The project is located in the province of Cotopaxi, 5 hours from the city of Quito and 3 hours from the town of Latacunga, to the north of Lake Quilotoa. The weather is cold during the nights because it was at 4,000 meters above sea level in the Andes mountains and during the day the sun is very strong. The name of the community is Guayama Grande and is coordinated by the Women's Association.

Program Description

This project seeks to:

• Attempting to improve socio-economic and cultural development of the partners.
• Encourage families to work in the organization.
• Encourage savings and credit in the members of the Association of Women Entrepreneurs "La Golondrina."
• Finding and analyzing the main economic, social and cultural factors that affect to the partners and the community.
• Maintain relationships with other similar organizations.
• Prepare your partners to participate in the direction of the organization as leaders or volunteers spontaneously.
• Conduct cooperation agreements and technical advice to government agencies and non-nationals and foreigners for the improvement of the economic activities of the partners.
• Reach agreements on technical cooperation and advice with domestic institutions and foreign public or private to improve the ecosystem.
• Promote the development with option of gender that reach a better participation of men and women in the efforts, administrative, economic, social, cultural associations.
• Contract temporary indigenous people as advisers or technicians who meet the guidelines of the Association "AMEPRAGG La Golondrina."

The aim of the volunteers within the project is to assist and support in a process of change through the implementation of the above objectives and will never contribute to the passivity of the people in the community. It is their fight and volunteers are supportive and a guide.

Volunteer Activities

SCHOOL SUPPORT

Monday to Thursday from 3 to 5 pm volunteers are supporting the smallest in their school tasks. First and foremost are to improve their level of reading, writing, comprehension and communication in Spanish, because at home the most spoken language is the Kichwa. Some days the children doesn’t have school but volunteer can help reading, drawing, crafts, songs, new games, stories, etc.

In times of vacation: When there is no school, volunteers teach English and computer assisted by a small library of the partnership. The level of this language, depends on the kid, but the enthusiasm for learning is enormous at all!
To keep a record of work done in class every day volunteers write the assistance of the kids and what they did that day.

Toys: in addition the volunteers in the library have created an area with a box of toys, this can be used by children of the association in the times that there are people in it, always taking care not to lose and pick up after use.

Support for distance learning:
Some adults and kids, finish school and start to study at distance from Quito, and they need to work at the same time.
Therefore, distance learning, belong to the level of "secondary", so the support is only one day a week to review, what they have studied during the day and resolve their doubts.
From Monday to Thursday each student must go to class for a day, but if the children go longer, volunteers must coordinate to provide classes for 2 to 3 PM.
It tries to make work in groups because their level of Spanish is low, and between them can sometimes help.
The students do not have dates to send their homework to Quito. They have to send when those are completed, so the volunteer have to motivate them and offering them all the time.

FIELD WORK

Monday to Thursday mornings from 9 to 11 volunteers are working in the tasks of the field. It is intended to strengthen the important work that other foundations (FUNDAMYF, FUNHABIT) performed in the community. These associations come every seven or fifteen days, and the volunteers work together with them to learn and after they guide to the partners in the task until the next appointment. The tasks are always related to agriculture or livestock, for this reason the work is a daily learning for the volunteers.
The volunteer learn with the help of foundations because they provide documentation and data about the agriculture and with that information they help during the week.

In the home of volunteers find a document that will help them in this activity which is very important in the work of volunteers, the economic development is focused on the breeding of guinea pigs and the sowing of Andean products such as chochos , barley, quinua. People need a lot of partnership in this guide, reminding them the steps to follow and things that should not be done.

Volunteer Profile

It requires people with a very good level of Spanish, older than 22 years old, have experience working with indigenous and peasant communities in developing countries, which have leadership, initiative to solve problems and develop projects, who are enterprising and capable to handle groups of people who like to live in the countryside, adventure, and above all that can be easily adapted to a new culture. Living conditions in the community are very tough, due to lack of economic resources. People interested in making voluntary work in this community should be open to being part of the lifestyle and customs of indigenous people, their way of work, food and housing, the same ones that were precarious for its poverty level.

Services in the project

In the house of volunteers has a kitchen and all necessary utensils for cooking and eating for a couple of people, two beds, each in a bedroom, a gas heater, electric power and water from a slope, sometimes these services are not available, it is necessary to be prepared with a flashlight and walk a bit to go for water to another source. It is also a good idea to have filled bottle water, for any emergency.

Very near the house there is the wash clothes, with brush and buckets for washing, also has a clothesline.

Services near to the project

In the community of Guayama Grande there are two small shops with indefinite schedule of attention, which have the basic items for consumption. Twice a day passed a van by the community, selling anything from fruit, fish and meat. There is a small school and a church.
The closest community is called Guayama San Pedro, is located about 15 minutes walk, there you will find stores with greater variety of products, including gas, his office hours is almost permanently during the day. This community has a hostal “El Chicorito”, the price per night is 3USD.

The nearest medical center is in "Chugchilan" to walk about 2 hours, but Guayama Grande has a person responsible for health (Eusebio). He has to call to the ambulance in emergency case.

Accommodations

• The House
The house is exclusively for volunteers, it’s available for three people, which is the maximum number of volunteers required in this small community.
It has electricity, gas stove and heater. The bathroom is shared with one of the families that live near of the volunteer house, so your cleaning is also shared. The bathroom will be cleaned by the volunteers on Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday. The remaining days are responsible members of this family.
The shower is electric, which means that water does not always comes out very hot. One trick is to heat the water in a pot and take a shower to the style of the community.

• Meat
The volunteers are responsible for the costs of their food. You have to buy their own food on weekends in the city of Latacunga or contribute financially to one of the families to make shopping and eating with them. In case you are interested in this option we must be clear that the power of families is very different from the countries of origin of each volunteer and for longer stays it’s not advisable.
In Latacunga you can find all kinds of food at a good price. The community has two small shops with some non-perishable food.
It is very important to boil the water before it is taken, as it is river water and has no processing, the water is very natural but not free of bacteria or other elements that can make the volunteer gets sick.

What does the Volunteer need to bring?

• Flashlight
• Sleeping bag
• Boots mountain
• Rain Jacket
• Towel
• Gel and Shampoo (ecological)
• High protection sun cream
• Caps, hats or similar
• Warm clothes
• Gloves and hat for the cold
• Basic kit (headache, diarrhea, altitude sickness)
• Camera
• Glasses for the sun

Duration

It requires a time minimum of two months, so you can give continuity to the projects implemented by the community and those who have left the older volunteers.

Free Time

The days that are marked as "free" can be used with activities that the volunteer want, they can realize tourism activities outside of the area. The environment is spectacular for hiking and community members are always ready to guide volunteers for its spectacular mountains to the lagoon Quilotoa. If you want you can also get off to the city of Latacunga to connect to the internet, phone calls, buy food, etc. In this city you can find everything that you need. From 20:00 community people know that volunteers are resting at home after a day of work until the following day.

Requirements

The basic requirement for this project is the domain of the Spanish language, the community speaks kichwa between them and communicating with the volunteers is held in the Spanish language but in a very elementary level. For this reason, Spanish language is essential to teach and to interact on a daily with members of the community. Arriving in Quito all non-Spanish-speaking volunteers will have to pass a test in Spanish before going to the project. It is important that volunteers who want to apply in this project know that the life there is in the field, but the daily work is so rewarding and enriching as hard and tired.