Ecuador Eco Volunteer

Archive for the ‘Volunteer Experiences’ Category

My time in Ecuador was a mixture of excitement, sadness, education, and cultural intrigue.  My Spanish was only barely passable when I arrived in Quito, and would remain a constant source of anxiety as I travelled throughout South America.  My host and the organizer of my volunteer experience, Wlady Ortiz, was generous and accommodating despite his very busy work schedule, and routinely opens his house to travellers from all over the world.  I had heard about sketchy and disreputable volunteer agencies in Ecuador before, so it was a relief to meet someone who had also done quite a bit of travelling and was very down-to-earth in his endeavour to supply a volunteering experience that was not only far cheaper than many of the competing agencies, but also offered very distinctive opportunities.  My first volunteering experience was at the Zanjaranjuno Animal Rescue Center where I met Lucero, an extremely kind and caring woman who worked with the many displaced or endangered animals they had at their establishment.  Although she only spoke Spanish, she spoke clearly and softly, and used her hands to try to convey herself, which helped with my transition into a country that didn’t speak English as its first language.

THE ANIMAL RESCUE CENTER

In the animal rescue center, after our daily feeding of the many parrots (including Loca, the old and extremely talkative resident), tortugas, pigs, and Anastasia (a tayra), Lucero would find other tasks for us to do, whether it was helping with the development of a trail , or creating signs to further awareness about the effects of poaching.  Life at the center was rustic, but the charm of it was meeting other people, who quickly became as close as family.  I became good friends with Finn and Amy, an English couple, Lida and Stefan from the Nederlands, an American girl named Jade, and Caroline, who was also from the UK.  After we were finished work, and when it was raining (which was a lot, and hard), we always had to find ways to occupy ourselves, whether it was copious card games, new experimental cuisines, or cozying up in a bunk bed to watch a movie.

It was a valuable experience because living with other volunteers immediately gave you a circle, so I never felt particularly lonely, and it was interesting to learn about other cultures.  Later on I would even meet Caroline and her boyfriend in Peru, and then again in Bolivia!

VOLUNTEERING IN MINDO

The second place I went to was Mindo, a small little community based in the Ecuadorian Cloud Forest.  My host, Hugolino, owned a vast orchid garden (upwards of 300 different varieties) and was happy to teach me about some of the rarer and more bizarre specimens.  He also ran a system of zip-lines further up the mountain, and I would often spend time there helping them with tourists.  Hugolino was also an avid bird enthusiast, and would be hired out by foreigners to go bird-watching, so one day I got to tag along – it was uncanny, how he was able to pick out the shape of a bird deep in the jungle that none of us could see until we used binoculars or a telescope.  The most exciting leg of the journey was trying to catch a glimpse of the rare quetzal bird, famous for its long green and red plumage.

VOLUNTEERING IN THE ANDES

The third and last place I volunteered at was Nizag, a Quechua village, where I got to stay in a newly built and furnished ‘guest house’ all to myself, and learned about the daily life of a Quechua man or woman.  Every morning a new member of the family would come to get me, and I would tag along for most of the day, watching what they did and helping out when I could, whether that entailed digging and planting seeds, taking care of animals, cooking and helping out in the kitchen, or entertaining youngsters.  This was, in some ways, the best and worst part of my experience – on one hand, it was fascinating to be so fully immersed in another culture, and the opportunity to learn Spanish was amazing since (aside from Quechua, which was their main language) no one spoke any English.  To see how a community could be totally self-sufficient, and the cooperation and closeness of the bonds they shared with each other, was a valuable lesson that I’m still learning from, and hope to bring into my own community in some way.  But it was also the first time I realized how little some people have – it is easy to feel insulated, living in a first world country like Canada, from the effects of poverty and the general standard of living that most of the rest of the world experiences.  And yet, the children were always smiling and bright eyed (perhaps a little cautious) and very curious.  I would be walking down narrow streets and a small girl would follow behind me, playfully, and then run forward and hold onto my hand.  Everyone was extremely kind, and in spite of their simple living, were always generous.  On more than one occasion I was invited to other people’s houses where we would drink home-made cana, or sugar-cane alcohol, while they questioned me vigorously about my country.

