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Volunteer Ecuador Orphanage!
Do you love kids and want to help orphans in need? Would you like to travel to the exciting destination of Ecuador and make a difference?
Join Global Crossroad in Ecuador, home to part of the Andes mountain range, the mighty Amazon River, deep tangles of thick rainforest, colonial cities, and the famous Galapagos Islands.
Unfortunately, there are over 200,000 orphans living in Ecuador right now, with many more kids in dysfunctional and abusive families who may also end up on the streets.
A high number of the orphans come from indigenous or severely impoverished communities.
Volunteer with orphans in Ecuador and make sure these kids have a safe place to live, healthy meals, and the love, care, and attention they need and deserve.
Contact Global Crossroad today to start helping orphans in need in Ecuador!
Volunteer Responsibilities & Impacts
You will be working at an orphanage that provides refuge to abandoned Ecuadorian children, providing much needed care to these poor kids. You will help serve them meals, spend quality time playing with them, help with their homework, and make sure they go to school.
Orphanage volunteers in Ecuador will also organize programs for the kids like art, dance, music, and sports. Your time spent with the kids will have a big impact on their development, helping them to become happy, well-adjusted children who might someday get adopted into a new family.
You will be involved in various activities such as:
- Teaching Basic English
- Helping children with homework and teaching basic conversational English skills
- Supporting recreational and artistic activities focused on educational learning
- Reading stories, performing puppet shows, caring for and simply playing with the children
- Organizing and developing sports activities
- Kitchen support/helping to serve meals in the dining room
When you join this project, you will bring new hope in the life of impoverished Ecuadorian children. Your dedicated love and affection will help them lead a happy life. It is indeed a rewarding opportunity for you to make a huge difference in these destitute orphans life.
Skills and Qualifications
We welcome volunteers from a variety of backgrounds from around the world to our Ecuador orphanage volunteer opportunity. You’ll get full training once you arrive at the orphanage, so there are no specific requirements ahead of time, assuming you are 18 years or older. You’ll need patience, compassion, and a big heart.
Beginner to intermediate knowledge of Spanish is preferred. If you cannot speak Spanish, we recommend enrolling in our Spanish Language Studies program, which can run simultaneously with your volunteer project, or you can do a week long immersion for a week prior to your project start date.
Each day volunteering at an orphanage in Ecuador will be a heartfelt and meaningful experience for you. You’ll connect with orphans who desperately need your help and make their lives a little better each day.
Here’s what a typical day might look like for you:
- First Day: On your first day, our in-country coordinator will bring you to the orphanage you’ll be working at. You’ll meet the dedicated project staff, and all the amazing Ecuadorian orphans you have traveled all this way to help.
- Weekdays: Your actual hours will vary, but here’s a sample:
- 7.00 to 7.30 AM: Enjoy breakfast with your host family, and then help serve breakfast to the children at the orphanage. Help the kids’ day start off healthy and happy.
- 7.45 AM: Throughout the day you will assist the children in all their daily tasks. You will help them get ready, go to school, learn, do homework, play, and eat meals.
- 12.00 PM: Lunch at a volunteer project is always a fun time to connect with people from all over the world. From local project staff to fellow Ecuador orphanage volunteers, you’ll make lots of new friends.
- 3.00 PM: You’ll have some time each day to explore the colonial city of Quito. Marvel at the historical architecture, look at the mountains beyond, or check out a colorful market in your free time.
- 6.45 PM: Return to your welcoming host family and share a traditional Ecuadorian meal around the table. Practice your Spanish and immerse yourself in the local culture!
Volunteer Ecuador Orphanage: Dates and Fees
Dates: Volunteer in Ecuador
All volunteer programs in Ecuador start every Monday of each month. However, if there is travel constrains, you can start any project on any day.
Fees: Volunteer in Ecuador
Global Crossroad is committed to offering the most affordable and highest quality Ecuador volunteer trips. We strive to keep our costs low. The humanitarian side of the business is our passion.
Global Crossroad's volunteer opportunity in Ecuador application and registration fee cost US $299. The application fee covers the cost of advertising, program promotion, and office expenses (rent, utilities, and staff salaries in USA office).
In addition to the application fee, you are required to pay a weekly program fee. You will pay your weekly fee directly to your host family and project. This way, the fees that you pay will benefit those who rightfully deserve them, and not for company profit.
| Duration | Orphanage |
|---|---|
| 1 Week | $345 |
| 2 Weeks | $590 |
| 3 Weeks | $835 |
| 4 Weeks | $1,080 |
| 5 Weeks | $1,325 |
| 6 Weeks | $1,570 |
| 7 Weeks | $1,815 |
| 8 Weeks | $2,060 |
| 9 Weeks | $2,305 |
| 10 Weeks | $2,550 |
| 11 Weeks | $2,795 |
| 12 Weeks | $3,040 |
Comprehensive Travel Insurance $3.49/day ( below 28 years) and $4.49/day ( above 28 years)»
How your fee is allocated?
