Teach and have fun at our children's library and communitary center waiting for you by the beach in Manabi, Ecuador

Details

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  Description

  We are a small non-profit organization working in a coastal town in Manabí-Ecuador
  
  Our project sustains a successful Children's Library and communitary center in a coastal Ecuador town hit by a 7.8 earthquake. We run a Library and a Van to support neighboring community libraries. We are empowering Girls and Women and helping boys to walk into healthy masculinities through educational programs to unsettle patriarchal mores that marginalized their elders. Your support enables us to continue and expand our much-needed gender equality programs throughout a coastal corridor of liberating libraries in rural Manabi.
  
  
  Challenge
  
  While 73% of girls in canton Jama register in elementary school only 1% reach college and 15% are economically active. Teenage pregnancy is pervasive, leaving young women in dependent situations for the rest of their lives. While living in this tiny fishing village seems idyllic on the surface, there is an underlying pattern of abuse against girls and women, resulting in domestic violence and child abuse. 7 out of 10 young girls have been abused before reaching adulthood.
  
  Solution
  
  Our Children's Library deals with gender issues. We pay specific attention to girls and boys ages 10-12 because we believe that nourishing young girls self-esteem through reading, sports, science projects and arts will enable them to develop a healthy sense of their bodies as a territory they command. At the same time, we are working with their young male peers in masculinity workshops and activities that will help them become respectful and equal partners for future strong women. We created the program ( Bosque y mar) "forest and sea" to interact with young adults of both sexes, to protect the environment, to reflect about genres, and to improve academic performance. All of this through reading, sports, environmental activities and communitary meetings.
  
  Long-Term Impact
  
  Educational assistance increases school graduation and trains girls for skilled labor and professions. Sports and arts programs open an array of healthy opportunities to mingle between genders. Our Library is an example other neighboring communities are replicating. With our new library bus we will be able to reach over 1.300 women and girls in communities surrounding Don Juan. All our educational programs promote gender equality, social organization, local leadership, and cultural awareness.
  
  Volunteers
  
  Our volunteers must have a full comand of Spanish they are expected to interact with children from the first day. They spend´a minimum 8 weeks with us. While teaching English, assisting children with their homework, sport coaching or offering art workshops they also learn from the community. You will be invited to fish with the locals, learn their gastronomy, use a machete. The Foundation offers lodging in a shared bedroom in the second floor of the Library, you will share bathroom and kitchen with other volunteers; we supply the basics to cook your own vegan meals.

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  Types of help and learning opportunities

  Charity Work

  Art Projects

  Language practice

  Help with Eco Projects

  Teaching

  Gardening

  DIY and building projects

  General Maintenance

  Help with Computers/ Internet
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  UN sustainability goals this host is trying to achieve

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  What's this?
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  Cultural exchange and learning opportunities

  If you are an open minded traveler who is willing to change your life style in order to really get to know the culture you are visiting, as well as yourself, this is a good destination for you. I you are very set in your ways, and intend to reproduce your modern urban comfort you may end up feeling lost. Please keep in mind you should come and help solve problems, not create them. Nevertheless, once you have been accepted as one of us, we will do our best to make you feel safe and confortable.
  
  This is a fishing community that can offer many learining opportunities, artisanl fishing, preparing fish and shrimp and the local cuisine in a wood stove. We often hold friday afternoon tea parties with our volunteers to read and discuss literature. The founders are a couple of Literature Professors that can help you get started on a Latin American Literary journey. You will be able to learn artisanal fishing, local cuisine, machete, fish cleaning. You will learn about family dynamics and Ecuadorian culture.

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  Projects involving children

  This project could involve children. For more information see our guidelines and tips here.

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  Help

  First and foremost: you must be proficient in Spanish, if this is not the case, and you are still learining, please contact us when you are in full comand of the Spanish language. As a result of our excellent experience with volunteering families, we are looking for traveling parents who are teachers, artists or professionals and would like to spend a couple of months volunteering with their families. We want families who are interested in arts, education, sports, and culture. Single volunteers are welcome, but we believe families embody different gender dynamics, and also their parent-children relationships offer an alternative to what is pervasive in the region. We also value peer relationships that build between children volunteers and the local children from Don Juan. The opportunity to learn from different cultures and be exposed to other ways of growing up is the most valuable asset volunteering families offer and receive from this project.
  
  Teaching experience is welcome, but not mandatory, and Spanish proficiency. You will be always accompanied but, after a couple of weeks, you should be able to run our local Children's Library in a small fishing village in the coast of Manabí, Ecuador. You need to have a command of Spanish to help with homework, you should also be willing to teach English, Art, recycled crafts, coach sports or help with homework and come up with creative and fun possibilities for the spare time of our young neighbors, this is your place. You will also be asked to help out in the local grade school teaching English and playing games in English with the kids. There is plenty of things to be done if you have an open disposition and are willing to share your talents. Since you will be part of an educational program, we need you to stay with us at least 8 weeks, as we prefer volunteers who able to stay for longer periods.
  Currently, we are looking particularly for volunteers with capacities to teach the teenagers in Don Juan to surf, snorkel, swiming, etc; the practive of other sports and the hability to play chess will be highly valued in our Community Center.

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  Languages spoken

  English: Fluent
  Spanish: Fluent

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  Accommodation

  You will be staying in the volunteer lodgings at the Intercultural Center in Don Juan. It is a beautiful two story bamboo house housing the Library in the first floor and the volunteers bedrooms in the second. After hours, volunteers have the house for themselves. On occasions we may have week end activities or community gatherings, we will always let you know in advance, but you are not expected to work out of your schedule. There are two bedrooms: one has a queen bed for a couple and 2 bunk beds and a single bed in the second bedroom. On ocassion, there are parties in town, you may want to pack your earplugs. You will be sharing bathroom and kitchen with other volunteers. The kitchen is fully equipped, we will provide the basic goods for you to prepare, along with other volunteers, your own meals. You will buy from local vendors whatever else you need: fruit, vegetables, fish, shrimp etc...
  If you are willing to live a simple and healthy life in a bamboo house you will be very happy here.

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  What else ...

  Our village is in the equatorial line surrounded by beautiful beaches, primary forests, and archaeological sites. You may borrow our bikes to go to Jama (south) or Pedernales (north). The Intercultural Center is located in the Center of the Village just a block away from the beach. There is a nearby surfing beach and a Natural Reserve where you can hike. This calm and beautiful place encourages you to relax, read, meditate or swim, bike and take long walks. This is a great opportunity to learn something about yourself while helping others.

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  A little more information

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    Internet access

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    Limited internet access

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    We have pets

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    We are smokers

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    Can host families

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  Can host digital nomads

  Our online connection is very good. If you are planning to work during your volunteering, you need to organize your schedule so that you may be available from 9-11 am and 2-5pm. Besides this schedule you may work in the Library.

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  How many Workawayers can stay?

  More than two

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  Hours expected

  Maximum 4-5 hours a day, 5 days a week

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  This host charges a fee

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  Why does workaway.info allow listings of hosts who charge money?

  In developing countries (Where most hosts are involved in charity work or community development) some of our hosts may ask for a small donation to help the host family or charity (often less then 5 dollars per day) Workaway will allow this listing when the donation goes directly to the family or charity and is just to cover the cost of the volunteer‘s stay.  (This will be clearly marked on the host listing).
  We will strictly not allow listings posted by agents, “middle men” or projects who we feel are looking to profit from a volunteers stay.
   

   

   

  US$6 per day to help host with food costs

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