Volunteer in Special Needs Projects with Fundación VASE

I was a volunteer in Quito, Ecuador for about 7 months. I worked in a project with people with disabilities which was a great experience overall. I also got pretty lucky with my host family. I lived close to where I worked and was always provided with enough food, had my own room and bathroom. Vase tried to make us feel welcomed and we could always ask for help when we needed any. Of course there are situations where they can’t help, for example when one was robbed but they tried to comfort us. We also always had to tell where we were going when we left Quito and Update on our well-being which showed that they do care how we are and that nothing happens. On the other hand there were some issues with punctuality of for example our pocket money and if there was an issue it sometimes took some time to be worked out but they at least tried to help at all.
Overall I can recommend Vase as an organisation to do a volunteer-gap year with.

VASE is a very supportive and nice organisation.
If you have problems in your project or your host family the staff always helps you to find a solution.
There are also a few nice activities you can/must participate in during your stay in Ecuador.
The only thing I would criticize is that a lot of the volunteers of my year didn't got the projects they wished for, so if you want to do a volunteer year you have to be open to do something which may not be your dream project in the first place. However I myself got to like the project I ended up with by time even though it wasn't what I imagined.

Overall it's a really cool experience. I am staying in Quito in Ecuador and during my 8 months that I've already been here, I saw a lot of Ecuador's beautiful nature as well as I got to know some things about the culture and meet new people.
Therefore I would definitely recommend doing a volunteer year with Vase to Ecuador.

It is a house in which children live whose families have a lot of struggles. Interesting points are that you get to know how different lives can be. Furthermore spending time with the children can be really fulfilling. However it can also be hard when you get to know about the children's lives and what they already went through. In addition to that sometimes there is not really much to do because some of the children are already teenagers and don't always need you to do something with them. And it's their home so there are no activities all the time.
But overall it is a nice project.

Meanwhile, I have been living in Quito, the capital of Ecuador, for almost 8 months and work in one of the projects of Fundacion Vase. Here, I am currently working in a school for people with disabilities with art and music. I work 25 hours a week, where I spend most of my time with a class in a garden, learning about farming methods and raising rabbits and chickens. In my project, I have been able to meet so many great people and learn a lot about myself through them.
But besides the project, there is so much more that you can experience during a voluntary service: living in a host family, the many excursions with new friends that you make here, getting to know a new culture... and a new language.... and I would definitely recommend all of this to others. When you volunteer in another country, you learn so many new things and experience so many new things.
I can definitely recommend Vase for volunteering.
It is a good choice for all people who are looking for support during their stay in Ecuador. I am very happy with the work they do. I felt very safe and received good advice. Even though I haven't needed their help yet, I know I could count on them right away.

I would recommend to everyone to go to Ecaudor with VASE. 1. Ecuador is one of the most diverse countries in the world. You can climb mountains (Andes), see the wild amazon, and the chill and warm coast. 2. With VASE you have a perfect and trustfull partner at your side aboard. They will be always next to you and care for you well being. You will be never alone with problems, for example you got sick. 3. You will learn spanish and know the friendly culture of Ecuador. In my project I saw the sadly poverty of Ecuador, but also the smile in their faces, if someone pays attention on their problems.

I made a lot of knew experiences here. Of course not everything was easy in the begining especially the language and entering a new culture far from home. But with the help of the organisation and other nice people it was posible to adjust. Now I learned how to work with poeple with disabilities and that they are such lovlie and lovable people.
It was also nice to travel here because there are so many opoutunities and it's so ceap. The organisation always made shure that we are save. The community of vollunteers is great but it also makes it a bit difficult to get to know ecuadorians.

I’m having an engaging, authentic and fun experience volunteering in Quito with Fundacion VASE.

The Program offers a nice balance between social work, cultural experiences and travel opportunities with the tight-knit community of volunteers.
Since the beginning of my stay in October I’ve had the chance to travel to many cities within Ecuador, with other volunteers as well as friends I’ve made here.
I’ve also gotten to know Quito well, make many friends and attend a ton of fun cultural events.
At the same time I’ve been working 25 hours a week at a school for disabled youth, learning Spanish and contributing to equal opportunities for the students.

Vase is the best option if you are looking for something in south America, the have a lot of programs from schools to working in the jungle.
The best thing is that you get to live with people from another countries and learn a lot of this beautiful culture. Is a small country but it has a lot of biodiversity.
You should definetely go to all the beaches, specially montañita. Try to visit a lot of places while you are there.
Do not forget Galapagos that is the most amazing thing, you can swim with sharks.