Guayaquil is the largest city and the economic force of Ecuador. It is located within a gulf that is famous for its biodiversity and microclimates. The city has easy access to pristine Pacific Ocean beaches, the Andes, the Amazon forest and the Galapagos Islands.
The highly entrepreneurial environment of the city provides opportunities for volunteer work and internships in a variety of settings, whether in education, social service, banking, communication or the performing arts.
Within the institutions and organizations that have hosted volunteers and interns EcuaExperiencia has foundations for street children, orphanages, the chamber of commerce, corporate communications groups, private and public schools, special education schools and a host of public and private organizations.
This home for orphans accepts boys and girls usually from maternity hospitals where mothers have given them up for adoption. Also, there are boys and girls abandoned by parents at public hospitals. Depending on availability, this private foundation will raise them to age 18. They receive donations and the administration is in the hands of a group of ladies who are volunteers. They have room for 125, but due to lack of sufficient funds, they currently have 72 boys and girls. There is a public school (K-6) within the premises. It is state funded and is open to other children in the surrounding areas. Volunteers can help in: teaching aid, tutoring, recreation, dining room supervision, basic maintenance, office, etc.
One of the major social problems Ecuador has is irresponsible parenting. Many children are born to families that lack the minimum conditions to provide for their well being. For this reason, many children have to go to the streets to sell, beg, and somehow make extra money for the family income. Eventually they leave home and in high proportions are bound to join the ranks of the criminal statistics of the city. This foundation invites them to come for half a day periods to get: education, vocational training for those 14 and over, and to get a balanced diet and medical care. The program also involves motivation and counseling as well as legal aid when needed. They have several centers located throughout the city to serve different areas. The volunteers will be placed in a vocational training center in an area of easy access where they will be involved in helping at the computer center, tutoring English, help in workshops and possibly help in office chores. This program is sponsored by the Central Bank of Ecuador.
This foundation is very similar to the Muchacho Trabajador. It is sponsored by a local private foundation, and serves in a different part of town. This is an area of great need.
This foundation is sponsored by the city government. They are in charge of regenerating key areas of the city, especially the estuary that surrounds Guayaquil on the northwest and the island in front of Guayaquil (Santay). Santay is an island that can be seen from the Riverside boardwalk and has been neglected for a long time. The city, through the foundation, wants to turn it into an ecological paradise where there will be no human population, except for those in charge, housed with a sanctuary for local bird and animal species. There will be protected paths for visitors. Two of our interns have worked in special projects to develop the habitat for the crocodile and for the migrant birds. On the estuary project we have had one volunteer working in leading school children through the “save the estuary” program, which shows the need to keep the water clean.
Sponsored by a cement company, this foundations objective is to preserve the local botanical species. They were given land by the city to develop a protected forest and an educational environment, along with a museum of local plants where school children can learn about this topic. Volunteers will be working as part of teams in special projects. They have a research area where scholars from different parts of the world conduct specialized projects.
Quite similar to Ines Chambers, except it is smaller and only for girls. It is funded by the alumni of a traditional catholic girls school in Guayaquil. The girls go out to go to school and come back in the afternoon. Past volunteers have offered reading programs, assisted in English courses, and assisted in daily chores and needs.