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Gap year volunteers provide educational support, love, care and attention to 180 shanty
town children. Gain insight into the poorest communities of Quito. These vulnerable children are from
poor disadvantaged backgrounds. Volunteers make a big difference to their education.
Description of Project
This project provides a day centre for young children from the poorest, often single parent
backgrounds, where they have suffered from neglect. The project is located in the Panecillo area of
Quito, near the bright, colourful Camal market. The building is in self-contained grounds set around
a small playground. There are six classrooms and also a kitchen where food is prepared for the
children.
It is located on the flanks of the Pinchincha volcano in the western part of Quito. There are
amazing views of the old town. It is a lively, bustling part of the city but also one of the poorest
areas. Many of the children have very low self-esteem. The staff, including Arancely the director, are
warm, welcoming and very supportive of volunteers. They create a great family atmosphere that
volunteers would be an integral part of.
Volunteer Responsibilities / Activities
Most of the older children attend school, but this is only for approximately three or four hours a
day. Due to overcrowding, they study in shifts. Children aged one to five are permanently at the
centre and need care, love, meals and constructive play activities organised for them. Half of the
six to twelve year olds need help in the afternoon; the other half need help in the morning. This help
will include homework brought from school, assisting in one of the classrooms and organising your own
independent activities and lessons. These might be English, art, music, sport or basic work on
computers. Like many Outreach International projects, your exact role will be determined by your
skills and interests.
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Summary
- Project Code:
E11
- Main Activity of Project:
Volunteer work with children aged 1–12 –
teaching, playing.
- Minimum Period of Stay:
Three months.
- Cost:
Three months: £2965.
For full details of our prices please see our costs page.
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Articles / Volunteer Evaluations
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There are 5 classes of pre-school children at the project and also a facility
for school age children to come in the afternoon after school (which ends at 12)
to recieve child-care and help with their homework. We all work with the
pre-school which is definitely where the most help is needed. We all love it but
it is worth bearing in mind that any one particularly keen on working with older
children may not be able to.
The school is well run, with the children's days being well structured. They
have fixed times for work, play and meals. They are fed three meals a day,
breakfast, a full lunch and a snack before they go home which is very important as
many children don't receive much more food at home... many of them have constant
diarrhoea and are malnourished, although the centre gives extra rations to those
that are, to try and raise their weight. The fact the children receive food also
means it is cheaper for the child to attend school than not as they pay only 5
dollars a month and are provided with three meals for their children. Despite the
little cost, several children are unable to attend all the time due to their
parents lack of funds which is very sad.
The project is a very happy seeming school with lots of resources although as
you get to know the children you begin to realise how difficult there lives are.
Nearly all seem to think hitting is normal and acceptable, something apparent from
there excessive violence as well as things they say. It is evident that many are
abused at home and they all seem desperate for attention due to a lack of it at
home. Consequently, many are less developed than would be expected for their age.
The centre tries to aid their development with a lot of emphasis on developing
speech and language as even many of the two year olds are unable to speak at
all.
Our main role as teaching assistants is to provide much needed attention as
well as help keep such large classes in order...Pippa works with a class of 32
four year olds, Hannah with 20 2 year olds and Jens with 13 babies in the morning
and 36 5 year olds in the afternoons.
This centre is a project we would really recommend. It gets better and better
as you are there longer and get to know what needs doing and build up relationships
with the children. The staff and children all really seem to appreciate our
presence.
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Evaluation by Pippa, Hannah and Jens
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I have now finished my 3 months work. My last day was yesterday and it was so
sad. Rebecca, the teacher I have been working with gave me a card and a present
which was so sweet and she said a little speech bout how grateful she was etc.
Then later on one of the other members of staff called me to another classroom and
all the teachers had made me a card with little messages and then they all made a
little speech to me. I was literally crying it was so sad and they were all so
sweet to me. It was also horrible saying bye to the kids, I have become very
attached to them over the last few months. I am hoping to return to Quito for a
few days in June and will be going to visit them again but am sure the babies wont
recognise me when I return! It has been a lot of fun though and I think I have got
a lot from doing the work here.
Last weekend to celebrate our last weekend together the whole group went to the
coast to a place called Canoa. We got the night bus on Friday so had 2 whole days
there. It is stunning and I think I sent photos to some of you of the place. The
beach was gorgeous with bright coloured tents you could hire for the day to
provide some much needed shade. The weather was beautiful and really hot, quite a
change from Quito which is fairly cold due to altitude. It was really nice to
chill with everyone and have a chance to chat to some of the people who left on
Wednesday. On the Monday night back in Quito some of our friends, who own a bar,
put on a goodbye party for us which was good but messy for some! This is my last
weekend in Quito and today we went to the project to help paint the furniture and
rooms. Outreach International have given some money towards the paint etc so
thought I would be good to go and help. We went with the new volunteers who
arrived this week too. Anyway this is the end of my Quito era so next time I
write it will be from somewhere else in South America! Enjoy xxxxxxxx
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Evaluation by Laura Morrison
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Children's Project. Martin Long
The morning after the night before and Liz is not a morning person but she was scheduled to come with me to my project so had to join me on the 7am bus. Today was the worst traffic ever and we did not arrive at the school until 8.45 and missed the children's breakfast , which is a good start to the day as I get to eat the same as they do.
We joined in the day's activity of scrunching bits of coloured paper and sticking them onto an outline drawing of the now famous colada morada and bread babies, today was the official day for El Dia de los Difuntos but I had celebrated this tradition many times in the previous week. At break time a couple of large loudspeaker cabinets were dragged out into the yard and it was party time, lots of dancing including the wah wah dance (the bread babies are sometimes called wah wah after the noise young babies make). The reason for the festivities was that the rest of the week was a public holiday in Ecuador so they were in the mood to party, apparently Ecuadorians would go without food rather than miss going away on bank holidays so they like to party. This bank holi day is not on any calendar for this year but an earlier bank holiday coincided with an earthquake in Chile and everyone was scared of a tsunami hitting the beaches so many people stayed at home. As this had a big impact on the tourist business the President decided they needed another holiday to make up for the lost trade, So from the 2nd November to 6th it is holiday time.
Liz and I left at midday to attend the El Dia de los Difuntos celebrations at the Spanish language school, more bread babies to eat and fruit drink to consume. The day ended with the farewell meal for Liz and the welcome meal for Debbie and Twinkie (don't ask, it is what she likes to be called), the restaurant overlooked the city and the view was spectacular. Debbie and Twinkie then dashed to catch the bus for a break in the Amazon jungle.
Today was a significant day for me as I have decided to spend a part of my working week supporting the old people's project. This new project is so worthwhile but it does mean I won't have so much time with the children. I am pleased it ended on a happy and fun day, I will remember every hug from them.
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Evaluation by Martin Long
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The children are perfectly bright but are often badly behind at school because they receive little
parental support. Many of them have not attended school until the time that they were registered with
this project, and many of them have had to work full time on the streets. Volunteer support and
guidance will boost their self-esteem and help give them the extra education they need to catch up
with their peers.
In addition to providing them with an education, it is hoped that volunteers will recognise the
importance of giving them the much needed love, care and attention that in some cases they have never
been shown.
This would suit those who want to help out at a valuable, grassroots project. You would have direct
contact with the humblest communities of Quito and work as a valuable member of a small, passionate
team of volunteers and permanent members of Ecuadorian staff.
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