Programs Abroad

ECUADOR - Teaching English to Local Communities

	Project: Volunteer Booking Nº: EC123 Country: Ecuador + Location: North-eastern Amazon jungle Minimum Stay: 6 months Start dates: All year round Price: 6 months, from 480 USD
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Task

Organizing English lessons
Teaching English to local community

The Sani community in this region counts about 400 people. They live mainly from agriculture, chase and fishing. You as a volunteer will give English classes during the morning at the Elementary school of the community. Classes are only attended by the kids who visit the school regularly. In the afternoons you will teach English to the teachers themselves, teenagers and the staff of the nearby Lodge. Everyone else from the community who wants to join these lessons is also invited to do so. The time schedule will be 2-3 hours in the afternoons. You most likely will invest some time per day to prepare the English classes for the children in the morning as well as in the afternoon for the adults.

You are asked to arrange and plan the classes in direct coordination with the members of the community and the local teachers. At this you should consider their needs, desires and availability. You are expected to work independently and to be well organized.

Accommodation

Volunteer house at local Sani community
Shared or individual rooms
Full-board

As an English teacher you will live directly in the Sani community at the volunteer’s house. The house is equipped with a kitchen and bathroom and different sleeping rooms. Every week a truck will provide you with food supplies. Together with other volunteers you will prepare and cook you meals by your own and enjoy mealtimes together. You are also responsible to order the food in advance and organize with the person in charge the purchase of it.

At the weekends you can go to the nearby lodge and use its facilities on Saturday and Sundays.

Requirements

Language:
Fluent English and Spanish.

Skills:
Formation as a teacher and / or teaching experience.

Age:
18+ years

Vaccination:
Hepatitis A, B; Ague, Tetanus, Yellow Fever, Typhoid. Please also ask for medical advice in your home country.

Insurance:
Full travel & medical insurance for Ecuador.

Visa:
Volunteer visa.

Details

The Lodge is truly a one of a kind Ecuador eco-lodge. The Lodge run by the local Sani Community lies enbedded in more than 100,000 acres of virgin jungle in the Ecuadorian Amazon region. The Sani community had the vision of creating a project to guarantee the future for next generations, given the fact that agriculture, hunting and fishing activities are not enough for their sustainability.

The extensive knowledge of the Amazon wildlife and biodiversity they can give the Lodge's guests is a true experience of the Ecuadorian Amazon jungle. In addition to providing excellent service the Lodge watches and protects the largest private region of the rain forest in all Ecuador. The region where the Lodge is located has animals that are under extinction threat. The goal of the Lodge is to preserve the land, plants and animals, and improve the education system for the community.

The Lodge and its guest has helped the members of the community to understand how important is their heritage and what is their role in the current world, through the maintenance of a large virgin territory in the jungle, where they can live in peace, as they have always done, coexisting with the animals of this region in peace and harmony. Volunteers and tourists are educated about the role of the community and the importance of the maintenance of the Amazon region far from the oil and wood exploitation.

Prices

Duration	in USD
6 months	480.-
Additional month	30.-

One time registration fee 75 USD.

What’s included:

Accommodation
3 meals per day (breakfast, lunch, dinner)
Orientation kit
Local support
24h-Emergency Number
Daily transfer to work site

What’s not included:

Flight
Airport Pick-up
Medical Insurance
Visa (if necesary)
Personal expenses
Local Travels

Country

Country Information Ecuador

Ecuador, appropriately named after the equator, holds a massive imaginary line running directly through its middle. Ecuador is one of the smallest countries in South America with an area of only 100,000 square miles. Ecuador borders with Peru in the southeast, Colombia in the northeast and the Pacific Ocean splashing along the entire west side. The population of Ecuador is 14 million with the capital city of Quito holding 2 million residents.

Though Ecuador lacks bragging rights in their size, the country surely stands proud with their breathtaking landscapes, lush vegetation zones and varieties of climate. The climate, mainly determined by altitude, with tropical sun to heavy rain an average day in the Pacific coastal area, to temperate dry climate regions in the Andean highlands. Further, the Amazon basin on the eastern side of the mountains shares the climate of other rain forest zones.

Ecuador is one of eighteen mega diverse countries in the world with thousands of different animal and bird species. The famous Galapagos Island, a very special spot on earth, located about 620 miles away from the mainland and home to unique flora and fauna such as the giant tortoises. The islands are also historic for being the birthplace of Darwin’s Theory of Evolution.

When exploring even deeper the 100,000 square mile piece of land, you will find diverse attractions for tourists and volunteers alike. Some highly recommended areas of exploration are the Amazon jungles, the Amazon basin, Andean Mountains, Volcanoes (active and dormant), tropical forests and variety of beautiful beaches. The Pacific coast is a perfect place for ocean diving, relaxing on the beach and enjoying hours in the sun. For those backcountry lovers and nature fans, rest assured the terrain of Ecuador offer much in both silence and adrenaline driven activities.

Due to Ecuador’s geographical diversity of ocean, mountains and island chains, any time you choose to travel rest assured one section of country will be in peak season. June through September are typically the dry months. The general high peak season of festivals, fiestas and crowds lie between mid-December through January and then again from June through August.

When traveling to Ecuador you will be absolutely amazed by the unique and natural beauty of this country. Keeping in mind that this country is one of poorest regions in South America, you will be surprised by their friendliness, efforts to help you and elements of preserved culture. UNESCO declared Quito, the capital city, a World Heritage Site in the 1970’s for having the best preserved and least altered historic center in Latin America!

No doubt, you will feel comfortable and ease while enjoying this open-minded and hospitable society.