Volunteer at Puyo’s Ethnobotanical Park Omaere
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The volunteer program at the Omaere Ethnobotanical Park is somewhat unstructured and oriented toward keeping this beautiful botanical park working as well as attending to the unpredictable arrival of visitors.
The volunteer director for this program is Chris Canaday from California, one of the world leaders in UDDT’s who has made it his life´s mission to improve water sanitation and
human waste disposal in the Amazon basin of the Ecuadorian orient.
Volunteers will also help make natural medicine and help setup sanitation systems for indigenous communities which are incredibly important to the health of the Amazonian rivers in the area. Other activities, including research and environmental education, may be done with the initiative of volunteers.
The Volunteer Perfect for this Program:
We expect volunteers to be self-starters, responsible, punctual, flexible and easy-going, otherwise we reserve the right to suspend their stay.
Expected Tasks While Volunteering:
Omaere welcomes volunteers, interns, and researchers who want to help us:
– guide tourists,
– maintain the Park,
– start fires in the traditional houses to make visits more authentic and to conserve the roofs,
– collect firewood,
– reproduce plants and remove weeds,
– prepare natural medicine,
– aid communities in the construction of ecological dry toilets, and
– contribute to the conservation and sustainable development of the Region.
Price per month:
For volunteers who stay on-site an expected contribution of $100 per month (plus a suggested donation of $100) will help with expenses.
This works out at just under $7 per day and
Minimum Time Spent Volunteering:
– Volunteers need to commit for a minimum of one month
– Volunteers need to cover their expenses for transport and food (kitchen facilities are provided)
– Can speak a basic level of Spanish (although exceptions can be made for individuals with specialized skills).
A limited number of persons may stay in rustic rooms within the Park, or we can help them find places to stay in the city of Puyo.
Work is from Tuesday to Sunday, from 9 to 5, with an hour for lunch. Volunteers should limit their personal activities to their free time. Interested botanists can aid us in the process of developing an inventory of plant species in the Park.
Volunteers who have spent time at the Omaere Ethnobotanical Park are encouraged to comment about their time below to help improve the program for future volunteers.
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Michael Barker
I had the opportunity to volunteer at the Omaere Ethnobotanical Park and it was amazing! Chris Canaday is a friendly and professional expert in his field and does a great job of keeping the park running. I spent a few weeks working with him (you don’t necessarily have to commit one month to volunteer) and it so much fun. As it says, the volunteer work is unstructured and in certain respects you can choose what you want to do and how you want to spend your time there. Chris is open to accept any volunteer, regardless of age, with a willingness to promote the parks goals. Do it, you will not regret it!
Kara Hostetter
Omaere Ethnobotanical Park is awesome! I learned so much while I was volunteering there this past summer. Chis is a wealth of knowledge. And, of course, the park is absolutely beautiful. Take the opportunity to volunteer there and support the conservation efforts!
Béatrice Van Lancker
I have had the opportunity to volunteer at Omaere for 3 years (about one month on my holidays each year). This has been such a wonderful experience for me that I plan to go back many more years (I have already booked my flight for next year).
Each year I have the feeling that I receive so much more than what I give.
Teresa and Chris know so much about the plants, they are so openminded and committed to nature conservation.
I learned a lot, and go on learning each time I go back. My teachers are the people of Omaere, but also the tourists and other volunteers who come there.
Omaere is such a special place it attracts special people.
Katriona Siloen Auerbach
I highly recommend the volunteer experience working at Omaere Ethnobotanical Park. Chris, Teresa and all the other guides working there are a wealth of information and I consider it a great gift to have had the chance to spend time and learn from all of them. The park is beautiful and the work is fun, interesting and incredibly important. This is a wonderful opportunity not to be missed. Thank you to everyone at Omaere for such a fantastic volunteer experience.