Volunteering opportunities registration

Volunteering opportunities
After 10 years and more than 2000 voluteers and students from developed countries, we try to give the same opportunity to ecuatorians and Latin American students and travelers.

We mantein the volunteer program with travelers from developed countries, only for selected peolple, students of universties and veteranian professionals.

We do this primarily through sending you as a volunteer , to work in indigenous , black and mestizo communities to help the people and the nature.

Is a lie that any traveler can be a volunteer, to work with us you need a basic level of Spanish, information about the place and the people, good health and character. Remember you are going to learn into a strange place. We give you the option of learning Spanish with us, this way you'll know specific topics about the history, ecology, cultures and experieces of other volunteers, students or specialists about our work in Ecuador and the Marañon river (Alto Amazonas) in Perú. Ecotrackers is manteined by the volunteers and students that work with us. No other organization support us. So you'll be always welcome to help.

OUR WORK IS TEACHING YOU more about how to be useful PROTECTING the people, the nature and ancient cultures here and Latin America . We develop the intelligent tourism (volunteering, international studies, international research ) as economical alternative for the poor people with rich nature and culture.

It is very important to Ecotrackers, each program be developed in a way that is culturally appropriate to that community so the profits stay within the community to help developing its infrastructure, health, education, organic production of food and medicinal plants, reforestation, use of natural protected areas, art, handycrafts, tourism, and products with intelectual property.

• If you agree with the above aims, then we will be happy to arrange volunteer opportunities internship and professionl practice for you with any of the communities that we work with.

FIRST STEP

Questions to answer:

1.-What is your perfomance or CV?

2.- How long do you want to work with Ecotrackers?

3.- Where would you like to work, study or practice: Andes, Pacific Coast, Amazon rain forest or Galapagos (Galapagos is expensive)?

4.- What are your personal conditions?

5.- What would be the results that you want to achieve?

6.- What do you do and how can it helps Ecotrackers?

7.- Can you write a complete report about your experience?

Please send you E.mail to : ecotrackers@gmail.com

SECOND STEP
By e- mail we send you our options according your interests.

LAST STEP
We agre your working plan, dates and payment.

Ecotrackers works to protect the health and cultural and biological diversity of Ecuador.
We do this primarily through sending you as a volunteer to learn how to work in black and indigenous communities.
As a volunteer need to have particular skill or training in the specific area and enthusiasm for sharing in the lives of these developing communities.
What you offer the community as a volunteer is:
the opportunity for them to begin to understand what foreigners are like and how to deal with them insight into what aspects of the culture and environment are important to visitors from other cultures that will form part of a successful inteligent tourism program
particular skills that the you can share with the community
the reassurance that their corner of the world has an intrinsic value that is worth preserving.
It is very important to Ecotrackers that each program be:
developed in a way that is culturally appropriate to that community
developed in a way that will allow the community to maintain control of its environment and protect its culture
run by and for the community so that the profits stay within the community to help it to develop its infrastructure, health, and education
If you agree with the above aims, then we will be happy to arrange volunteer opportunities for you with any of the communities that we work with.
Questions being answered:What do we do in the communities?
How is volunteering organized at Ecotrackers?
What qualities does an Ecotracker volunteer need to have?
What is volunteering with Ecotrackers like?

Cultural exchange, Internships

Cultural exchanges and student exchange (our main program)

If you can accept an ecuadorian student in your family and the familiy of the ecuadorian student accept you , Ecotrackers Foundation offers opportunities for anyone to live in Ecuador, three months till one year learning and working in Quito or in small indigenous communities, living with a family and if you are student in a high school you can study in a rural high school; you don´t pay accommodation or food, only your personal expenses, language classes and transport. You pay with a donation to mantein the Ecotrackers services ($99) and you must wirite an interesting report by Internet.

Internships and Research Studies
Ecotrackers Foundation offers opportunities for internships and research studies to international students in a wide range of disciplines. We offer in-country mentorship and academic advisement in conjunction with your home institution. The Internship includes Spanish classes, (5,99/hour one to one) and a program of prefessional practice. You must to pay a donation to mantein the Ecotrackers services: $99 and you need to pay the accommodation and foood: $ 15/day it includes 3 meals, and bed, Ecotrackers use this money to develop the communitary projects. If you work in Quito ecotrackers office, it´s free, but you need to pay your food you pay only the bed $ 6/day and your food: $2/meal. you must wirite an interesting report by Internet

Internships
We offer internships that can be either based in our office in Quito, or in any of the communities that we work with throughout Ecuador included Galapagos, and San Lorenzo in the Marañon (Amazon) River in Perú.
We offer opportunities for research and practical studies in a wide range of subjects in the social and environmental sciences, through our extensive links with Ecuadorian universities and other institutions, and indigenous and rural communities throughout Ecuador.
Our Internships are:
1.- Medicine and Public Health.
2.- Traditional and rural medicine.
3.- Anthoplogical and ecological, medicine, pedagogy, tourism, achitecture, and ecology.
5.- Agronomy, organic production, production of medicinal plants.
6.- English to protect the nature and ancient cultures.
7.- Internet sevices, marketing and development projects.
You must wirite an interesting report by Internet
If you have any questions about cultural exchanges, student exchnages, internships or research opportunities, please contact us at Email:file:///D:/pagina%20web/for%20students.htm

