Volunteer in Guajira Day Care Center

  Ecuador

• All Other Regions of Ecuador: 
Pichincha,  Cayambe

Durations of Program: 9-12 weeks, 3-6 months, 7-12 months, 1-2 years and over 2 years
Typical Duration of Program: 9-12 weeks
Dates: The whole year through

Description: Guajira Day Care Centre is a centre for adequate day care for children with a low economic background, sons and daughters of the employees of the Florecal Rose plantation. We want to give the girls and boys high quality care. That is why we need volunteers dedicated to children. We also offer the children the opportunity to learn another language to give them new perspectives. The children we attend to are between 3 months and 4 years old. The program currently counts 20 boys and girls. There are 5 persons working in the project: 3 teachers, one person that takes care of cleaning and one project coordinator. We are looking for 2 volunteers.

Volunteers' Activities:
General volunteers are expected to work mainly as teaching assistants during class time and to substitute teachers if one is absent. They are expected to collaborate in all of the school's daily activities as well. Volunteers at the Early Stimulation Centre are going to work with small groups of children in different activities during class time. As any other volunteers and teachers they are expected to monitor and/or help the children during all of the daily activities which are not class related like: shower time, meals time, outside activities, etc. There are three age groups at the ESC and volunteers will rotate working with different groups. During times when parents work late hours, volunteers at the ESC are expected to take turns taking care of 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 are expected to rotate through all of the shifts according to the needs.

Day care center routine: the babies and little children arrive around 6:30 and 7:00 am. There is one employee to receive the children. Work starts at 7:00 am for the rest of the employees and volunteers. Children are bathed or showered, changed into clean clothes and ready to go for breakfast. After breakfast children brush their teeth, go to the bathroom and are ready to start their activities. Midmorning there is fruit time, more activities and then there is lunch time. Again, after lunch children brush their teeth and then take a nap. After nap time children do some more activities and then have a snack before going home at around 3:30 pm.

Duration:
The project works the whole year through. The volunteer may begin his work immediately after his arrival in Ecuador. Work amounts to 40 hours a week, from 7am to 3.30 pm.

It is the responsibility of all employees, teachers and volunteers to monitor children through all of their academic and non-academic activities during school time. Everyone takes turns monitoring the children during all of their non-academic activities at school, i.e. while brushing their teeth, during shower and meal times, during outdoor activities, recess, etc.

Highlights: Guajira Day Care Center is located to 2850 mts above sea level in the base of Cayambe volcano. It is part of Florecal Rose Plantation. The volunteer will have the opportunity to practice the language, and he will work in a very nice atmosphere with persons dedicated to education.   

*Services Close to the Community
The project is located near the Cayambe mountain. Cayambe is a volcano located in the Equatorial line, latitude zero, at a temperature of 13 degrees Celsius (55 F) in an ideal microclimate for production. It is a one hour ride away from Otavalo.

*Internet: There is wireless internet at the school. There is one computer with access to internet. If you bring your personal computer you could also connect to it in the afternoons or evenings. There are plenty of internet cafes in Cayambe (30 minutes walk or 5 minutes by bus).

*While you can get almost anything in Cayambe or Quito, when it comes to your personal toiletry items, if you are used to certain brands, we suggest that you bring enough for the time of your volunteership or take the chance of having to change brands or types (especially regarding feminine items).

*Free Time and Recreational Activities
Volunteers who come for a whole school year or calendar year can take three separate weeks off. The first one could take place around November, the second one around February and the third one around April. Volunteers coming for less than a school year should make direct arrangements in advance with the school or day care center if they are planning on taking some days off during the time of their volunteership.

Qualifications: Working experience with children is necessary, for example in summer camps. Volunteers should be between 20 and 40 years old, men and women are welcome. We require basic Spanish skills.
We require volunteers to be flexible. What you will do depends on your profession, abilities, and preferences and on the positions available. Volunteers who have a teaching degree are first in line when distributing or re-distributing positions.

