Community, Environment Conservation, Child Care Centre. . .

This volunteer project involves teaching at the Fe y Alegria primary school in Quito. The school is for children between the ages of 5 and 12 and is home to 178 students who come from impoverished backgrounds; only 5 full time teachers are employed at the school!. . .
Read More: Volunteering Teaching English

This volunteer project is based in an educational centre for underprivileged children in Quito that serves to help these children overcome the socio-economic disadvantages that they experience. The centre recognises the lack of educational resources available to these children and offers workshops and classes to these children. . .
Read More: Volunteer with underprivileged Children

This volunteer project will give you the opportunity to live and work amongst some of the indigenous people of Ecuador. Santa Ana is a multiethnic community formed by members of the Shuar, Achuar, Záparas and Qichwas indigenous tribes. This community obtains their income from traditional sources of commerce: fishing, agriculture, hunting, horticulture, handicrafts, tourism, conservation and reforestation. Santa Ana's community consists of 60 families and is one of the 32 communities in this area. . .
Read More: Volunteer in Indigenous Community Development

This exciting volunteer program offers the opportunity for volunteers to work in the Alto Choco Reserve. Due to geographical isolation, this area has largely been ignored and under developed. This isolation leaves farmers at the mercy of middlemen in order to get their crops to the market. In addition, until the recent discovery of metallic minerals, the government had little interest in this region. Thus, basic infrastructure and services such as roads, health centres, schools, water and sewage disposal are deficient at best and nonexistent for many residents. . .
Read More: Volunteer in Environment Conservation

Based in Quito, this volunteer project aims to give children from low income backgrounds a chance to experience a better standard of living. The children are between the ages of 2 to 4 and many have been raised in poor urban areas where their parents lack the financial resources to provide consistent education and even struggle to supply basics such as nutrition and health for their children. . .
Read More: Volunteer in a low income Child Care Centre