ECUADOR / Kaya Responsible Travel
Become a volunteer in Ecuador and join one of our most unique projects in South America. For years, the maltreated workers at Quito´s biggest landfill, called ¨miners¨, spent hours shifting through toxic garbage in unsafe and unsanitary conditions with no guaranteed salary. Since this project was established and began working with this community of inter-generational garbage scavengers, much improvement has been made in their working conditions, including their forming of an association to demand more rights and safer conditions and the involvement of an environmental organization to guarantee a more sanitary and more hygienic working environment. In March of 2006, a Daycare Centre & Preschool, which serves over 50 children from newborn through to 5 years, was opened. Here the dedicated team have been taking care of these infants with a mission of improving their prospects for the future. In addition to this, in December of 2006 a medical clinic also opened at the site in conjunction with a local Hospital to ensure that all members of this community have access to adequate health care.
With appropriate support, volunteers will assist the 3 full time teachers with teaching dynamic and engaging education topics, and also playing with, feeding, reading, and generally tending to the nearly 50 children enrolled at the Day Care centre. Another major focus is on health and hygiene; workers regularly bathe the children to teach the importance of personal care. Volunteers can assist in teaching the children the importance of hygiene.
In addition to this, local Social Workers are brought in to counsel the families, as often these children come from backgrounds of physical, sexual or emotional abuse or live with family members who abuse substances. Those with a background in Social Work or psychology can assist in these sessions with the permission of the individual being counselled. There is also a health clinic at the transfer station on Tuesday and Friday mornings, volunteers with a background in public health can assist in these clinics.
Contact the Kaya Team for more information. You can contact us on:
T.(0044) 161 870 6212
E. info@kayavolunteer.com
W. www.kayavolunteer.com
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