Requirements include:
1. resume
2. two reference letters (1 and 2 sent via e-mail)
3. international medical insurance
4. filling out an application form (found in our website)
5. police record,
6. phone interview when possible.
7.We strongly recommend that you get the Yellow Fever and Hepatitis A and B vaccines.

* Books for children are very much appreciated.

Cost in US$: free

Regarding housing arrangements, we provide our volunteers, most commonly, with a bedroom at a house shared by other volunteers. Guajira Day Care Center has a small house next door to the Day Care Center for volunteers. It has a fireplace and volunteers have to collect wood (or buy it) to make a fire. The house is fully furnished (gas stove, small refrigerator), there is a washing and drying machine at the Day Care Center which can be used by volunteers. The house has one bedroom with 2 bunk beds, so volunteer will share the room.

It takes about 1 hour and a half from Quito airport "Mariscal Sucre" to Cayambe and about 1 hour from Otavalo traveling by bus. It is a 65 km distance to Quito.

If possible, you should try to arrive in the morning hours and on a weekday. If this is not possible, you might have to spend a night in Quito before coming to Guajira Day Care Center. We cannot receive you at the house for volunteers late in the afternoon, evenings or weekends. If you decide to arrive on a Friday afternoon or during the weekend, we will be able to receive you the next working day during the morning hours or early afternoon.

We will try to have someone drive you to Guajira Day Care Center. If you arrive before 2:00 pm on a weekday, we will pick you up from the airport and drive you directly to Guajira Day Care Center. If you arrive any other time, you will have to go to a hostel and someone will pick you up from the hostel the next working day during the morning hours.

You can also get here on your own if you wish. Please let us know in advance if this is the case so we can provide you with the details via email on how to get here.

We can not provide a ride back to the airport. We can help you make arrangements for a pick up to take you to the bus station (about 10 US dollars) or to Quito (about 50 US dollars).

Food is included. Breakfast, midmorning snack), lunch), and a snack in the afternoon, from Monday to Friday. Any other expenses have to be covered by the volunteers themselves.

Meals are eaten at the day care center. They include breakfast, mid morning fruit, lunch and afternoon snack, i.e. fruit or yoghurt. All meals are typical Ecuadorian homemade food. Breakfast consists of a small main dish of rice or potatoes with some vegetables, eggs two or three times a week, a colada (a drink made with milk and one of the following: oats, tapioca, fruits or flavored flours like banana flour) and a bun with fresh cheese or marmelade . Ecuadorian lunch is the biggest meal of the day and consists of salad (great variety of vegetables), soup and a main dish which consists of white rice, a side dish like lentils or potatoes and some sort of meat. Once in a while there are typical Ecuadorian dishes prepared. We can not provide any special diets for volunteers. Volunteers who are vegans or vegetarians are welcome as long as they don't mind other people eating meat and understand that the children have to eat their meat. Vegans and Vegetarians would have to provide their own sources of protein.

Experience Required: yes

Working experience with children is necessary, for example in summer camps. We require basic Spanish skills. What you will do depends on your profession, abilities, and preferences and on the positions available. Volunteers who have a teaching degree are first in line when distributing or re-distributing positions.

Age Range: Volunteers should be between 20 and 40 years old,

This Program is open to Worldwide Participants. This Program is also open to Couples and Individuals

Participants Travel to Ecuador Independently

Typically Participants Work Independently Or in Groups of 5 persons work on the project

Application Process Involves:

• Letters of Reference
• Online Application plus Application Assessment
• Other
• Phone Interview
• Resume

Ecuador Volunteer Foundation's Mission Statement: We are Ecuador Volunteer, an international nonprofit organization founded in 1999 committed to the provision of volunteering opportunities in social, educational and community development in Ecuador. Voluntary work opportunities based around Quito and main programs offer experiences of cultural exchanges, work and help with local people. We arrange voluntary placements in the environmental or community area. The environmental involves working in nature on a wide variety of projects, the community works are about helping street children, elderly people and educating people. We dedicate ourselves to alternative solutions to these problems, to make a difference and create a better world in Ecuador.

Year Founded: 1999