Daycare Assistant

Galapagos is one of the most popular tourist destinations in the world and many dream of spending just a few days in the impressive archipelago. With South America Inside you have the opportunity to spend several weeks on the Galapagos Islands while you participate in our childcare volunteer project.

This volunteer project supports day care centers on Isabela Island. The institutions are aimed at parents who are working full-time or can not look after their children during the day. In order to ensure that children of one to three years do not remain unattended at home, they receive support and care in these day care centers.

The main objective of the project is to ensure that children's educational, psychological and physiological needs are met. Despite the lack of resources, staff and toys, the institutions have managed to create a friendly and loving environment that allows the children to be happy and engage in meaningful activities throughout the day.

If you love to work with children, you are in the right place! This is your chance to leave a lasting impression on the lives of Ecuadorian children and bring variety to their everyday lives in an isolated place like the Galapagos Islands.

Between 40 and 70 children are cared for daily in the day care centers on the Galapagos Islands. As often only one caregiver is available for a large group of children, the support of volunteers is particularly appreciated and sometimes even urgently needed.

Above all, it is important to be a role model for the children, to behave responsibly and to teach them values ​​such as tolerance and respect.

By dividing the children by age group you will be working in various areas of the facility and in a variety of activities. Key responsibilities include supporting local educators in activities such as playing, singing, painting, drawing, and dancing, as well as having conversations with children. Help is also needed during the meal and washing time.

The work in this volunteer project takes place especially in the morning hours (about 7:30 am to 1 pm). In the afternoons, the children take a nap and you and the other volunteers prepare activities for the next day or use the time to explore the island.

Note: The tasks may vary. They depend on factors such as number of volunteers, weather, season, current needs of the project, as well as self-motivation. Not every volunteer may be fully involved in all these tasks.

After a long day of hard work, evenings are quiet and volunteers usually spend them lounging in hammocks, chatting, listening to music, writing or reading. In your free time you can also go swimming, hiking and play sports. It's possible to do diving and snorkeling.

The local volunteer coordinators are always available for assistance and guidance for the volunteer projects and spare time activities. There are times when there are only two or three other volunteers, while on other occasions there are large groups, so be prepared for the variety of people that you will meet and work with.

The Galapagos Islands offer many opportunities for cultural activities and escapes into the nature. You have the possibility to observe the Island's endemic wildlife, animals that do not exist somewhere else!

You can do many water activities like swimming, snorkeling, kayak, surfing, diving and you can take boat trips to other islands.