Great Humanitarian Trips Around the World

What It’s About: The indigenous Quichua people in the remote rainforests of central Ecuador face enormous challenges in maintaining their traditional way of life. Quichua communities—which have occupied the Amazon rainforest for hundreds of years—are increasingly threatened by jungle deforestation (as well as other problems related to poverty and lack of education). By establishing reforestation and sustainable agriculture projects, and by providing basic schooling for their children, the Quichua have a better chance at preserving their culture and improving their daily existence.

What it Involves: Mostly outdoor—and quite dirty—work. Volunteers work alongside the Quichua in villages in the Puni-Rumiyacu region (in the wide swath of territory known as El Oriente) to clear fields and pathways using machetes, haul soil, and plant crops like coffee, yucca, and corn. A Broader View also places some volunteers in rural community primary schools, where they help to teach Quichua children.

Roughing-It Rating: High. Volunteers must be proficient in conversational Spanish, and also willing to tolerate extreme heat, copious mosquitoes, and primitive amenities (outhouses and composite toilets, bucket-water baths). On the plus side, many volunteers live and take meals with local host families, which allows them to personally share in the Quichua’s rich indigenous culture.

Cost: $895 for 1 week

More Information: A Broader View Volunteers