The community of Camarones is a small agricultural community, on the coast of Ecuador, located at the edge of a rare and highly endangered tropical rainforest and only 7 km from the Pacific Ocean, is located the Jama-Coaque Reserve occupies 165 hectares (415 acres) of tropical rainforest and cloud forest in one of the most vulnerable and spectacular bioregions on earth. This project offer volunteer opportunities in three areas:

1. Ecuadorian Coastal Community Kids Project:
Children of the community of Camarones face limited educational opportunities, and their current education does not adequately address the reality that they live amongst a remarkably bio-diverse and endangered ecosystem, which offers both unique opportunities and challenges. Education and the awakening to new concepts and ideas will open a door for them into a complex planet with greater opportunities, and will give them a few initial but crucial tools for a more dynamic individual and social development.

The project is located in Santa Ana, an indigenous community of scarce resources.  Families live in houses that they themselves have built.  The houses are made of bamboo or wood with thatched roofs or laminated aluminium and some are without basic amenities such as electricity, water or gas for cooking.  Some of the families live in houses with only two rooms among which up to 10 people share.

The aim of the project is to help local families make the best use of their houses through renovation, revampment or enlargment.  Some of the houses are in a bad condition but just require maintenance, while others simply lack sufficient space for the family to live adequately.  Renovation of the house is funded by the volunteer with part of the money paid to participate on the project going towards building materials for the house. 

The work in the community of Chico Copataza focuses on helping a native Kichwa family who wishes to maintain its culture and traditions. The Chumapi – Siguango family includes the father, a native Shuar, his wife who is a native Kichwa and their 9 children.

Chico Copataza is situated in the province of Pastaza. The community is at a distance of approximately 25 km (one hour and 45 minutes by bus) from Puyo town. There is electricity but no running water in the community. The water must be fetched from a river near the volunteer house and be boiled before consumption.

This project has been set up with the help and cooperation of mothers to ensure their children are looked after whilst parents are out working.  The children who attend the center are from low-income families and many live solely with their mothers.

The project’s main objective is to provide assistance to children and adolescents between the ages of 5 and 14 years who attend the center after school.  Of fundamental importance is the supervision and care of the 60 young people who attend the center, helping them with homework, health concerns, diet and, especially, recreation.