VOLUNTEERING IN ECUADOR

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	“When we started volunteering, we had so much to do! The first Monday we spent hours clearing grass and weeds from the Lumbisí vegetable garden. The vegetables grown in the garden are used in the comedor de ancianos ( the cafeteria that serves lunch to any residents in Lumbisí aged 60+). By the end of the project, we were beginning to build a greenhouse where the weeds had previously been. We also worked a few mornings planting trees in an ecological park near the community centre. The vegetable garden and park are tended to by the women in the village whose husbands work far from the community during the week and come home on the weekends. Aside from our work in the vegetable garden, we also volunteered in the comedor. Every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday we helped prepare lunch for the ancianos. Some of the afternoons we had enough time that we were able to help them do exercises and/or draw before serving the meal. The ancianos were really nice and loved sitting and talking to each other and the volunteers who spoke Spanish. After lunch we went to the Oratorio to help facilitate afterschool activities for children who attend the neighborhood schools. We helped run an art and theatre workshop that most of the kids really enjoyed.” Jody Bonhard / Ecuador ~ 2009
	"La Casa de Aldec is for kids between the ages of 5-16 who either live in orphanages or the old town center of Quito. Most go to school in either the morning or afternoon. We are there all day to help the kids with homework, computer games, the English language, and making sure they eat ALL their food. Many of the children don´t get other meals throughout the day and are lucky if they have a roof over their head. We are there to help when their parents are working, etc." Mary Robbins / Ecuador ~ 2008
	"FEVI (VFP Partner) is a foundation run by caring people with valuable ambitions. The school I worked in was very new and thus continually evolving. Unsurprisingly, the organization at the school was not perfect. However, I am glad I went to Ecuador, worked, and hopefully contributed to the improvement of what I believe is a great foundation with a worthwhile cause." Anne Chute / Ecuador ~ 2008
	An education project generates big smiles. Ganesh Narayanaswamy / Ecuador ~ 2006
	Teaching at an elementary school. Maria Barraagan / Ecuador ~ 2005
	Clearing space for tree seedlings. "While I was there I really felt like I was living for the first time. I felt like I was finally putting so many years of foreign cultures, international politics, and Spanish language to use….The time and money I spent to go on my trip to Ecuador could not possibly have been better spent!" Katherine Wright / Ecuador ~ 2002
	Volunteers working on the garden in Chiriboga. Kimberly Colleran / Ecuador ~ 1999

“I loved getting to laugh and tell stories with the other volunteers while we worked, and I also enjoyed our frequent get-togethers later in the afternoons to go out to eat at a restaurant or explore nearby artisan markets as a group.”  Jane Stitt / Ecuador ~ 2008

“I would recommend the trip to anybody looking to improve their Spanish, to help in a place where it is needed, or just looking to have a good adventure.”  Anna Chute / Ecuador  ~ 2008

"...my experience in Ecuador with FEVI (VFP Partner) was really a great one. I learned much about the culture and people of Ecuador while learning about myself at the same time, and I gained so much more than I expected. Maria and her family are doing an excellent job bringing new students and experiences to the country, and I hope to stay in touch with them to receive updates about the special people I met while I was there..." Ingrid Carlson / Ecuador - 2005

"I have learned so much. But there's a lot more that needs to be done within the poor communities of Ecuador and in other parts of the world. What I did does not even touch a tenth, a hundredth, or even a millionth of the work that needs to be done. But by doing so in the company of young adult volunteers I was with, I hope I have inspired them in some ways, just as I was, by them, that volunteering and traveling can go hand in hand at any age. That learning through adventure and helping does not stop at twenty or forty or sixty four which I am. I hope that they continue to do so in the many years to come." Cory Gozar / Ecuador - 2005

"I did make friends with a lot of Ecuadorians and I was able to travel all over Ecuador on the weekends and after the placement-I even spent a week in the rainforest! All in all, it was a great summer, and I would recommend this workcamp to anyone who would want to do volunteer work in a Latin American country." Julie Bally / Ecuador - 2004

"While I was there I really felt like I was living for the first time. I felt like I was finally putting so many years of foreign cultures, international politics, and Spanish language to use….The time and money I spent to go on my trip to Ecuador could not possibly have been better spent!" Katherine Wright - Ecuador - 2003

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