• Provide love, care and support to children from impoverished backgrounds
• Work with local organizations to keep children at risk off the streets and social vices
• Live with a local family and explore day-to-day Ecuadorian life
• Practice Spanish while connecting with the best of nature and culture in Ecuador in your downtime

Be the best buddy a child could have while experiencing the gorgeous cityscape of Ecuador! If you have a passion for children, volunteer in Ecuador in the Children at Risk project and extend a hand of friendship to the little ones. With increasing poverty and a lack of education in Ecuador, the number of abandoned children is escalating by the day. New Hope collaborates with several organizations located at rural and urban communities that reach out to these children and give them the support they need. While the organizations are doing great at helping the children, they also need all the help they can get to continue their noble cause. This is where your role as a volunteer comes in. By volunteering you'll take up 'buddy' roles with the children, and create a safe and healthy environment for them to grow up in. Brighten up the lives of the street children of Ecuador while sampling the country's highlights and colorful people!

As a volunteer in Ecuador, you will be working with children from impoverished backgrounds at local organizations in rural and urban areas. Depending on your individual interests and skills, and on the needs of the local staff, your daily activities involve, but are not limited to:

• Teaching basic English, Math, Science, Physical Education, or other subjects of interest
• Helping the children with homework
• Creating a fun, safe and all-inclusive environment
• Being a friend to the children
• Provide care, love and attention to children
• Providing daily care to the children such as preparing meals and watching over them
• Help them with their homework
• Participate in playtime activities
• Educating on personal hygiene, and safety rules and precautions
• Developing stimulating new ideas to interest the children to learn
• Organizing and leading extracurricular activities such as games, sports, art, music, dancing, story-telling, drama lessons, etc.
• Assisting the local staff with administrative duties, promoting fundraising activities, and helping to plan events and excursions for the children

As a volunteer in Ecuador, you’ll be helping local organizations reach out to children at risk, and leading them towards a brighter future. The children that you’ll be helping often come from extremely impoverished families who are unable to provide for their children. Some of the children may also have incarcerated parents or are abandoned due to social crutches that are preventing them from having a safe life. No matter their background, there is one thing for sure; the children are all deprived of love and support. By volunteering, you’ll be taking up ‘buddy’ roles in an attempt to connect with disadvantaged children, and inspire them to work towards a better future. Your time alone would prove to be a significant impact on the lives of the children.

There are no specific qualifications needed to join the Children at Risk project beyond a fluency in English and a preferred basic/intermediate fluency in Spanish. If you cannot speak Spanish, we recommend enrolling in our Spanish language program. Volunteers should also be enthusiastic, reliable, flexible, patient and strive to be good role models for the children. Volunteers with skills and/or a background in child psychology and Spanish fluency have an amazing advantage – ensuring the highest level of contribution and effective interaction. Yet, while these skills are welcomed, they are not required of volunteers wanting to participate in this particular project. Experience working with street children is considered a plus. Volunteers must also respect the locals and the host organizations, along with their rules and projects.

The project is located in Quito, the capital city and also the largest in Ecuador. Quito is also the first city to be termed a UNESCO World Heritage site. Quito has a rich pre-Columbian history. Found on the ruins of an Inca city, it is the least-altered historical center in Latin America. Lined with picturesque plazas, towering 17th-century churches and monasteries and beautifully restored mansions, you'll find yourself taken back in time as you wander past the architectural treasures. Beyond the city of Quito, Ecuador is a country brimming with nature's majesties. Go on a trek into the magical Andes, wildlife-watching at the verdant Amazonian rainforests, and experience the mythical Galapagos Islands with its panoramic and volcanic landscapes; there is something for everyone at Ecuador. A lovely trait of Ecuador is its climates, which at any one location, will very rarely change at all in the year. All climates can be found in Ecuador, from the tropical coastlines and Amazonian lowlands to the cooler and dryer climate at higher elevations.