Help Underprivileged Youth

Support a childcare center in one of the largest parks in Quito. Originally, this center was established by the first Catholic Church in Ecuador to distribute meals to children and adults in need. Condition was to join the Christian Catholic faith. After the intervention of the government, the project was continued - but without commitment of the denomination to the Catholic faith.

The center welcomes up to 50 children aged 5 to 12 in the mornings (numbers subject to change). While their parents work, the children can stay in a safe place where they get lunch every day. Many of the children come from families from very poor conditions, some of whom lack the necessary money to feed themselves properly. Therefore, the children are often given clothes and shoes as well. In cases where the parents seriously violate their duties of care, the center would intervene.

In the afternoons you take care of around 20 teenagers between the ages of 13 and 20 (numbers may change). Many of them live on the street and face complex issues (drugs, violence, poverty, etc.). In the care center, these young adults get one meal per day as well as assistance in finding work and accommodation. Former street children also offer workshops to inform about the dangers of life on the streets of Quito.

Since the care of so many children and young people is very labor-intensive, the cooperation of volunteers is always necessary. Your volunteering work in Quito is therefore very meaningful and supports a good cause. A good deal of flexibility is expected, as the work requirements in the volunteer project can evolve and change on an ongoing basis.

Ecuador is a developing country and the reality of many children and adolescents is very sad and often unimaginable in our Western context. This volunteer project looks after children from poor families whose parents lack money to provide a balanced diet for their children and who do not have time to give enough attention to the children. The project also looks after homeless or neglected young people who find a safe haven in the center, where they can get something warm in their stomachs, where they can talk about their problems and worries, and where to find someone to give them a helping hand.

Volunteer work always starts on Mondays. The first day serves as an orientation day. All new participants will join a city tour of Quito to get to know the city. You will learn how to use public transport, explain important topics such as safety, do's and don'ts in Quito, etc. On the following Tuesday your volunteer service will start then.

With its rich pre-Columbian history, the capital of Ecuador was founded on the ruins of an Inca city, and nowadays offers everything a modern traveler may need. Quito remains one of the best preserved historic city centers in Latin America and UNESCO declared it a world heritage site. This huge city stretches over a fabulous Andean valley surrounded by volcanic peaks. Among its streets, you can find 40 churches and chapels, 16 convents and monasteries with their respective cloisters, 17 squares, 12 convent and refractory courtyards, 12 museums and innumerable beautiful patios.

Just 33 kilometers north of Quito is the Middle of the World, the place with the line that divides the planet earth in the northern and southern hemisphere.

Further north, an hour's drive from Quito, is Otavalo, the largest indigenous market in the world. To the south, about a hundred kilometers away, you can visit Latacunga and the Cotopaxi National Park, with the very high volcano of the same name. Further south the cities of Ambato and Baños are worth a visit, with the spectacular view of the Tungurahua volcano, which can be climbed to the top. Especially Baños is real fun place to visit due to countless of sports and adrenaline activities.