The volunteers taking part in this project will be working with children of between 4 and 6 years of age to teach basic literacy and education. The classes are informal, focusing on fun and interaction aimed at helping them learn a range of different activities. Having never attended school, these children will require help to master essential classroom basics like holding pencils, their initial numbers, drawing lines and their ABCs. Although often challenging, working with young children is a rewarding experience and every day is full of laughter and fun. This project is run in a school with older children and volunteers may occasionally be needed to assist in classes with students of an older age group.

Living with a local family in the beautiful market town of Otavalo, volunteering on this project gives you the opportunity to learn Spanish and immerse yourself in Andean indigenous culture.

How this program makes a difference:

With just one or two teachers per school, the volunteers’ teaching presence allows the children more opportunity to receive help in their education. The younger children are often just included with other grades, so having a volunteer dedicated to them at an early stage in their education is of great benefit. A substantial part of the fee goes towards the day-to-day running costs of the projects themselves throughout the year, including daily transport, food subsidies for the school meals and fruit for the children (sometimes their only meal of the day), educational materials for classes, painting and maintenance.

Highlights:

• Living in the heart of the community in Otavalo
• Working with indigenous children
• Learning Spanish
• Adventure side trips
• Cultural workshops and excursions
• Amazing community interaction

Qualifications:

No special training or qualifications are required as all training will be provided in the field.