Program fees cover:
- Accommodation (volunteer house or host family)
- Food (local food 3 times a day)
- Program Orientation
- In-country support
- Personalized project
- Pre-departure information
- Certificate of completion
- Fundraising ideas and letters
- Discount for returning volunteers
Program fees exclude:
- Visas
- Airfare
- Personal expenses on soft drinks and foods
- Daily transportation
- Airport return transfer
The volunteering programs in Ecuador fees will cover expenses that will begin on the first day of the program (usually the first or third Monday of the month) to the last day of the program. If you arrive before the first day of the program or you decide you stay beyond your program’s last day, you will be responsible for the additional expenses, which would typically be around $30 a day for room and meals at a hostel.
Accommodation and Meal
During your Ecuador orphanage volunteer program, you will stay in a shared, clean, comfortable room of the safe home of a welcoming local host family with volunteers of the same gender. This is a true home away from home while traveling abroad, and a great way to get immersed in Ecuadorian culture.
You’ll share three local meals around the table with the family each day, and you should take the chance to laugh, learn, and speak Spanish with your new Ecuadorian friends. Be sure to always respect their home, and their culture. You can take a lunch to go and eat at your project site if you’d like.
Free Time and Weekend Exploration
You’re going to want to get out and explore Ecuador, and Global Crossroad makes sure you have plenty of time to do this. You’ll have afternoons, evenings, and weekends free.
Quito is a fascinating city with historical architecture and a lot of cultural offerings you aren’t going to want to miss. The city is also a hub for easy travel to a lot of exciting destinations for weekend exploration, including the Andes and the Galapagos Islands.
Discover what to do in your free time and weekend off in Ecuador.
Safety and In Country Support
You can rest easy knowing Global Crossroad has got you covered when it comes to safety while volunteering in an orphanage in Ecuador. We offer pre-trip guidance, travel insurance, carefully vetted projects with long-standing partners, and over 15 years’ experience and knowledge in the volunteer abroad world.
We’ve also got a stellar team of in-country staff right there on the ground in Ecuador to guide and support you. Global Crossroad is there for you every step of the way.
Volunteer Ecuador Orphanage: FAQs
Arrival and departure
You should fly into Quito International Airport for our orphanage volunteer program in Ecuador, and we advise arriving one day before the start of your project. Give us your flight details, and we’ll be happy to set up airport pick up for you as part of your volunteer fee.
If you miss your flight or if your flight gets delayed/cancelled, let us know so we can make the adjustments. We’ll have someone waiting for you when you land, and they’ll take you safely to your accommodations.
When you finish up volunteering, you’ll need to book your own taxi to the airport. Have a chat with the local project staff and they’ll be happy to offer you advice.
Visa
You’ll need a tourist visa to volunteer with orphans in Ecuador. If you’re from the US, you can obtain your visa upon arrival at the airport. Be sure to research the requirements for your home country.
You can apply for a 30-90 day single-entry tourist visa at your local Ecuadorian embassy, or save yourself a trip and apply online:
If you’d like to extend your time in Ecuador, you’ll need to visit the Immigration Office in Quito and apply for an extra 90 days.
You can learn more about Ecuador’s visa requirements and policies here:
Vaccination
Make an appointment with your doctor to discuss your upcoming Ecuador orphanage volunteering program and get up to date on your vaccines at least a few weeks before you travel. Better safe than sorry when it comes to getting sick while traveling abroad.
The most recommended vaccines for Ecuador are pneumonia, yellow fever, typhoid, chickenpox, shingles, rabies, hepatitis B, measles, mumps and rubella (MMR), Tdap (tetanus, diphtheria and pertussis), meningitis, influenza, hepatitis A, and polio.
Check out this link to find more information about these vaccinations before the start of your orphanage volunteering opportunity in Ecuador.
Why volunteer in ecuador orphanage?
Support struggling orphanage staff
There are full-time staff at the orphanage that dedicate every single day of their lives to the care of these kids. They struggle to keep up with the needs of the all the children, and you can help support their efforts and improve the lives of the kids you are joining to make a difference with.
Connect with orphans in need
These poor children have lost their families, may have been living on the streets, and are in desperate need of care and attention. Spending your time caring for them while volunteering in an orphanage in Ecuador is a beautiful gift the children will never forget.
Gain experience working with kids
Future teachers and childcare workers can gain some valuable experiencing working with children while giving back at the same time. Advance your future career while you make the world a better place!
Experience and share a fascinating new culture
Even though the children you are helping are on the fringes of society, part of the goal of the Ecuador orphanage volunteer program is to bring them back into the fold. Immerse yourself in the wonderful parts of Ecuadorian culture and share it with these kids who it will mean so much to.
Contact Global Crossroads to learn more about caring for orphans who desperately need your help in Ecuador!
Other Volunteer Opportunities In Ecuador
No matter your passion or interests, we offer a variety of life-changing, volunteer programs in Ecuador, such as
Teaching English,
Street Children,
Conservation,
Conservation Galapagos and much more.
For more information on our exciting programs in Ecuador, contact us today.