Surf & Help Camp

I chose this project because I thought that Ecuador would be a great change to my regular cold and mountainous atmosphere. But what appealed to me about this project was how well it aligned with my interests. This project is the perfect opportunity to combine important, local conservation work and my university studies while being able to have a unique cultural exchange. I feel extremely lucky that I was able to find this project on such short notice. NGO Taxi was extremely efficient and communicative in the application and placement process even with us being on two different continents. What I love most about this project is the variety of work you get to do. The other volunteers and I do all kinds of work with the Ministry of the Environment. Just a few of the things that we do are feeding penguins, building Sea Turtle egg enclosures, rehabilitating animals brought into the facility, and cleaning up plastic and other trash from different beaches. It definitely never gets boring. Every day is something different and keeps it fun and interesting no matter how long you are volunteering for. I also find that I’ve been learning a lot more than I was expecting. It’s not just us coming in and doing a bunch of work and leaving. I really get to interact with the different people that work there or even visitors. It’s the perfect opportunity to network, spread the project’s message and work on my Spanish language skills. Plus, they are really invested in teaching you why you are doing every little job or task. They want you to leave the project with more knowledge and personal growth than when you came in. Overall, not only is my project with NGO Taxi a great chance for professional growth, it has given me the platform to pursue work I am passionate about.