Volunteer in Ecuador

Environmental Volunteering and Social Projects in the Cloud Forest

Go for an adventure in South America and volunteer in Ecuador in order to support environmental and reforestation projects in a remote village inside the cloud forest. While preserving nature and the forest’s biodiversity is crucial for the future of the village, you can also make part of social and artistic projects in the community. One of the most affordable volunteering programs!

Reforestation and Ecological Volunteering Projects

Reforestation in the Cloud Forest

Work as a volunteer with reforestation in Ecuador in a project with a long lasting positive result. The community have been asked by the local government to plant and grow 20,000 trees to use for reforestation work across the region.

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Organic Farming

Join our organic farming volunteer project in a small village of Ecuador’s Cloud Forest. During this ecological volunteer placement, you can also learn to live in harmony with nature!

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Teaching English and Social Projects

Teaching English

Volunteer teaching English in Ecuador, at a school in a rural community located in the Andean Cloud Forest. As a volunteer in our teaching project, you will have the chance to change individual path of life.

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Community Development

As a volunteer on community development in Ecuador in a village you can really change a lot on the community’s life conditions.

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Artisan Shop

In the Artisan Shop in Ecuador of Renée and Mariana you can work as a volunteer in the arts and crafts, and thereby develop your artistic skills.  Working in the shop, you can learn the techniques of Ecuadorian arts and crafts and create your own jewelry!

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Your Stay in Ecuador

While volunteering on educational and ecological projects in Ecuador, you’ll find a good and connected community. People are very supportive and generally love life. Therefore, you will easily get in contact with the local people and even can learn from them.

Your work as a volunteer in Ecuador will help this unique rural community in order to develop their projects towards a sustainable future. In the Cloud Forest, you can volunteer on reforestation, or you can support the local families with organic farming.

During your stay at a host family, you’ll easily learn some Spanish and also get insights in how people live in harmony with nature. The days off from volunteer work, you will get to know the beautiful waterfalls nearby, and stunning views of the landscapes.

Leisure Activities while Volunteering in Ecuador

There are many activities that you may develop when you volunteer in Ecuador with us.

You may try and develop different volunteering activities during your program. And, as a result, you will have a very personal experience with a flexible approach.

All of this is complemented by a wide range of leisure activities for your free time, such as horse riding, bird watching, swim in rivers and waterfalls, visit the museum, and enjoy the stunning cloud forests.

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Volunteering in Ecuador - Project Details

  • The program fee is paid directly to the host organization.
  • All of the programs incur a registration fee of U$ 149 on top of the program fee.
Program fee includes
Orientation
Accommodation for all programs
3 meals per day
Support from local staff & Program supervision
In-country 24/7 emergency support throughout your stay
Local administration costs
And a donation to strengthen the local project
No hidden fees
There are no hidden costs. These projects are the most affordable to volunteer in Ecuador.

Iko Poran is an NGO based in a developing country. We are dedicated to helping you help others, at the lowest possible price. We are interested in making the program to volunteer in Ecuador more accessible so that more people can help do really important work.

Participants in our programs to volunteer in Ecuador normally find US$ 20 to be sufficient for weekly expenses in the country.

The program fee should be paid to the local team upon arriving only.

Please bring small bills to the community because it is hard to find change sometimes.
Location of the Volunteer Projects
The programs in Ecuador take place in a rural community set inside the beautiful Ecuadorian cloud forest in the Andean mountains to the north of Ecuador. It is 2,5 hours by bus from Quito, Ecuador’s capital.

It is a trend-setting community, deeply rooted in the traditions of its Yumbo ancestors.
Accommodation & Meals
You will have a private room in a homestay and will get three traditional Ecuadorian meals per day. And, if you are a vegetarian, don’t worry: we can cater for vegetarians and other dietary requirements.

The village is centered around a street that runs through the middle. Most of the homestays will be around this street and the center of the village, within a 5-minute walk.

In your homestay, you will experience the tranquillity and kindness of Ecuadorian lifestyle, culture, and cuisine.
Start Dates & Duration
Volunteer programs in Ecuador start on the 1st and 3rd Mondays of the month.

The bus from Quito to the community departs at 5:00 pm every day and the community together with host families greet volunteers when they arrive.

Volunteers usually arrive in Quito over the weekend to get the bus on Saturdays or Sundays.

You can choose to volunteer in Ecuador from 1 to 12 weeks.
Orientation for Volunteers in Ecuador
Orientation takes place on Monday, or the next day after the arrival if you arrive on a different day.
Requirements to volunteer in Ecuador
Volunteers must be at least 18 years old at the start of the placement.

Exceptions can be made for under 18’s accompanied by a guardian, or with parental consent.

You must have adequate travel insurance.
Language Requirements
It is desired that volunteers have a knowledge of basic Spanish, but not a pre-requisite.

During your program, you will be learning a lot of Spanish staying with a local family, but if you would like to speed up your learning, we recommend that you take an affordable Spanish course taught by a lady from the community at U$5/ hour.
Safety
Ecuador has quickly become the safest country in Latin America. You can feel totally safe and confident to explore the country.

The community is perfectly safe, but when in Quito you should take some precautions and be careful with your possessions.

Reviews of our volunteers in Ecuador

Alumni in Ecuador

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Brazil

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Argentina

In Buenos Aires, one of the most beautiful cities in Latin America, you can participate in various social projects as part of the voluntary work, such as on the table for the needy. And of course you can also teach sports in the land of football.

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Colombia

Volunteer teaching English in Colombia! As a volunteer teacher, you will be working within a small English Institute in the beautiful city Ibagué, located in Western Colombia, just south of the famous Parque Nacional Natural Los Nevados.

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