Foundation ASONIC in Quito’s Mariscal
Location: Quito, Pichincha, Ecuador
Price: $50 administration fee
The ASONIC Foundation in located in the ‘Mariscal’ of downtown Quito
The ASONIC Foundation is an organisation founded in 1998 that provides support for families from the Ecuadorian countryside whose children are suffering from cancer. The organisation provides free accommodation, meals, and therapeutic support to the families who have traveled from the rural provinces to Quito so their sick children can undergo treatments such as chemotherapy.
An extremely high percentage of these children suffering from cancer come from the northern Ecuadorian Amazon where the U.S. oil giant Chevron Texaco dumped 72 billion litres of oil waste and 45 million litres of crude oil over 2 million hectares of rural and rainforested land. To this day, Chevron Texaco continues to neglect their moral responsibility and legal obligation to clean up their mess, having rejected the outcome of an Ecuadorian court case which sentenced the multinational to pay 9.5 billion dollars in damages for the cleanup and to provide health care assistance to the 30,000 villagers who were affected by the disaster.
The ASONIC foundation receives many of these families who often do not have the economic possibility to afford a place to stay in the city while their children undergo treatment for cancer.
Ligia Perez, the director of La Lengua Spanish School, helps train and supervise volunteers at ASONIC. She is a doctor in psychology and works as a psycho-oncologist skilled at giving support to the patients and the families of ASONIC during all phases of cancer.
“I track cases for treatments and work with children and parents giving occupational therapy workshops in order to overcome the difficult situation of having a child with this terrible illness.” says Ligia.
Expected Tasks While Volunteering
Volunteers can help give English classes as well as setup other games and activities that are based around having fun and keeping the children in good spirits. This is beneficial to both the children and their parents who may be struggling to cope with the 24 hour care required for their children.
Volunteers who want to work should have minimum basic Spanish language skills to communicate.. If you wish to study Spanish while volunteering at ASONIC a 10% discount can be arranged at Ligia Perez’ Spanish school in Quito
Monetary Contribution
Volunteers at ASONIC should pay a one-off $50 administration fee to help with the expenses at the foundation. Donations are also welcome to keep the ASONIC Foundation sustainable.
Minimum Time Volunteering
The requirement to work as a volunteer is commit for at least 2 weeks.
For more info and to organize volunteer work with ASONIC please try to include your approximate start date and the length of time you would like to volunteer.
Expected Volunteer Responsibilities
All volunteers must pay their own lodging and food and live in the place that suits them, we can suggest places and host families nearby the ASONIC Foundation and the La Lengua Spanish School.
Interested volunteers must send their CV. To know their skills and what they would like to do in the Foundation. Volunteers can choose their schedule and the days they want to work.