Volunteers in Action
These testimonials are a few years old and not a 100% reflection of the actual volunteer roles available today.
Project
My name is Teddy, and in August 2017 I was fortunate enough to start volunteering for 6 months at GOLASO Chicos de la Calle in Quito; a project which focuses on supporting children with challenging backgrounds and who often sell on the streets. There is an academic focus where the volunteers’ principal role is to help with school work, in particular helping the kids who don’t know how to read or write, as well as playing with the children. Volunteers can visit families & schools to discuss any problems and possible solutions. As the team is small, volunteers are also tasked with assisting in the kitchen, to ensure that all the kids get a hot meal.
Working alongside these children impacted me enormously. Admittedly, at the beginning of my volunteering at GOLASO I found it incredibly stressful at times having to look after so many kids, usually about 30 at one time, who initially were difficult to control. Nevertheless, after a few weeks of perseverance, I had already warmed to them and began really enjoying myself. Playing and chatting with the kids allowed me to get to know them better and I developed some close friendships. Saying goodbye to them was one of the hardest things I had to do during my time in Ecuador, and it saddens me greatly that I may never see most of them ever again. I want to go back as soon as I can to visit or maybe even volunteer there again to keep updated on how they are doing.
When I wasn't volunteering
There was so much to see in Ecuador and you could get anywhere quickly. I went on many weekend trips away to Baños, a waterfall, adrenaline-rushed haven on the edge of the Amazon, Papallacta, some natural thermal baths beneath a volcano, Cuenca, the most beautiful colonial city of Ecuador, and Atacames, the mesmeric endless beaches with dramatic cliffs. My family came to visit at Christmas, so I really enjoyed having the luxury of visiting the Galapagos islands. No adjectives could possibly describe how incredible they are, I was truly blown away by the nature, the sea, and the unique animals. The highlight of my entire trip was snorkelling among a group of about 15 sea turtles. Towards the end of my 6 months, I went on a tour around the Amazon, in Cuyabeno, which was unforgettable. I enjoyed the dense green, tropical rainforest emerging from the black waters and getting up close to all the incredible animals, including an Anaconda! I spent a lot of time with the other volunteers, usually going out for food at our favourite pizzeria in Quito. It was lovely to have a good group of friends and it made the whole process of settling into life very easy. I really enjoyed my blogging too and it is a fantastic idea to keep a record of your travels and your experiences to reminisce on in years to come.
The most interesting thing about living and volunteering in Ecuador
Usually, I worked 7-8 hrs a day, typically 10-2 and 4-8 (at an elderly client during the day and at the home of a child during the evening) or 10-5 at one client’s. Getting to work by bus can take up to 1 hour each way. At the clients, I did a vast number of things: playing and going out (to the park, swimming pool, woods,…) with children; getting people in wheelchairs out by pushing them about the town or simply looking after an elderly person, trying to give some stimulation by activities like having chats and walks and doing puzzles. I helped toileting and it was sometimes hard and sometimes I had a really boring day as well (only telly, just sitting next to a person who basically sleeps through the day), but I had great variety and had a lot of control over what I did in the work developing my own self-reliance.
From my volunteer placement I learned...
…to be proactive and independent. We weren’t given out specific tasks for each day, however I knew what had to be done and the objective of my project. I already spoke Spanish, as I study it at University, yet I improved it drastically and reached a high level of fluency. I was able to speak comfortably with anyone about anything without any major communication barriers. I also learned how to adjust to a life far away from home, by recognising how to conduct myself and be well-organised. I discovered more about myself as a person too, as I became more confident and willing to get out of my comfort zone, to truly test my character. This made me realise that I could do things that I didn’t know that I could do. This experience definitely changed me for the better. I am a more open minded person about the world we live in, more confident in my abilities and excited about my future. We live in such an incredible world; I just want to go on another adventure and see as much as possible.