Voluntary Project Overview

Volunteers teach English to 5-12 year olds in small rural primary schools. Mornings are spent teaching at school, after which there are several other development opportunities to keep you busy. English teaching is an important means to improve the lives of both young people and adults. Local teachers have limited knowledge of English and therefore the help of volunteers is invaluable. As tourism is one of the main sources of income in Ecuador learning to speak English is crucial to secure better work opportunities.

The Volunteer Abroad Role

Volunteers abroad provide support to local teachers to help raise the level of English in the village. We work in government schools which receive very little funding. The pupils have little or no knowledge of English. Contributing to a relatively poor community is very satisfying, and you will gain enormously by appreciating the simplicity of life and values of the people. As you will be immersed in the community, your knowledge of Spanish will of course improve dramatically in a very short time. There is no better way to learn a language than while living in a local community.

Other Volunteer Abroad opportunities

In addition to teaching at the local school, volunteers could also have the opportunity to run a radio program in English. You will get involved in the local life, and help is always required in preparing for the next party as Ecuadorian life is regulated by celebrations!

Voluntary Programme Requirements/Eligibility Criteria

Knowledge of Spanish is essential, as very little English is spoken in the rural areas. If you feel the need to improve your Spanish we can organise classes in Quito before you start your placement. Good knowledge of Spanish is useful to integrate fully into the local community.  This programme requires a minimum commitment of 12 weeks. Career break volunteers need good communication skills, an open mind; lots of enthusiasm and a good sense of humour! Our philosophy is to encourage the students to learn by having fun in the lessons. Before leaving, why not take our TEFL weekend in order to prepare you to teach and to provide you with some tools to make your lessons more effective for your students.

Volunteer Accommodation and Living arrangements

The Ecuadorian Andes are one of the biologically most important areas of the world.  There is a huge number of endemic species (plants and animals found only here) and it is an absolute paradise for nature lovers and people keen on outdoor activities. 30 minutes away from the village there are some wonderful hot springs.
Your accommodation and food are provided with a carefully selected host family which is just 5 minutes walking distance from the school. You will have your own room and share the rest of the house with the family.

What’s included in your Programme Fee?

• Project selection and placement - Our in-country teams work constantly to identify and select projects that are doing exemplary work in developing countries but need your skills and effort. Our staff are in dialogue with you to ensure that we choose a project that really needs you, where you will use your skills and contribute, because at MondoChallenge, we believe that a great volunteering experience is largely dependant on matching you with the right project
• Pre Departure Briefing - Before you leave, we will arrange for a pre departure briefing where we help you with small but extremely helpful details on your chosen destination. Things like: what to pack, local culture and customs, food, safety and precautions if any - simple things to make your life easier!
• Guidance for processing visa - MondoChallenge will arrange for any relevant documents and guide you through the visa process.
• Airport Pick Up - Arriving in a new city and not knowing where to go and how to go can be quite unnerving. A MondoChallenge representative will meet you at the airport and take you to your place of stay where you can put your feet up after a long flight.
• In country Orientation and Welcome Pack - When you arrive at your location, you will be given an orientation where you could meet other volunteers from MondoChallenge, learn all about your location, how to find your way around, where to get SIM cards for the phone, small bits that you will need help sorting out in the first few days.
• In Country Support - Our local co-ordinators are there to guide you through out your stay. They will make sure that you are settled at your project, are comfortable with your accommodation and provide guidance on local culture and customs to ensure that you have a memorable and rewarding experience.
• Accommodation - In most cases you stay with a local host family. It gives you a taste of the daily life of a local. You will be sharing a room with another volunteer, however if you prefer to have a single room to youself, this can be arranged but a cost supplement may apply. If you prefer totally independent accommodation, this maybe possible in certain areas at an additional cost and our Programme Managers will be able to assist you with this.
• Breakfast and Dinner - Local home cooked food, will be provided at the home stays. This gives you a chance to experience local dishes.
• Optional Contribution to the Education Grant - The Educational Grant helps projects like the one you will volunteer with, to get basic infrastructure and resources. Open air schools need a roof, some need tables or chairs and some need books for children. We identify needs and constantly work at improving the conditions at our partner projects. We also encourage you to identify needs at your project and let our local management know of any specifics that you feel may help. The grants are made through our registered charity, FutureSense Foundation (Charity No: 1132101). In the project fee above we recommend an optional contribution towards these grants. If you would like to fund raise or contribute further amounts towards this directly to the foundation we can assist you through the process.

Not Included:

• International Flights
• Visa and Travel insurance Costs
• Vaccination
• Local Transport and Travel
• Personal Expenses

Project photos

Testimonials