Spanish classes

Spanish school
Our language school started in 1998, it was originally developed to teach Spanish to our volunteers interested to work with Greenpeace mangroves protection campain and in indigenous communities. Since then we have expanded our offerings to include comprehensive instruction in Spanish and native languages for tourists, students, and professionals alike, offering customized instruction at all levels. Ecotrackers Foundation promotes a form of tourism that is intelligent and sensitive (intelligente tourism and community-based tourism) to protect the cultural and environmental diversity of the country. We offer you the opportunity to learn about health, traditional medicine, native languages, psicology, pedagogy, anthropology, tourism, art, politics, history, culture, society, and environment of Ecuador while you master the language.
Learning Spanish with us is the best introduction to the richness and variety that Ecuador has to offer and the perfect preparation for you to learn how to be useful in Latin America. As a non-profit organization, income from the language school provides a vital contribution to the continuing work of the foundation (all profits go towards supporting our work), and our rates are among the most competitive in Quito.
PRICES PER STUDENT:
ONE TO ONE 20 HOURS/WEEK 4,99 USD/H;20-60 HOURS 4,59/H; 60-120 HOURS 4,49/H
TWO TO ONE 20 HOURS/WEEK 3,99 USD/H; 20-60 HOURS 3,59/H; 60-120 HOURS 3,49/H
THREE TO ONE 20 H/WEEK 3,24 USD/H; 20-60 HOURS 2,99/H; 60-120 HOURS 2,91/H
FOUR OR GRUP 20H/WEEK 2,99 USD/H; 20-60 HOURS 2,75/H; 60-120 HOURS 2,69/H

In summer 2008 the prices increase one dollar more

Study programs We specialize in one-to-one courses, and offer small group classes upon request. We believe individual one-to-one instruction is the most effective way to learn, but recognize that a student with a tight budget may benefit from being able to share at least part of the learning experience with other students.Our students and teachers are encouraged to visit some of the many places of interest in and around Quito during class. Students also have the option of traveling with an instructor to one of our communities to study Spanish; an opportunity for immersion not only in the language, but in one of Ecuador’s unique cultures as well. Also, we offer a wide range of volunteer options while you study in Quito, a good way to practice what you have learned while experiencing the reality of life in a developing country.
FIRST LEVEL Spanish for travelers: Two weeks
SECOND LEVEL Spanish for volunteers: four week (INCLUDED THE PAST TENSES)
THIRT LEVEL Spanish for students and specialist: six weeks ( included the subjuntive )

Accommodation We have 2 apartment rooms where our students live and practice with our Spanish teachers in Quito and homestays if the students go to learn out of Quito.
Our students can learn Spanish in Quito, the second capital of the Incas Imperie and cultural heritage of the world or at La Concepcion a small town with sun every day, african-andes culture, happy music, without traffic, contamination, tourist and violence.
The price: $6/day without food, $12/ day with 3 meals/day (the price increase $1 in summer)

Accommodation in Quito and communities

Ecotrackers Foundation has two apartments for its students and volunteers. Located on Av. Colon Colon 303 y Tamayo (La Mariscal) the same floor of a secure building on the edge of the main tourist district of Quito, about a 15 minute walk from our school, they are spacious apartments with great views of the city and surrounding mountains. Both have a full kitchen and twin rooms, hot water all day. Some rooms have their own baths, while others share. There are supermarkets and laundry services nearby, as well as many restaurants, bars and clubs. Staying in the apartments is a good way to meet other volunteers and learn about their experiences, as well offering like-minded company to enjoy Quito nightlife. Prices: Shared accommodations in our apartments: $6.00 per night. Two young Spanish teachers live with the studentes and volunteers to practice with them Spanish to teach about our culture and nature.

We have contact with hostels and homestays if you want other options.

In the communities the volunteers and students

live with local families.

About us History of Ecotrackers Our philosophy How we operate Community-based ecotourism Contact information Image Gallery Visit our forum

