Guayaquil is the largest city and the economic force of Ecuador. It is located within a gulf that is famous for its biodiversity and microclimates. The city has easy access to pristine Pacific Ocean beaches, the Andes, the Amazon forest and the Galapagos Islands.
The highly entrepreneurial environment of the city provides opportunities for volunteer work and internships in a variety of settings, whether in education, social service, banking, communication or the performing arts.
Within the institutions and organizations that have hosted volunteers and interns EcuaExperiencia has foundations for street children, orphanages, the chamber of commerce, corporate communications groups, private and public schools, special education schools and a host of public and private organizations.
The local Chamber of Commerce has a membership of approx. 9000 members. It is very active in sponsoring events of national and international reach, in different areas, including management, government and leadership. During this year they have had events such as: Martin Luther King III, Jose Maria Aznar, International Cacao Exporters conference, and Leadership in Local Governments conference, with participants from 10 different countries.
This is a Special Education School sponsored by a private foundation. It is an area that requires a lot of assistance because the government does not provide all the needed coverage for this population. Interns with some background in this area can help in classroom work, general supervision or in assisting individual children with major disabilities. This school provides services for 45 children with special needs, with varying degrees of pathologies, ranging from Down syndrome to mild cerebral palsy.
This is a public school located in an area for working people, which means below average in socio economic status. Usually, the poorer children attend the public schools. The population is 500 K-6, and there is room for a lot of projects. However, in the public schools the intern has to find his/her way around and not expect much guidance, as the public teachers are known not to be the hardest workers. I have been tempted to place volunteers in a private school that serves a population of working people as the experience could be more rewarding. Interns here have had mixed experiences depending on their spirit of initiative.