I was a little melancholy when I finished my volunteering, but I felt like I had a better grasp not only of the language and culture of the Ecuadorian people, but of my own life and the direction and way in which I live it.  I was amazed at the strength of people’s relationships, how the emphasis on ‘family’ was such a core value and in contrast to the social dynamic of my own North American culture.  Living and learning from people who still had a very real attachment and connection to the land they existed in opened my eyes to a glimpse of how to behave and interact with my own environment, and they are lessons I hope to pass onto my own family and friends.  Needless to say, my whole Ecuadorian experience was transformative, and I hope to go back there some day.  I feel lucky to have gotten to know all the volunteers, and to have gotten to know Wlady and his city.

Here is what Caroline Ely from the UK fthinks about her time volunteering in the Amazon at the Animal Rescue Center – But first the shortened version: “After finishing my 6 month travels through all of South America this was by far the high light of my trip and i hope to one day return.”

I spent 2 months volunteering at the Animal Rescue Center in Ecuadors Amazon rainforest and had the most amazing time there. Its hard to put into words how magical the place is. When i first arrived i was picked up in Puyo by the owner named Merdardo, who was very friendly and chatty and it was easy to see that he was very passionate about the animals which he looked after.

After a quick trip to the supermarket we went to the Animal Sanctuary in the jungle where i was welcomed by an amazing group of other volunteers all willing to show me around and let me know what there was to do on a day to day basis.

There was a big mix of animals at the sanctuary, all of which were on their own journey to being rehabilitated back into the wild. I was fortunate that whilst i was there a little 3 year old spider monkey had been rescued from the black market in animal trafficking and i was lucky enough to be appointed the “mother” of this adorable little monkey.

I got to spend my days with her in the cage building up her trust so i could then let her out of her cage daily for her to roam around the jungle as she wished before returning with me to the cage. This was so very rewarding knowing that id helped her become more confident not to be scared of the outdoors (as she was previously a pet kept indoors!) I also feel i need to mention Lucero, Merdardos wife who is the kindest person i have ever met and works so hard to keep everything going, and is always around if you need help for any reason.

The Animal Sanctuary is in a beautiful place in the Amazon surrounded by animals and amazing rivers to wash in and i would class it as a very tranquil experience. After finishing my 6 month travels through all of South America this was by far the high light of my trip and i would hope to one day return.

Here is the final testimonial by Matt Jeffries on his 9 weeks at 3 volunteer programs in Ecuador, this time on one of Ecuadors many beautiful beaches in the north of the nation while helping to reforest Ecuadors endangered mangrove ecosystems.

We arrived on this island on the Ecuadorian coast not quite knowing what to expect and as soon as we arrived it was clear there was a relaxed atmosphere, interesting surroundings and many surprises ahead.

Upon arrival in Fundecol’s office we were explained the purpose of the organization and the huge amount of paperwork involving laws required for administrators while the volunteers get their hands dirty helping out with the reforestation of mangroves.

We did a variety of tasks, occasionally visiting the mangroves whereby wellies / gumboots were needed as you were up to your knees in thick mud, but a great atmosphere as the group planted seeds to regenerate the area and support future marine life, before taking a refreshing boat ride back to the island.

We also took part in a ‘Minga’ basically a project where the community got together and in this case we picked up litter and built structures so that when people use bin-bags and put them out, it meant that they didn’t get washed away as they could place them on the structures.

There was a real buzz about this particular project and it felt refreshing that the structures were outside our house so we could see that we were making a change. Finally there was a lot of cocoa plantation, we planted seeds in the soil bags, delivered 1000′s to various houses and communities around the area and in one particular community we helped out planting the cocoa plants and building structures around them to protect them from things such as animals and children, once again building and protecting for the future of these communities.

All of this with a nearby beautiful beach where you could pop along with any spare time and have a drink or play football against the locals or even go for a swim (watch out for little jellyfish, nothing too lethal just small stings). There was also various batido huts who produced fresh batido’s from fresh fruit on the island, with sammy’s hut producing particularly tasty well made batido’s and him singing a bit of bob marley was a sound to behold also.

There is something about this island that draws you in, the people are very friendly, the beach is beautiful and everywhere you look people are being creative, for example the children making kites out of a plastic bag, some reed canes and a roll of string. An amazing experience and highly recommendable.

Here is Matthew Jeffries second volunteer testimonial from his experience with the 9 week volunteer package, this time at the Amazon Rescue Center deep in the Ecuadorian Jungle. One of the wonders of Ecuador is how starkly different the landscapes are between regions as you can see from his photos in the previous post.

