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Ecuador Community Service |
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About
Ecuador: Ecuador is a land of contrasts. The spine of
soaring, snow-covered peaks which rises from the Andean highlands
descends to the east into lush rainforests of the Amazon basin, and
to the west to a steamy tropical coastline. Ecuador’s Spanish
heritage is evident in the old center of the capital city, Quito,
which the United Nations designated as a World Heritage Site for its
gorgeous concentration of colonial architecture. It is the
indigenous population, however, that remains the predominant ethnic
The Project: Participants fly to Quito, where they spend a day learning about the culture and history of Ecuador. The following day they depart for their project site, a small village in the Andean highlands whose residents are primarily Quechua Indians (descendants of the Inca). During a typical day, work begins early, with a break for lunch, and continues into the afternoon. In previous summers, students worked side by side with villagers to complete a community center; helped in the fields harvesting organic crops; ran a camp for village children; built an interpretive center to increase tourism; and painted classrooms and taught English to young children at a school. This summer, students will work on similar projects, providing help with local construction and agricultural projects, and teaching English, health, and environmental topics to children and adults. Participants live together in a simple village house or school. Local young people join them in the evenings to play guitar or enjoy a game of soccer, providing a wonderful opportunity to practice Spanish. Students form cooking crews and prepare meals with the help of an Ecuadorian friend.
Weekends: The group takes advantage of Ecuador’s spectacular natural beauty and rich cultural traditions, visiting indigenous markets, attending local fiestas, roaming the tundra- like páramo in search of the endangered Andean condor, hiking around Cotopaxi (a volcano just over 19,000 feet high that was once believed to be the highest mountain in the world) soaking in natural hot springs, and trekking deep into the cloud forest. The program ends with an exciting journey into primary tropical rainforest in the Amazon basin. Here, students stay at a lodge in a region recently declared protected forest where they paddle through lagoons in dug-out canoes, swing from a rope into the warm Amazonian water, and explore the astounding variety of birds, mammals, and plants.
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influence
in Ecuador. The exotic flavor of their native dress, music, and food
permeates the landscape, from the Amazon to tiny villages high in
the Andes. Against this backdrop of natural beauty and fascinating
culture, rural poverty stands in stark contrast. Educational
opportunities are limited and school facilities are basic.