Make a REAL difference in Ecuador with Love Volunteers!

Through the great help and support of Love Volunteers, I went to Ecuador to do my volunteering service at a children daycare/rehabilitation clinic. I enjoyed my site, because I had hands-on experiences with the children and I felt that my service was needed/appreciated. Everyday, three-times a day, I helped with the feeding of the children (breakfast, snack and lunch). Some of the children need help being fed (example - spoon feeding). I also helped the teachers with teaching and helped the children play with toys and other activities. I had an worthwhile experience with my volunteering. I had an amazing time at my site and at Ecuador.

Ecuador is an amazing and fun place. I honestly felt safe and taken care of over there. The people are very friendly. There are many things that you can do over there such as shopping. My sister and I did a lot of shopping. During the weekend, I had the opportunity to make trips to other exciting places (i.e. the Equator line, Banos, the Beach, Mindo-Cloud Forest, Otavalo the indigenous market, Cotopaxi Volcano) at affordable prices.

Overall Ecuador was amazing. My experience was great due to the help of Love Volunteers. I recommend using Love Volunteers if anyone wants to volunteering, because they will make sure that wherever you go volunteer, you will be take care of.

I can honestly say I loved almost every minute of this experience. Everyone involved with the program was extremely helpful and kind with all of my questions, needs, and concerns, as were the staff on-site at the station on San Cristobal. Come to think of it, almost everyone I dealt with in Ecuador was helpful and kind, from hostel managers, to tour guides, to doctors that I and others (unfortunately) had to get help from. The support staff from Love Volunteers and their partner were excellent at addressing any safety concerns I had, so I never felt once that I was in any danger or put in a situation involving any extreme safety risks.

The shared accommodations at the station were rustic and rugged as advertised, so I wasn't surprised there at all. While a few others complained a little about the food, I found it to be quite good and a good way to experience some authentic Ecuadorian cooking. I think living in a much simpler way was a great character-building experience, and it was always nice to know that on weekends we could go into town to get a hot shower, some A/C, and enjoy the fantastic animal life and landscapes that the Galapagos islands have to offer. This combination of experiences made it a most unique, and most enjoyable way to spend time away from home.

The work itself was also quite rewarding. At first I thought I would be spending all day, every day cutting down invasive species, but that was far from the case. The staff at the station have a variety of activities that they vary for the volunteers, and doing so gives the volunteers a number of ways to actually contribute to the local community. This also provided a number of ways to experience the islands and see things in ways that other tourists may not get a chance to.

Socially, this experience was excellent. Everyone I met at the station (including staff were positive, generous, helpful, fun, and interesting people. I met a few people that I'm sure will become life-long contacts, if not friends. I regret that my Spanish skills weren't all that strong since it would have been nice to get to know the staff better, but enough people there spoke enough Spanish that we were always able to communicate well. My only other tiny regret was packing and bringing rubber boots: this particular station has a room full of them that other volunteers have left behind, but I suppose it would be risky to assume that the station would definitely have a fitting pair.

All-in-all this was an awesome experience for me, and I would recommend it to many of my friends... or at least the ones who are willing to be tough enough to live with the very basics while at the station.

From the half dozen or so volunteer placements offered, I chose to work at a domestic violence shelter in Quito. Once there, the shelter staff decided to have me work with the children because of my teaching experience. It was frequently difficult work, but it wasn't hard to see how valuable it was for the children and the shelter as a whole. I really formed some relationships with the kids there. It was hard to leave.

The local volunteer foundation in Ecuador also offers a lot of fun opportunities to the volunteers, e.g. salsa classes (free), weekend excursions to different cities (reasonable fee), etc.

Quito is dangerous if you don't take sensible precautions, but it's a great city. And Ecuador as a whole is a beautiful country.