Why did you decide to volunteer with Help, Learn, Discover in Ecuador?
Megan: This trip involved three parts, a week of building houses in a rural region of Ecuador called Pallatanga (Help). Two weeks of adventure travel throughout the stunningly diverse rain forests and beaches (Discover), and one week of Medical rotations in the hospitals (Learn). Each part of the trip was strikingly different but each magical in its own way.
Describe your day to day activities as a volunteer.
Megan: The week spent in Pallatanga was a challenging and extremely rewarding week. Each day several hours were spent in the village, working hard along side the amazing locals to build them houses. It was so touching to see how welcoming and loving the people of Pallatanga were to us, total strangers, however it didn't take long for us to think of them as a family away from our own. The ability to work along side the locals and to be invited in to their homes and lives was an extremely special experience, it was a real eye opener to see that some of these amazing people had little else than the clothes on their back. It meant a lot to be able to help Pallatanga in a hands-on way, and being able to learn about them and play with the adorable children.
What made this experience unique and special?
Megan: The experience was unique because of the close interaction not only with the village, being able to play with the children, as well as the ability to experience the beauty and amazing biodiversity of the country, but also being able to interact with the owners of the company who are incredible individuals themselves.
How has this experience impacted your future?
Megan: This trip has definitely made me realize that even the smallest interaction someone might have with people can make a huge difference, we were asked to fundraise in order to fund the building of the houses and it is amazing to see how someone's donation so far away from the site of work can make such a huge difference in one families life. There really isn't any gesture that is too small, no matter your circumstances helping others in whatever way you can, will make an impact simply because of the meaning behind it.