Good local projects, but poor organization and programming

I attended this trip as an adult volunteer with a school group. Our experience was mixed, with some positive elements and some negative.

The community building project was well organized, and the group participated in meaningful work with members of the community. The group laid a foundation, mixed concrete and poured it. The organization is clearly having a positive impact in the country. The locally hired construction managers were well trained and organized. On the otherhand, our group leaders were very young and inexperienced. The had no control over the daily routine and were regularly on the phone with headquarters for directions. This lead to a lot of wasted time, waiting around for instructions. A plan to spend a day in a village living with a local family completely fell through and there was no plan to replace it.

The accommodations were very basic. The sleeping and eating areas were acceptable, but the washrooms weren't cleaned frequently enough and by the middle of the trip there was only one shower for the entire group (18). There was rarely hot water and, for two days, there was no water at all. Some of the kids fell sick with GI problems. There was no one nearby with any medical training, and the first aid information provided by the group leaders was frequently inaccurate. The company did provide trips to hospital when required and the medical services there were good.

The building project was a good experience, as were the walking tours of Quito and the local community. However the tour included long hours of "programming" which consisted of role playing and lectures, often late into the evening. The content was weak and provided no information about the history and culture of the country. Mostly it came off as preaching, and sometimes it was embarrassing for the kids. Much better were visits with real people - a knitting cooperative and a band of local musicians. More local content and less longwinded and empty lectures would be a big improvement.

One unexpected thing was that the group was forbidden to take photos most of the time, and was very controlled in its ability to speak to anyone except selected individuals. For example, the kids were yelled at for looking in a small gift shop at the equator. One adult was chastized publicly for photographing a public square in Quito. It's clear that this organization is trying very hard to control it's media image, and this results in a rigid and sometimes pushy approach with the people on the tour.

My advice for a school or youth group interested in this tour would be to negotiate in advance for accommodations with decent washroom and shower facilities, and then to check in once the group arrives in Ecuador to make sure that the accommodations are suitable. I'd also recommend that a nurse or medic accompany the group, because we frequently needed medical support and didn't have it untless a trip was made to hospital, over an hour away. Finally, I'd ensure that there are several (i.e one for every 3-4 kids) responsible adults accompanying the group, and that they include a couple of group leaders with authority to make decisions when issues arise.