Help rebuild houses in the amazon jungle

This project is located in the Pastaza Province close by Puyo city. Santa Ana is an indigenous community with scarce resources. The families live in houses built with their own hands. The houses are made out of bamboo or wood with leaf roofs or aluminum and some even do not have basic services, like electricity service, tap water or gas to cook. Some of these families live at houses with only 2 rooms which regardless the number of members (sometimes up to 10).

Program Description

The project objective is to benefit the families with the optimization of their houses, whether the need fixing, rebuilding or extending those. Some of the houses are in bad shape, that’s why it is necessary and important to maintenance them. Other houses only lack of sufficient space so that the family can live in good conditions.
The house construction is supported and financed by the volunteer help, because most of the money paid will be destined to purchase the materials and tools. The volunteer, the host family and other members of the community will cooperate for the construction doing “mingas” (work meetings, everybody help on it) basically to obtain the rest of materials (wood and leaves for the ceilings) and complete the objective.

Volunteer Activities

The volunteers will participate in activities like:
- Planning the construction.
- Purchase of tools and materials to build or rebuild.
- Mingas for the withdrawal of other materials.
- Build.
The volunteer will receive training from the community and from who coordinate the project for the planning and accomplishment of this work.

Volunteer Profile

You do not need previous experience or knowledge to work with this project. A great vocation and interest is essential in helping the poorest people.
The project is looking for men and women 18 years or older who are willing to stay at least a month – the maximum duration is 6 months. If a family is interested in participating in this work, there is no age limit for kids or teenagers since they will be under the care of his parents.

Service near the Project

Internet, phone cabins, restaurants, travel agencies, health care centers, etc., are in Puyo (at an hour and a half away from the community), although there are also health centers in near communities.
Shell Mera Hospital (Vozandes): It is located about 2 hours from the community.

Accommodation

The volunteer’s accommodations is free and the volunteer will be stay with a family in the community who will receive the help. The family will offer a room and three meals a day; generally the volunteer will eat the traditional dishes the family eats, although they also try to provide food especially made for the tastes of the volunteer. The project requires a relief fund of $ 360 used to buy materials, coordination and purchasing food.

What does the Volunteer need to bring?

• Bugspray-ecofriendly (malaria does not exist in the area but there are mosquitoes which can be annoying)
• Towel
• Flashlight
• Batteries
• Raincoat
• Wellies/ rubber boots – can be bough much cheaper in Ecuador
• Work gloves
• Shampoo, sunblock, first aid kit
• Ecofriendly soap (to wash clothes)
• Bathing suit
• Sandals
• Light clothes ( undershirts and trousers)
• Long sleeves shirts, and t-shirts in dark colors
• Blouses or shirts
• Trekking shoes
• Cap or hat
• Camera-binoculars
• Small bags
• Books
• Any materials specific to his/her project
  

Note: clothes dry slowly due to the humidity

Duration

The time need to construct or reconstruct the house is 2 weeks, working from Monday through Friday.

Free Time

The Volunteers don't have to work on the weekends and they are welcome to use this free time for themselves. They will have time to relax, go to the rivers, read, talk to local people, or travel to areas near Puyo to use the internet cafes and telephones.

Requirements

Something really important that the volunteer should have on mind is the Spanish language knowledge. An intermediate level of Spanish is required as minimum. Without this level of Spanish as a tool to work within the community a volunteer cannot make a significant contribution to the projects because the people in the community only speak Spanish and their indigenous languages. Volunteers must be able to comfortably carry out conversations and discussions in Spanish, and volunteers will have to pass a Spanish Language test upon arrival in Quito before going to the project. If the volunteer is not at this level, Ecuador Volunteer could help him/her to find the best program to improve his abilities in Spanish before starting the project.