Boomers Abroad

Description

Many of Quito's neglected children don't get the opportunity of a better life - at this orphanage, dedicated support workers and volunteers give them the chance to play, study, and be themselves. This is a truly rewarding project, in which you'll be offering the children the chance not only to relax and have fun, but learn skills that mean they can turn their back on the incredibly sad beginnings to life that they've unfortunately experienced.

You'll need a little Spanish to do this project, but we've got that covered! If you have no knowledge of Spanish at all, you can combine your project with two weeks of Spanish.

At this children's centre in the north of Quito, you'll bring some love and care into the lives of neglected boys and girls. Ranging from 3 - 12 years old, many are the victims of abuse or neglect, some at the home permanently and others as a temporary measure whilst one of more families members serves time in prison. These challenging circumstances present a reality for the 46 children living here currently.

The centre is coordinated by nuns and doesn't receive any government funding. Some financial assistance is received from Italy and from within the local community; providing some of the cities poorest children with the opportunity for food and shelter. Despite financial challenges, the home is well equipped and the children are well dressed and living in good conditions. Every evening before bedtime, all of the children are gathered on a carpet with a large, cuddly dog and have a story read to them.

In the mornings, children of school age go there, whilst the younger children stay at the orphanage where activities are arranged for them. When the rest of the children return from school, they are given help with homework, allowed to take part in games or activities and have a meal prepared for them. There is also a school within the centre, where some children from the local neighborhood attend classes.

You'll help provide a warm and loving environment to care for the children, as well as being able to create boundaries to give them clarity - being able to say 'no' at times is important for these children, most of whom come from incredibly sad situations. You'll be able to help with some or all of the following activities:

* Play time - creating new games and generally being there to have fun!
* Assisting with homework
* Drawing, painting, music, dancing and singing
* Helping teach the children some English (and also, to teach some of the staff more English words and phrases).
* It will be reward enough just to see the smiles on the faces of the children that you work with. Unfortunately most of the children are from desperately sad and underprivileged backgrounds and have not had the best start in life. You will help to be their ray of sunshine, by lavishing attention on them and showing them that people care! Your work on this project, will be greatly appreciated by the nuns that run the orphanage and especially by the children themselves.

WORKING HOURS:
Generally between 2pm and 5pm, Monday to Friday.

SPANISH LESSONS:
If you have no previous knowledge of Spanish, your project will include 2 weeks of Spanish lessons at a fantastic and very well-established Spanish school in Quito. For the first week of your project, you will have 4 hours of group Spanish classes in the morning and will work at the project in the afternoon. For the second week of your project you will have 2 hours of private Spanish lessons . On the third and fourth weeks of your projects, your Spanish will be brilliant and you won't need Spanish classes so will spend all the time at your project!! (Of course, if you wish we can arrange for you to continue with your Spanish classes - please see the prices page for the supplemental cost for this.)

All the teachers at the school have taught Spanish for 8 or more years and between them they have developed a great many resources to make the lessons lively and fun. They also periodically organise interesting and enjoyable activities in order to introduce the Ecuadorian and Latin culture to their students - most recently they've been cooking Ecuadorian dishes in classes! It's a great, fun way to learn!

LOCATION:
The project is based in the north of the city, accessible by bus. Quito is a wonderful city, with a population of 2.4 million inhabitants. It is full of exciting history to explore, which is easier to find than in most cities as the most important dates in Ecuadorian history are in the street names - you'll come across 10 de Agosto street, 12 de Octubre street and 6 de Diciembre street!! You then just have to find out what happened on those dates!

There is always something to do in Quito, whether you'd like to experience some culture or join in with the cosmopolitan, modern way of life, there is always something to do or somewhere to visit. Cultural highlights include the old town, the cable car and the equator, along with a multitude of museums and monuments. Modern highlights include a range of shopping malls, a zoo, an ice skating rink, and plenty of restaurants and bars serving wonderful cocktails and tasty food - you'll find anything from traditional Ecuadorian cuisine to Thai and Italian!

Quito is very easy to get around. You can either use the buses, trolley buses or taxis, which are all very cheap and easily accessible.

YOUR ACCOMMODATION
You'll either stay in a house with other volunteers, in a privately run hostel, or with a host family depending on your preferences/availability. Staying with a host family or in the hostel does mean a small supplementary fee - please see the prices page for details of this.

The house is located in a tourist area, 'La Mariscal', near to where all Spanish lessons are held and where there is plenty of nightlife, restaurants and internet cafes. The house has 7 rooms and accommodates 13. There is a large, fully equipped kitchen, a TV room with a DVD player, wireless internet, 2 safety boxes and a garden with hammocks and a BBQ area. All bathrooms have hot water and there is a cleaning lady 5 days a week.

The hostel is located in the same area, just a 5 minute walk from the house. The cosy backpackers hostel has double rooms with private bathrooms and a small restaurant.

Accommodation with host families means that Travellers volunteers get to eat, sleep, work, socialise and generally live like an Ecuadorian! Many of our volunteers remain friends with their host families long after they leave Ecuador and in some cases they return to the country later especially to visit their family.

Whichever accommodation you choose you're sure to enjoy a great stay in Quito!