Ecuador: Chimborazo
Youth Entrepreneurship
| Length | Training Dates |
In-Country Dates |
Ages | Application Deadline |
Price | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ecuador: Chimborazo - Closed | 6 Weeks |
Online training on COVID-19, health and safety, mental health, travel, and AMIGOS history before departure. Leadership and orientation training take place in-country. |
June 13–July 24, 2023 |
15–19 | The deadline for this project has passed. Please email our Admissions team with any questions at [email protected] |
$4,875 – Local Chapter (Find out more about joining AMIGOS through a local chapter here) $6,375 – National Chapter Fees include all in-country expenses. Flight costs are not included. |
Online training on COVID-19, health and safety, mental health, travel, and AMIGOS history before departure. Leadership and orientation training take place in-country.
June 13–July 24, 2023
$4,875 – Local Chapter (Find out more about joining AMIGOS through a local chapter here)
$6,375 – National Chapter
Fees include all in-country expenses. Flight costs are not included.
Homestay – you’ll live with a host family and be placed in a community with one or two other AMIGOS volunteers.
Live and volunteer in rural, indigenous communities. Have the privilege of learning about and experiencing the cultural traditions and belief systems of your host families and community members.
*Please note that while host families will be encouraged to receive at least two doses of the COVID vaccine prior to volunteer arrival for their own safety, full vaccination will not be a requirement for host families on this project.
Cool and dry. The terrain is mountainous. Daytime temperatures range from 45°F to 65°F and often drop below freezing at night.
High altitude in the Andes mountains
Get two college credits for this project! Find out more here.
achachai = Kichwa for “how cold!”
Earn 72 service hours on this project.
Potatoes, cuy (guinea pig)
It is particularly important for volunteers on the Chimborazo Project to be flexible with meals.
*Vegetarian and vegan diets cannot be accommodated due to respect for local cuisine and food availability.
Potatoes, Andean tubers, quinoa, Andean corn, barley, and onions.
Ecuatorianos, Riobambeños
Building a cuy farm
Supporting trout farming initiatives
Production and sale of artisan goods like bracelets, hats, sweaters, or jewelry
Community banking or microlending projects
Hair salon
Morning: Wake up early to milk the cows, prepare breakfast, and help with other chores. Get together with AMIGOS partner(s) to plan leadership and entrepreneurship activities for students in your community or work on your community service project. Go to lunch.
Afternoon: Lead activities for kids and then work in the fields to plant and harvest crops alongside your host family. Go on a hike and take in the spectacular views of the Andean highlands or start a game of soccer in the community center.
Evening: Eat dinner, chat with your host family, practice some Kichwa (an Andean indigenous language spoken both in the Sierra and Amazon regions of Ecuador), and play games with your host siblings. Go to bed and get ready for another day!
Throughout the summer, you’ll work with Ecuadorian students on entrepreneurial projects. You will travel to regional workshops, build your business savvy, and work on sustainable, youth-led microenterprises. Past projects include: the production and sale of artisan goods; community banking or microlending; cuy (guinea pig) farms; beekeeping; and hair salons. This summer, students may have the opportunity to support the expansion of rural tourism initiatives, community microlending, and trout farms.
AMIGOS has worked with our partner in this region for over 10 years. They are well-respected and have long-standing relationships with communities all over the country. AMIGOS volunteers will plug into our partner organization’s initiatives in local communities in and around Chimborazo province.
*This is an example itinerary based on previous projects. Dates, topics, and activities may be subject to change.
Volunteers arrive. Project staff meet them at the airport in Quito and the group travels together to the briefing site in a community in Riobamba.
Briefing. Project staff lead all volunteers in a country-specific orientation to AMIGOS and the Chimborazo Project. Meet all the other students on your project and spend a few days getting to know each other, learning about Ecuador, and doing fun activities! After briefing, project staff bring volunteers to their host communities to meet their host families.
Meet your host family and settle into your new home for the next month! Get a tour of your community and get to know youth leaders and other important community members you may be working with.
During your time with your host family, you’ll implement a service project and lead day camp activities for kids like English practice and playing sports. Spend time with local community members, learn to cook traditional dishes, milk cows, raise trout, and learn some Kichwa words!
Have a farewell dinner with your host family and members of the community. The next day, leave your host community and meet up with the rest of the AMIGOS volunteers to travel to Quito.
Take excursions to Mitad del Mundo and hop over the Equator between the Northern and Southern Hemispheres! Join in activities with other volunteers to reflect on your time in Ecuador. Explore Quito’s historic center and visit an artisan market to get souvenirs.
Fly home!
Learn how to create ethical service initiatives by working with–not for–a community, engaging local organizations and partners, and evaluating the impact of your work. AMIGOS works with trusted local partners that are passionate and committed to working with our volunteers on community service projects.
Cultural humility is a process of both self-reflection about your own culture as well as learning about other cultures. You will examine your own beliefs and cultural identity and gain an understanding of how structural racism has impacted societies and the roles that communities can take to lead systemic change.
Learn, grow, and discover your leadership potential! Explore your sense of purpose and start to establish your personal goals and values through introspection and inquiry.
Travel off the beaten path and to must-see spots in Ecuador! Live like a local, not a tourist, with a host family in your host community. You’ll get to see these places from the distinct perspective of someone who has spent time in that country and learned about the culture firsthand. Plus, you’ll bond with volunteers and community members and have fun!
AMIGOS is the industry leader in health and safety management. Our staff is prepared to help you with any situation that may arise. Each volunteer receives a personalized emergency plan, as well as support from local staff teams and a professional 24-hour On-Call Safety Team of travel specialists, doctors, and mental health specialists. A Health and Wellness Coordinator is on staff with the group throughout the duration of their stay. AMIGOS also has an established network of vetted medical clinics and hospitals throughout the region.
AMIGOS programs provide a unique opportunity to experience a new culture. Volunteers report increased fluency in Spanish after completing our program. Activities go far beyond the classroom — you’ll lead activities in Spanish, learn local slang, and increase your confidence with real-world practice. You will not believe how fast your Spanish improves when you use it in conversation every day!
AMIGOS helped me find my voice and my purpose in life. AMIGOS isn’t just a summer volunteering program, it is a path that leads you to appreciate other peoples and cultures, a journey that develops you as a leader, an adventure that makes you realize that you are more capable than you think.
—Eli, Volunteer in Chimborazo, Ecuador
¡Getting ready for great adventures! 🤩
The Senior Staff of the Santa Elena Project is currently working on visiting communities and arranging the best plans with @plan_ecuador to ensure an amazing experience for everyone 🫱🏼🫲🏽✨
¡Preparándonos para grandes aventuras! 🤩
El Senior Staff de Santa Elena ha estado trabajando en visitar comunidades y armar los mejores planes con @plan_ecuador para asegurar una maravillosa experiencia para todos 🫱🏼🫲🏽✨
#amigosdelasamericas #volunteering #communityservice
Appreciation post for the gap volunteers. Thank you for being adventurous and being willing to immerse yourselves in a new culture, great job!
Some results of beautiful service projects carried out by the gap volunteers
Gap volunteers are enjoying the last days of their experience at Quito
Gap volunteers just finished they internships. We want to thank the community of Cuenca for all the love and support ❤️
Language exchange final event. Juegos y hamburguesas 🎁🍔🎮
Gap volunteers during their excursion to Ingapirca
Family time around Cuenca!
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