Volunteer in orphanages - Ecuador

Product Details

Outreach International places volunteers in two different orphanages in Ecuador: Hogar de Ninas and Maria Campo.

Hogar de Ninas

The project is located in the eastern outskirts of Quito in a spacious, middle class area. It is within walking distance of the small, traditional town of Conocoto. There are regular buses from the town to Quito. Volunteers would therefore have easy access to the city but be based in a quiet town backed by dramatic hills.

Hogar de Ninas provides a home for 45 girls aged from four to 18 years. Most of them are orphans but some have been abandoned by their parents. There are also approximately 35 working children (boys and girls) who use the centre for day care. They are given a meal and use the facilities for homework, showering and playing. They live in Conocoto or one of the nearby villages.

Hogar de Ninas was established in 1980 and is run and financed by the Catholic Church. Madre Germania is the head nun: a welcoming ‘motherly’ figure. Volunteers are not expected to be religious but are asked to accept the morals and principles of those running the project.

The day begins early when it is cool. Mornings are normally spent teaching the girls. English would be the focus but help is also needed with other subjects. In the afternoons you would be asked to help the ‘day children’ with their homework. It would be hoped that you would organise extra-curricular activities such as art, games, drama or music.

Although your formal role must be taken seriously an important focus of the project would be giving the children your time, care, love and attention. It is a warm, welcoming, very friendly community but the children need considerably more adult attention than they are currently being given. It is believed that with this help they will be given a sense of pride, self-confidence and dignity. Without the help they would probably return to a life on the streets and all that this entails

Female volunteers would be accommodated in private rooms with your own shower in the orphanage. Boys would stay with a local family in Conocoto. Alternatively you could stay in the spacious Outreach apartment with fellow volunteers in central Quito and commute to the project each morning. Like all Outreach volunteers you would attend an intensive two-week Spanish course when you arrive in Quito. You would be invited to join in with the occasional Outreach weekend trips and would be a registered member of the South America Explorers Club in Quito. You would also become well-known in Conocoto and could spend your free time socialising with local families, being invited to weddings, fiestas and to visit relatives in nearby villages.

Maria Campo

The project is located on the northern outskirts of Quito towards Mitad del Mundo where the equator runs through Ecuador. It is in a quiet cul de sac.

Maria Campo de Yoder provides a home for approximately 30 children aged from one to six years. The idea is to try and find suitable homes for the children so that they do not become ‘institutionalised’. When a home is found the children continue to use the centre for day schooling, meals, socialising and washing. This allows their mothers to work. Finance for the orphanage comes from the Ministerio de Bienstar, the underfunded government department of social services.

The site consists of three main, modern buildings. They are clean and spacious but need a bit of ‘livening up’. A volunteer with artistic skills could usefully set to work on wall murals.

Maria Campo is understaffed so you would be asked to help with all aspects of looking after the children. This would include teaching, playing, drawing, organising games, meals and washing. Most of the children have never seen toys so they need to be taught how to constructively play and socialise with each other. The working day finishes at around 4:30pm but if you had the energy your help in the evenings would also be appreciated. This would include settling the children down, reading stories, playing quietly and putting them to bed.

Work would be five days a week, weekends are normally free. Ideally you would live with a local family. This would mean that you have every opportunity of becoming fully involved in the local community. Alternatively you could live in the spacious Outreach apartment in Quito with fellow volunteers and catch the bus each morning. Like all Outreach volunteers you would attend an intensive two-week Spanish course when you arrive in Quito. The children and staff do not speak English so a knowledge of the language is important. It would be easy to socialise with the volunteers based in Quito and you would be invited to join in with the occasional Outreach weekend trips. You would be in a good location for exploring other parts of Ecuador. It is a small country with dramatic scenery, boasting snow-capped volcanoes, the Amazon rainforest, a gorgeous coastline and the Andes rising to over 5,000 metres.