Volunteer: Indigenous History, Cultures, and Traditions in Ecuador

Duration: Minimum 1 month (flexible for min. 2 weeks depending on intern s qualifications), Maximum 1 year

Start Dates: Project is ongoing, and you can join at any time, depending upon availability

Cost: $450 USD for the 1st week + $250 for each additional week (2 month minimum is recommended)

Fee Includes: all food, accommodation, pre-departure + in-country support, orientation and all project related activities

Does not Include: flights, airport pickup, travel insurance, personal spending, visas and vaccinations

Please note: This opportunity is designed to give you the contacts and experience to help further your career. You are not replacing any member of staff, but helping alongside them, whilst learning new skills.

Benefits

• Work closely with NGO staff, farmers, and local agronomists experienced in forest conservation, agroforestry, agronomy, participatory community development, social entrepreneurship, and sustainable farming.
• Learn about international efforts to mitigate climate change and be a part of implementing long-term research and solutions alongside local community farmers
• Learn about Amazonian cultures and their connection to organic agriculture, ethnobotany, agroforestry, and plant medicine
• Live in a beautiful, rural community with an indigenous host family in the Amazon rainforest
• Keywords: field research, sustainable development, climate change, international development agriculture, forest conservation, community tourism, cacao industry, seed banks, indigenous rights, economic development, sustainable development, indigenous traditions.

Internship Benefits

The Amazon rainforest is home to the most biodiverse ecosystem in the world, teeming with millions of species of plants, insects and animals. One thing many people forget, though, is that the Amazon is also teeming with people. There are about 7 officially-recognized nations in the Ecuadorian Amazon – Kichwa, Shuar, Achuar, Huaorani, and Cof n to name a few – and they all come bearing their own languages, customs, and traditions. This internship is a unique opportunity to learn about different cultures of the Ecuadorian Amazon by living with and learning from local indigenous people. You will live in a host family in one of our partner communities where you can learn about their customs and traditions and then become an active participant in their culture. You will also have the chance to take day trips to other communities that are different from your host one in order to gain a better understanding of the realities of other indigenous nations.

• Learn about Amazonian cultures during your immersion living with a local family
• Support local traditions and customs through active participation in events, workshops, and community tourism
• Collaborate with different ministries to understand cultural preservation, community tourism, and other initiatives
• Collaborate on a historical preservation initiative with local youth and community leaders
• Opportunities for personal research related to indigenous customs, community and eco-tourism, cultural preservation and modernity, and more
• Participate in other cultural events, such as:
• Guayusa tea ceremonies
• Ecotourism adventures to waterfalls and indigenous communities
• Medicinal plant remedy workshops
• Amazon Forest to Table Feast

At the start of your program, you will have a 3-day orientation in the city of Tena which is about 3 hours east of Quito, Ecuador s capital city. During orientation workshops, you will start learning about the culture, people, and geography of the region as well as other tools to support you in your internship abroad. Here you will also be connecting with other interns that are going to be leaping into a similar experience.

After orientation, you will move in with a local host family in one of the communities surrounding Tena. The distance from Tena can vary depending on which community you are placed in, ranging from 15 to 45 minutes. In your immersive homestay experience, you will be able to participate in the family dynamic, form meaningful connections, and share knowledge and experiences. No day in the family will be exactly the same, and we encourage you to participate in as many family rituals as you can, like waking up at 6am to make guayusa tea with your host grandmother or washing your clothes with your host mom in a river!

Daily Life

Some Potential Activities Include

• Collaborate with local initiatives in cultural and historical preservation
• Attend community events, such as morning tea ceremonies or cultural dance practices
• Interview community members and gather primary source accounts of your host community s history, heritage, and traditions
• Help your host family with daily household tasks
• Journey into your host family s chakra (traditionally-planted, agroforestry farm) to help harvest products and learn how each plant relates to their livelihoods
• Trek into the rainforest with local guides to learn about the flora and fauna and their uses as medicines and for rituals
• Share stories of your home culture and traditions with locals, practicing storytelling skills
• Conduct language tutoring exchanges with community members [English, Spanish, Kichwa, etc.]

Your main internship can be combined with personal research. We can connect you with communities, women’s groups, healers, and shamans to create an independent project researching traditional plant medicine and practices.

Please note: all information above is subject to change. Please check the most up to date information on the Global Nomadic website when applying.