When we arrived in Puyo in Ecuadors Amazon by bus, we were greeted by a friendly face with a sense of fun hidden behind the eyes….Merdardo. On the trip towards the centre in his van ‘Shine on you crazy diamond’ by Pink Floyd was playing, never a truer word could be said about Merdardo, a little crazy, but there is no reason for him to change as he has a warm heart and a good sense of fun.

Also on this trip 2 guys hitched on the back with shotgun’s and machete’s, whilst initially taking us aback, we soon found out that people around this area of the Amazon are very friendly, and these two were clearly just doing their jobs and hitching a ride on their way.

Once we got there we were showed to the Amazon Rescue Center, we weren’t in the main house, but the other had a hammock and was up an amazing path where everywhere you looked you would see another stunning butterfly or amazing plant, leading towards the house with anastasia (a weasel type animal) and amelia (the paca) nearby.

Every day we went down for our two feeds and each person had a favourite animal, all choosing different animals for different reasons. I loved jacqui, who would swing near the entrance when she wanted food, and needed a person to go in each day to spend some time with her and befriend her. Luckily for me she took to me straight away and from then on in (except when it rained) she would swing over, grab onto my head and climb down onto my lap and curl up ready to be stroked.

This never got boring, and the day I was leaving the Amazon Rescue Center I’m sure she had some kind of animal instinct as she kept grabbing onto my head and wouldn’t let go as I tried to leave. A truly amazing animal, but that isn’t to say that the other animals didn’t have their own personalities…the other monkeys, the noisy, strong wooly monkeys, the crazy energetic squirrel monkeys and the shy, unusually marked tamarin monkeys paying a visit was always a pleasure.

The parrots, with Loca the all talking, all laughing, parrot who climbs upon your shoulder and ruffles her feathers, grumpy green who appears to be waiting for one person who he will love with all his heart, until then he will make a kind of growl at most contact and petrucio and the other parrots who each snatch for the food, but each has an endearing personality.

The tortoises who slowly make there way over to you at feeding time snapping away, getting muddy and stumbling over each other. The paca with her interesting markings and big teeth, cute and reserved, the warthog similar. The two snakes, one big one small who I unfortunately never got to feed and finally anastasia who I mentioned earlier, a weasel type animal with a lot of energy and a wicked sense of instinct, I personally couldn’t get to love her, but in her own way she was endearing and maybe others could get to love her.

All of this on top of building things, the constant amazing guidance and love from Lucera and the trips to the jungle river for a dip in the sun made for an absolutely amazing volunteering experience in the Amazon and I would highly recommend it to anyone.

There is little wonder why the Amazon Rescue Center is by far the most popular volunteer program on Ecuador Eco Volunteer. All of our volunteers care deeply about the Amazon Rainforests conservation because it is such an important part of the planet – the “Earths Lungs” – which is responsible for filtering the pollutants and carbon dioxide in the air before converting it into clean breathable oxygen. Without the Amazon we would all die of asphyxiation.

The volunteer program in the Amazon Rescue Center is designed for those people who are passionate about the jungles preservation. There are two important tiers of the project, the first is growing saplings that are then planted on deforested land. The second is taking care and rehabilitating a diverse range of animals that have been rescued from the black market in animal trafficking or areas of the Amazon that have been logged.

Check out the following testimonials from our volunteers at the Amazon Rescue Center over the years to get a better idea of what you will be doing when volunteering in the jungle

Volunteer Testimonies from the Amazon Rescue Center

Here is the experience of Jack and Nick, two 19 year old lads from Manchester in England about their volunteer work in the jungle

Lise Blanchard a medical student from France experience in the Amazon Rescue Center

Photos from Chris and Chris, two friends from Germany and England that volunteered in the Amazon Rainforest

And now for Anika from Sydney, who volunteered at an indigenous community in the Andes as well as the Amazon Rescue Center

Angela and Jye an Australian / New Zealand couple who studied Spanish with us before volunteering in the Amazon

and finally Finn from the Netherlands who talks about his time doing volunteer work in the Amazon Rainforest

If you are serious about trying to make the world a better place and saving Earths most precious natural wonder then dont wait any longer, email us at ecuadorecovolunteer@gmail.com