• Native English/Spanish Speakers: facilitate classes of math, languages, social studies, sciences etc. in English or Spanish.
• Native Chinese Speakers: facilitate Chinese classes & development of the Chinese curriculum together with the school Head Master.
• Monitor children at non-academic activities at school: shower time, meals time, brush teeth, recess time, going on walks, free play time etc.

Volunteer Teaching
English/ Spanish volunteers are generally the primary teacher of the classroom and are expected to teach classes in their native languages.  The academic responsibilities of each volunteer may vary depending on personal areas expertise. Volunteers are expected to follow the school's curriculum and methodology under the direction of the Head of School as well as volunteer coordinator.  The school holds high expectations in which their volunteers conduct themselves around students. The school philosophy of mutual respect for all is expected to be role modeled among all volunteers. The school's staff will guide you during the school year, though you should be ready to lead classes independently.

Chinese Volunteer Teaching
Chinese volunteers are expected to teach components of the Chinese language. You are asked to colloborate with the schools Head Master to create a coherent set of Chinese language lessons. You are also expected to uphold role-model behavior and follow the school's philosophy of mutual respect for all. 

General Volunteers
General volunteers do not need teaching experience though are expected to work mainly as teacher aids during class time, as well as substitute for unavailable teachers. You will be asked to collaborate in all of the school's daily activities as well.

Specific Volunteers
Specific volunteers will be expected to teach their field of expertise such as art, electronics, computers, yoga, ecology, etc. As any other volunteer teacher, you will be asked to monitor the children during all of their daily activities and are asked to follow and respect the school's philosophy.

Volunteering at the Early Stimulation Center
Volunteers at the Early Stimulation Center work with small groups of children in different activities during class time. There are three age groups at the Early Stimulation Center and volunteers rotate working with different groups. During times when parents work late hours, volunteers at the Early Simulation Center work in shifts to care for the children until parents are able to pick them up. Normally a shift runs from 7.00 am till 3.30 pm. During peak season however, there are three shifts: morning, afternoon and evening. Volunteers rotate through all of the shifts according to needs and total amount of volunteers.  Volunteers working at the center are also asked to help supervise with the other volunteers in daily activities such as shower time, meals, free time etc.

Volunteer teachers need to speak English and/or Spanish fluently - enough to develop these languages with the children. English speakers will be required to speak only English with the children throughout the day.

• Accommodation in volunteer house
• Five 2-bed dormitories
• Fully equipped house
• 3 meals per day

A cozy house is provided for the volunteers with five bedrooms, each holding two beds.  The volunteer house can hold up to ten. The house is completely furnished including bed linen. However, we strongly recommend bringing a sleeping bag and towels.

The house has a fireplace where you can barbecue sit, enjoy and relax. The house is fully equipped with a gas stove, small refrigerator and access to a washing machine nearby. With no dryer, you will use the sun to dry your clothes!

There is a cell phone in the house, however you must use your own sim card to make phone calls.  Sim cards are available in the near-by town.  There is no internet at the volunteer's house though there are three computers with internet access and wireless-lan provided at the school.

Meals are eaten at school or at the day care center, depending on where you are working. They include breakfast, mid morning fruit, lunch and afternoon yoghurt. All meals are typical Ecuadorian homemade food.

Presently, the primaryschool has up to 8th grade school children with the day-care center receiving children from three months old to four years old. The school provides the children with a bilingual education to open up new vistas of a way out of poverty. The background of the children mostly come from low-income families who generally work at nearby plantations and dairy farms. The school also receives children who have been abandoned or by parents who are not able to take care of them. Specifically during holiday seasons, the school and day-care center foster greater numbers of children due to greater amounts of family stress, drug and alcohol consumption as well as reports of emotional and physical abuse.  During these trends of abuse and neglect the center strives to stay open as much as possible to give children a safe place where they are fed and cared for properly.

A typical day at the day care centre:
Infants to pre-school age children arrive around 6:30 to 7:00 am. One employee typically receives the children in the early morining, while the rest of the staff arrives at 7:00 am. Children are bathed or showered, changed into clean uniforms and receive breakfast. After breakfast, children brush their teeth, go to the bathroom and are ready to start their activities. There is fruit time during the morning, more activities and then lunch around noon. Again, after lunch children brush their teeth and take a nap. When nap-time is finished the children do some more activities and enjoy a yogurt before going home around 3.30 pm.

All employees, teachers and volunteers help the children during all of their activities. Children have art and music classes and play with water and sand, staff and children sing songs together and learn rhymes. Best case scenario is that children do every of these activities in English.

A typical day at the primary school:
The school routine is very similar to that of the day care center. Children arrive before 7.00 am and take a shower. While breakfast is being prepared, children have one session of classes and then a short break for breakfast. After breakfast they brush their teeth and are ready for two more class lessons. Following early morning classes, they receive fruit and free time to play. After recess children attend one more class before enjoying lunch time at about noon. In the afternoon, after lunch time, children receive two more classes and yoghurt before returning to their homes around 3.30 pm.

At primary school children are older; thus usually don't need as much help as in the day care center. However, it is the responsibility of all employees, teachers and volunteers to monitor children by all of their academic and non-academic activities during school time. Everyone takes turns monitoring recess, shower time, meal time, etc.

Please be aware that routines at both places could change without notice according to special needs and sometimes daily occurrences. Thus, your responsibilities also might change. We ask volunteers to be flexible and comprehensive.

One time registration fee 75 USD.

• Accommodation
• 3 meals per day (breakfast, lunch, dinner)
• Orientation kit
• Local support

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