| Volunteers: Professionals, Students and Others
Although we also look for professionals, it has to be clear that no volunteer could perform as such and no payment should be expected.
Our volunteers, graduates or not, only assit or shadow local professionals at the assigned placement.
We look for three types of volunteers:
1. Those persons who have an academic background, that is university graduates or students in the field of health care: medicine (pre-meds), psychology, counseling (must speak Spanish reasonably), physiotherapy, human services, nursery, etc. These volunteers work for poor little ones and youngsters at hospitals, clinics, orphanages, centres for disabled children, mentally retarded, incurables, street children, street infantile vendors; retention centres, primary schools, etc. |
Goup of professionals at the VE headquarters in Quito. Pascal Baillod (Switzerland); Anita Blackham (The UK); Mike Bernhard (Germany); Manuelita Inauen and Melanie Moret (Switzerland); Ruth Gonzalez (Ecuador). |
Kendra Jimenez (at an orphanage), Anita Lin and Jesse McClelland (at different primary schools), from the Human Services School at Western Washington University, did a fantastic job for us as a part of their graduating requirements. |
2. Students looking for work experience in social work as a degree requirement. We allocate them at related institutions according to their academic interests. Upon the completion of the period, we issue the corresponding report of attendance. We have been co-operating in this field with some American universities, where, in some specific cases within the field of Human Services, VE has mentored and supervised the university students under the programs agreed upon. |
| 3. Those persons who may not have the background mentioned above but who wish to help in the best way they can especially at nurseries, day cares, centres for street children, little street vendors, etc., where volunteers are supposed to play with the children, chat and tell stories, teach them good manners, teach English by speaking to them, supervise and correct their behaviour, help with their homework and the like at public grammar, primary schools and retention centres. Volunteers may also teach formal English, computers, sports and other sciences in English (volunteers can be certified teachers or not). |
Sarita Lopez Davison, a student of Languages at The University of Edinbugh volunteering at a centre for disabled ones.
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Kelly from the USA at her host family
home.
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Any one over 16 years old can volunteer for us as long as she/he has a devoted personality for the poor. Volunteers may have or not have personal skills or academic background to volunteer. However, among university people we look especially for graduates or students of Social Work, Human Services, Pre-med, Medicine, Physiotherapy, Nursery, and English Language. We place professionals and university students in various public centres: hospitals, clinics, institutes, grammar and primary schools, day-cares, etc., to which we co-operate with. These programmes are developed either directly with the volunteer upon his/her request or under contacts with the university schools. Professionals and university students, while volunteering, have the opportunity to attend international seminars organised by Ecuadorian institutions on scientific and training areas like medicine, education, economics, third world politics, anthropology, indigenous issues, etc.
Below, volunteer Eduardo, senior student of medicine at the University of Vienna, with Dr. Sanders Williams MD, Dean of the Duke University, Faculty of Medicine, at a seminar on genetics given by Universidad Internacional del Ecuador and Dr. Ian Wilmut, PhD, from the University of Nottingham, “the father of the first cloned animal, Dolly”.
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Teachers
We work intimately with a number of schools and shelters for street children in order to improve the future of children and youth. Our goal is to coordinate with and support the organizations that work to place children back in school, as well as with the schools themselves.
Please take the following very important note: One of the main goals of our organisation within the educational area is that our children learn English. As our children are from 1 to 14 years old, they will learn English immediately without Spanish accent. Therefore you do not need to speak Spanish neither at our day cares nor at your classes as a teacher of whatever subject you may be interested to teach. VE needs teachers in the following areas: music, art, physical education, mathematics, sciences and general education. Teachers are needed for a minimum of one month and are welcome to stay as long as desired. English as a second language and computer sciences are the most needed subjects to be covered. However, upon your request and considering your experience you can be accepted as a teacher even if you do not have the corresponding certificate.
Other
Volunteering Ecuador also works with a number of projects requiring volunteers in the following areas: Juvenile / Women's Psychology and Human Rights (need Spanish command). These Programmes allow you to use your professional skills in a socially beneficial setting, resulting in an educational and rewarding experience.
More Information
Upon your request we will e-mail you details on your rights and obligations at your host family and placement.
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Hanna from Norway volunteering at a disabled children centre.
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