Give back to society while volunteering in a children's home near Quito. Help children from marginalized social groups, street children or other children in need.
This volunteer program is especially suitable for:
The host institution of this wonderful volunteer project is a foundation that has been dedicated to the well-being of children whose rights have been violated. Since 1993 the foundation runs a children's home to give children in need a shelter. The volunteer project is located in the very south of Quito, the country's capital. Children and youth from extremly difficult family backgrounds find a safe place to live at the children's home. The children have experienced extreme situation like living on the streets or have been the victim of physical or psychological violence or suffered any other kind of danger or neglect. About 30 children between the ages of 3 and 17 live in the children's home, some of them accompanied by an aunt or their mother.
The foundation sees education as a fundamental element in breaking the cycle of poverty. This is why a small school is part of the children's home offering school education up to 7th grade. The school is also attended by children from the neighborhood. About 130 students are enrolled in the school.
The children's home is located on a large plot of land where children can play, do sports, get fresh air and work in the vegetable garden. The latter has proven to be very successful with the children, as they are proud to be able to harvest what they sow. Working with the seeds and the harvest has a great learning curve on their real life.
The volunteers are welcomed with open arms by the children. They are always happy to have volunteers around them, and are excited about all the things that the volunteers do and undertake with them. The volunteers help the children with schoolwork, give tutoring and play games with them. The volunteers also provide support with education in topics such as personal hygiene and tidiness of the rooms as well as with everyday skills and the completion of daily housework. From time to time volunteers help with maintenance and repairs.
Volunteers work Monday to Friday, weekend are off.
The areas of responsibility include:
- Learning with the children
- Playing with the children
- Keeping the children busy
- Doing sports with the children
- Giving the children an open ear
- Helping in the household
- Helping out in the kitchen
The volunteer work takes place in the municipality of Amaguaña in the very south of Quito. In about an hour you can reach the city center of the country's capital.
Amaguaña is beautifully located in the countryside. There you can enjoy amazing views on the mountains and volcanoes. Old traditions and customs are still alive in Amaguaña, which makes this volunteer experience very interesting from a historical and cultural point of view. The landmark of Amaguaña is the well-preserved church from colonial times, dated 1529. There are also several old haciendas in the Spanish colonial style in Amaguaña, which are full of history and exciting anecdotes.
In the surroundings of Amaguaña there are nature parks with beautiful rivers, mountains, volcanoes and interesting flora and fauna. You can do outdoor sports as well as sigthseeing in the proximity.