Volunteer Opportunities in Ecuador with CRACYP

Volunteer opportunities on our sustainable development projects are a rewarding way to spend holiday time in Ecuador, to experience the reality of working in sustainable development, or to learn new skills and practise your Spanish.  If you want to volunteer to gain experience for a career in this field, see our Development Internship Opportunities.   

Please read the whole of this page before applying for a volunteer opportunity.   We do not offer paid work, only unpaid volunteer jobs.

General volunteer opportunities are available on our Volunteer Program on the mainland of Ecuador, in the rural, subtropical agricultural area on the borders of the provinces of Bolívar and Cotopaxi, in the foothills of the Andes Mountains.  Volunteers help with a range of ongoing development projects in the area and will be based in an attractive little sugar cane farming village.  Volunteer tasks might include organic farming, helping teachers in the local village school with its 30 students, researching excursions or developing materials for an ecotourism project, raising awareness of health and safety issues, teaching children about basic nutrition and hygiene, or planting trees.  For details of what the volunteer program includes and how to apply, download the Volunteer Information Pack from the link at the foot of the page.  

Specialist volunteer opportunities:  Volunteers with more specialist skills or experience in areas such as entomology, dental hygiene / dentistry or nutrition may be able to use these skills on the volunteer program or perhaps as an internship project.  We are currently looking for volunteers with experience in the hospitality industry or organic gardening.  

We also need Spanish speakers with experience in almost any field (e.g. accounting and business issues, education, nutrition, literacy, public health, first aid) to design and present short workshops to groups of women, youth, children and/or farmers - download the volunteer information pack from this page and email for more information - 1 week or more.

Volunteer writers - contact us if you are a professional or aspiring journalist in Ecuador who would like to write short articles for CRACYP.  If you have some knowledge of at least one of the many areas related to our work (sustainable rural development, appropriate technology, organic farming, ecotourism, Ecuador, environmental issues), you could help us promote our work to a wider audience.  Write to volunteer("at")progresoverde("dot")org and tell us about your area of knowledge and why you would like to write for us, suggesting a headline for your first article.

Volunteering in Ecuador FAQs:

• Can I volunteer in a group?  Yes.  If you have a minimum of 6 volunteers including at least one Spanish speaker, for at least one week, we can design a volunteer program especially for you - contact us for more information.  Smaller groups are welcome to participate in the ongoing volunteer program.

• Will CRACYP pay my airfare, accommodation or other costs?  No.  We do NOT pay our volunteers, nor can we help with the costs of volunteering.  For details of costs involved and the food and accommodation included, see the Volunteer Information Pack.  Please do not write asking for paid work, we only offer unpaid volunteer opportunities.

• Why should I have to pay to volunteer?  We can't afford to subsidise your travel, accommodation and food - and even if we could, we would instead use the money to employ a local person, which would be far more sustainable.  Your Volunteer Contribution allows us to provide employment in an area where there are virtually no other jobs available.  We don't believe that subsidised holidays for volunteers should be at the expense of job opportunities for local people in an area of extreme poverty.

• What is the difference between the Volunteer Program and the Internship Program?  The volunteer program is open to anyone 18 years old or over.  Volunteers do not need to have studied sustainable development.  The Volunteer Program does not include participation in the monthly Development Workshops for interns.  The Volunteer Contribution does NOT cover filling out reports or forms for your university or college; if you want to volunteer as part of your studies, you need the Internship Program.   Volunteer Opportunities are available for 1 to 8 weeks.  Internships are for 4 to 12 weeks.

• Do I need to speak Spanish?  Not necessarily.  The volunteer Program has an English-speaking coordinator so you will be able to communicate with her and with other volunteers.  Even complete beginners at Spanish are welcome.  However, the better you can communicate in Spanish, the more you will get out of your time volunteering here.  A lack of Spanish communication skills may limit the range of volunteer tasks you can help with.   

• Can I use my specialist skills as a volunteer? Probably.  We try to make the most of what our volunteers have to offer.  If you have skills or experience in a particular field, for example film-making, photography, permaculture or teaching, let us know when you apply.  We are currently in need of wildlife photographers and entomologists to identify and photograph insects in the area of an ecotourism project, for example.

Download the Volunteer 2012 Information Pack for more information about costs, what is included in the Volunteer Program and how to apply.