School For Disabled Children Volunteer

I am currently a physical therapy student and participated in the special needs project at a local school in Conocoto Valley (outside of Quito) as part of my studies. I was nervous on the way over, not really knowing what to expect but immediately fell in love. Maria was super welcoming and friendly and made me feel at home as did the host family. I stayed in an apartment outside the back of the host family's home and had excellent meals. The host family only spoke spanish which forced me to practice my spanish. There were others staying in the apartment with us, which made it cool to meet other people from different parts of the world. The house was equipped with WiFi and was about a 30-40 min walk from the school and about a 10 min walk from the bus stop. At the school, I assisted the therapists (physical, occupational and speech) as well as the psychologist with their treatment with the special needs students at the school. In addition, we assisted with feeding the children lunch and performing crafts and activities done together as a whole. Everyone at the school was really nice and welcoming as well as thankful for the help. It was a very rewarding experience and I would participate again! I also had the opportunities to visit many sites around Ecuador as well as experience their culture in the afternoons after my volunteering time was over. This is a great organization and I would highly recommend it to anyone interested in volunteering!