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Ecotrackers history

History of Ecotrackers

In 1998 the Moreno Maldonado Family:  Maximiliano Moreno, Verónica Maldonado Iriarte, Antonella Moreno Maldonado, Carmen Verónica Moreno, Doménica Moreno,  Mr. DavidTucket ( British) local liders of communities, Spanish students linked by the common goals of defending the natural world and native cultures,  and José Gallardo , José Tenesaca, Fernando Godoy, Wladimir Chepak (Russian), Jorge Santos,   came together to support the actions of Greenpeace in Ecuador. From this original group, Ecotrackers Foundation was founded two years later.
The founders of Ecotrackers represented countries all over the world, including people from different communities in Ecuador. Since our founding, we have worked with nearly 20 indigenous communities across Ecuador, from the coast to the Amazon. Ecotrackers is registered with the Ministry of Tourism to empower its international volunteers as promoters of international community ecotourism, authorizing them to work in this field within Ecuador.
We have worked in the past with a number of universities, organizations, and government ministries including:
Ecuadorian Ministries of Environment, tourism and Health, Municipalities of Macas, Guamote, Pablo VI, Tiwinza, Quito and Mira, and local municipalities across Ecuador in the communities where we are involved.
College of Cabo San Francisco, Twiza, San Jose de Morona, Pablo VI
Universidad Central, Biology Faculty and Medicine Faculty
RICANCIE (Network of nine Kichwa communities in the Upper Napo region)
PRADEC (Programa de Alimentacion para el Desarollo Comuniatrio)
World Challenge
 Dealfina Torres Hospital

We worked with students of
Arizona Un

Delawere University

Utrech University

Internationale Hogeschool Breda (Dutch college)

Het Andere Reizen
Fundacion Ninez y Vida
Fundacion Atico: Children of El Inca Women's Prison
Fundacion ABEI
Ecomorona Foundation
The Leap (UK)
Freewill Outdoor Pursuits
Workd-Challenge UK

We recibed students from more than universities of the world

Volunteers from all over the world have worked in our communities. Their work has focused on the following activities:
Enumerating species of plant and animal life, cultural traditions, and local attractions.
Teaching English and other skills in local schools and colleges, and to community members who desire to guide tourists
Reforestation and cultivation projects
Construction of sanitation infrastructure and teaching courses in public health.
Helping communities to effectively market their tourist attractions.
Helping with construction projects such as building and painting schools and building tourist facilities
Improving local nutrition
Promoting crafts and other traditional activities
 2012 are working in Quito, Esmeraldas ( at the Coast), Carchi  (Andes) and Morona Santiago (Amazon Rain Forest)

Since 2009 our main work is Salud y Vida en la Mitad del Mundo (Health and Life in the Middle of the World) TV serial, and we offers volunteer programs, internships and practical training in the fields of: health, drama and audiovisual communication, sustainable rural development in areas with a unique biodiversity and the cultural diversity of Ecuador. Please contact us at: ecotrackers@gmail.com, phone (593) 86001749. Address: Avenida Amazonas N21-217 y Roca, Ecotrackers Foundation, Quito, Ecuador

About us

Ecotrackers was founded in 2000. Since then, we have worked to defend the natural world and native cultures through working with small, indigenous communities along Ecuador. We are a training center to learn how to be a volunteer in Latinamerica.
Since we began, we have worked with nearly 20 indigenous communities across Ecuador, from the Galapagos, coast, Andes to the Amazon. We have worked with several organizations, universities, municipalities, and ministries within Ecuador, as well as national and international universities and organizations through various partnerships and contracts. We are currently working to extend our relationships with global universities and other organizations to make our organization and our activities even more effective.
Our philosophy
Our primary objective is to preserve the cultural and biological diversity of Ecuador.
One of the best methods to achieve our goals is the promotion of community-based ecotourism and the intelligent tourism.
This goes beyond simply bringing tourists, proffesionals and students to a community or a public natural protected area. It includes economic and socio-cultural development work, promoting the health, sustainable use of resources, the development of sustainable agriculture systems, and providing needed infrastructure.
Our work in health area; We are working with the Heald Ministery of Ecuador, hospitals and communities to change the traditional public health system.
Our work in pedagogy: we teach English to understand the nature and the ancient cultures, where the teachers use English words to find information about the nauture and the cultures and how to use this words as an economical resourse.
Community-based Ecotourism
We use the term community-based ecotourism as a real equivalent to sustainable tourism, which is what we strive to develop in the communities we work with. For us, it is more than just a phrase used to market a tourism project. Community-based ecotourism, as we use the term, means locally based sustainable tourism. It means that this is type of tourism that achieves long term economic development in a community, does not deplete the environment and preserves the local culture.
The intelligent tourism. For us is more important than the Community based tourism, because the contribution of the traverles is with money, work and talent (knolledges)
How we Operate
We receive volunteers (tourists and students) from countries all over the world to work in our communities on various projects while living with local families. Our aim is to provide a steady stream of volunteers to each of the communities that we work with. These volunteers help give each community faith in the viability of ecotourism as a sustainable livelihood not only by providing an important source of income, but also an important perspective on the value of preserving their culture and managing their resources in a more sustainable manner.
Our volunteers pay a daily fee to the communities to cover the costs for food and housing, and to provide a profit for the community to invest as they choose. 80% of volunteer fees go directly to our communities to be used as motor of the projects; the remainder is reinvested into the work of the foundation. This practice encourages communities to be responsible for managing their own money, rather than waiting for us to hand it out to them. We encourage them to develop a financial plan and to use the money wisely.