Orphanage Volunteer Program

Ecuador has many different orphanages spread all over the country and most of them are run by the church who without help from the government has to solve the economic problems to keep moving on. Children end up in the orphanages for many different reasons and there are so many sad stories involving drugs, abuse, alcohol, poverty and young girls that can't take care of a babies but what they have in common is that these are children from poor families with a high lack of education.

The orphanages take care of the children in the best way they can by giving them food, education and a roof over their heads. This is not always the easiest thing as new children often are used to "street" rules or no rules at all but the staff in the orphanages have a high priority with this as the children needs something stable in their life and to have rules created a solid base to stand on in life.

As the government doesn’t help the children in other ways than taking them to an orphanage, the churches that run the orphanages have to raise money and ask for contributions best they can and people in the communities sometimes helps with clothes, food, toys or school materials for example. The church sometimes also receives help from companies that give them free products like clothing's or food but the support from churches in other countries is also an important resource for many projects.

Volunteers Role

The children are from less than 1 year up to about 14 years old but they don't all live in the orphanages as they sometimes helps other children in the area as well. Of those children some are from poor families in the neighborhood and they stay over the day to get lunch after school and help with their homework so the parents also can work. Other children they try to help if they can are children that live in prison with their mother due to that the father might be gone and no other relative can take care of them so they have sometimes the chance to go to school and stay in the orphanage over the week days.

Depending on what needs to be done the volunteers might help with:
-Help the school-age children with their homework.
-Play games with children of all ages.
-Teach the children how to behave at mealtimes.
-Sing songs with the children.
-Help change diapers on the younger children.
-Help the younger children with their pre-school classes.

Location And Working Hours

The orphanages that we work with are located throughout the Andean Mountains.

Volunteers work Monday to Friday between 08:00 and 17:00 with a break for lunch but this can vary from orphanage to orphanage and of course depending on what they need help with.

Our Experience

This is a project that can work for almost anybody and that is what sometimes creates some problems as quit a few participants believe that they just have to show up and put a child in their lap and everything is great. When they act like this the staff only wonder why they are there and sometimes it gets boring for the participant and they get unhappy so instead the volunteers need to understand that an orphanage is so much more than just a child in your lap. They always have a mountain of clothing's, a number of toilets that needs to be cleaned and food to prepare so dig in and really help them out.

Requirements

Application Form
Resume / CV
Passport Copy
4 Weeks
Beginner Spanish
Interest In Working With Children
Open Mindedness To Live In A Different Way

Recommended

6 - 8 Weeks
Intermediate Spanish
Some Experience With Children
Good Imagination