Eco Volunteer UP

While all countries around the world are concerned about the global crisis, we continue helping our community and environment. If you want to save money, have great fun and help our people and environment, attend our volunteer programs. In Ecuador, our volunteer projects are located in the cultural city of Quito, Galapagos, Amazon, Andes, Puerto López, Cloud Forest....
If you are planning to explore the real cultural and natural beauty of Ecuador, why not start your adventure by joining one of our voluntary positions, free Spanish lessons, village hiking expeditions, or sightseeing of some of the cultural wonders of Ecuador. Eco-Volunteer UP offers you unique opportunities to explore the great land of Ecuador while working for children and people in teaching, orphanage projects, health, forest placements with its flora, fauna and other community development projects.

 GALAPAGOS PROJECT

This volunteer opportunity is based on a farm of about 50 hectares in the highlands of San Cristobal Island, in the Galapagos Island group. The objective of this volunteer effort is to develop activities and alternative projects which promote the participation of the local community of the Island.

The principal objective of the volunteer project is to reverse the environmental impacts made by inserted species on the native vegetation of San Cristobal Island technical.  The project works toward restoring the native forest and endemic flora of the Island and of Baquerizo Moreno Port.  Volunteers will be working immediately to eliminate and control the inserted plants of the area, and later to start replanting native and endemic trees of the Islands.  Volunteers will also take care of the native plants in the project nursery.  The project receives technical support from the Charles Darwin Scientific Station (CDSS).  . One day on the week, the technical staff of the CDSS will give a presentation to volunteers about the importance of the project. 

AMAZON PROJECT

You can volunteer to make a real difference!  Your work can increase the opportunities for the children of the Amazon by preparing them to face a changing world and by raising their cultural and environmental awareness. The involvement of volunteers in the English teaching and other projects can raise the global awareness of local children.

 This volunteer program is focused on an indigenous community of the Amazon Rain Forest.  The construction of a local school is part of the indigenous (Shuar community) struggle for collective and traditional rights, especially the rights to receive education in their native language. With funds from a private donation, the local people have been building a community school.

 Local parents were able to finish the construction of a new school building in 2006.  The new building has a capacity for 25 children, and it offers a greatly improved physical environment for the students.  Now, it’s time for the real work to begin!

SOCIAL PROJECT

In the last two decades, the population of Ecuador has doubled with growing incidences of abandoned children and teenage mothers living on the streets.  Many Ecuadorians live in extreme poverty which strains every aspect of survival.  There are parents who are unable to provide the basics for the families, including housing, food and healthcare.  These factors play a significant role in the rise in the number of street children, who attempt to survive by shining shoes, peddling, collecting garbage and begging.  Prostitution is also on the rise as many young girls see this as their only means of survival.  This adds to the number of teenage mothers living on the streets perpetuating this life of poverty.  Volunteers are needed to work with the increasing number of street children.   Simple things like offering basic healthcare, food and friendship are seen as critical factors needed to change this growing statistic.

COMMUNITY PROJECT

In Ecuador, over 50% of the population lives below the poverty line.  There are families that do not have basic amenities such as running water, electricity, health resources or decent schools.  To complicate matters, the previous Ecuadorian government did not provide much in the way of funding to improve public welfare.  Situations like this provide little economic opportunity.    In both urban and rural Ecuador, much work needs to be done to strengthen the community structure.  In particular, education regarding proper nutrition, diet and hygiene is needed.  In rural areas, efficient and effective farming techniques need to be brought forth.  Volunteers have the opportunity to immerse themselves in all family activities as they work to share their knowledge and experience with some of the poorest communities in Ecuador.

Eco-Volunteer UP Foundation welcomes families and friends who would like to volunteer together.

Volunteering in Latin American as a family, or even as a group of friends or co-workers, can be one of the most wonderful and gratifying experiences of your life. We have a range of programs that combine volunteering and sightseeing opportunities in some of the most popular destinations around Ecuador.
As a family volunteering, your children can discover parts of the world they would probably never learn about at school. Our programs allow for a unique, in-depth look at a foreign land that is just not possible on a typical vacation.
As a group, your classroom, club, or co-workers, can have one of the most incredibly rewarding experiences as together you learn about and experience life and culture in another land. This is an amazing opportunity to bond as you do something completely different and out of the ordinary.
Our volunteering programs are suitable for family or groups from all areas of society: college students on a summer break, students from a class or university department, sports teams, work colleagues or even groups of friends looking for a truly original volunteer experience!
The programs we offer range in length from a one week stay to 12 weeks, depending on the time you have available and project that you would like to participate in.
Many of the projects can accommodate groups of various sizes. Please don't hesitate to contact us so that we can match your group's size with the right opportunity. Please also inquire about opportunities that include volunteer work and the chance to travel.