Volunteer: Social Entrepreneurship Professional Experience in Ecuador

Duration: Minimum 2 weeks, maximum 12 months

Cost: $450 for the first 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.

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

Benefits

• Work closely with staff experienced in forest conservation, agroforestry, agronomy, participatory community development, social entrepreneurship, and marketing/communications.
• Hands-on experience in all of the above plus agriculture, landscape management, organic certifications, Fair Trade certification, indigenous rights, climate change mitigation, biodiversity monitoring, women s empowerment, grant writing, and online marketing/media.
• Numerous research + dissertation opportunities available if requested, including Agricultural Economics, Social Entrepreneurship, Forest Conservation, Climate Change mitigation, Environmental Education, Agroforestry, Community Development, Indigenous Cultures, Gender Rights, and more.
• Participate in and help develop cultural exchange events including ecotourism, farm to table Amazonian forest foods meals, and guayusa tea ceremonies.
• Keywords: agroforestry, agricultural economics, biodiversity, sustainable development, research, community development, economic development, social entrepreneurship, climate change, indigenous groups, new product development, women s empowerment.

College students, graduate students, industry professionals, and anyone interested in our work are warmly invited to the Ecuadorian Amazon to support our organization and/or conduct research in a number of areas related to forest conservation, biodiversity, community development, and sustainable development. Working with our dynamic NGO, indigenous communities, and other researchers and consultants, you have the opportunity to support participatory community development and conservation projects and expand a new, green industry in Ecuador that is already receiving national and international attention.

The NGO for which you will work provides direct market access, agroforestry training, and holistic development services to local indigenous Amazonian farming families, by leveraging Fair Trade partnerships to create sustainable social change. With a network of over 2,500 farming families, a 10 person staff, and a diverse network of advisors and consultants, our well-known organization is pioneering a social enterprise model that has the potential to transform local Ecuadorian economies and provide sustainable livelihoods for local people, while preserving the rainforest.

Our NGO s mission is to create new value for native plants that benefit local people and the forest ecosystem. The guayusa tea leaf is an excellent example of how we ve started with our mission and now we are looking to the future for other native Amazonian plants that could create new value and opportunities for farmers. Interns will assist us by looking into creating new supply chains for other species commonly found in the area.

Daily Life

Our social entrepreneurship participants will work alongside staff to look at new potential products, carry out market research, and create a short business plan to commercialize these new potential products from Amazonian plants.

Participant Activities Include

• Research supply chain development, international markets, and processing capabilities for these new potential products.
• creating short business plans for new products and supply chain management.
• Work with local farmer cooperatives to plan new product development activities.
• Participate in trainings in organic production, value-added processing, financial and organizational management, and commercialization of non-timber forest products.
• Carry out field visits in local indigenous communities.

Option For Research Projects

We would be excited to receive researchers or university students that need to complete field research – specific research projects will need prior approval of project directors and will depend on experience and staff availability. Past projects have involved market value chain development of Amazonian products, biodiversity evaluation sampling, impact studies on benefits of Fair Trade, and more.

Beyond Social Entrepreneurship, there is also an opportunity to engage in all aspects of the NGOs work, especially including:

Social Impact Storytelling

There is the option to help create engaging and provocative videos and written stories about the foundation s work in the Ecuadorian Amazon, highlighting the farmers we work with, the significance of guayusa to the Kichwa culture, and the dynamic Amazon jungle. Beyond longer stories and videos, you can assist us to develop brand awareness by creating digital online and web media by preparing, editing, updating, and composing online material such as graphics, photos, and audio/video clips, which will be integrated with our social networking mediums. This role allows you to build a unique media profile whilst supporting our work and sharing Guayusa with the world.

Eco-Tourism Development

We have supported development of a community ecotourism project to follow the guayusa trail, observe the process of growing and producing guayusa drinks from beginning to end, explore indigenous Kichwa communities, and participate in authentic Kichwa cultural activities (early morning guayusa ceremonies, creating jewellery and clothes from natural fibers, etc.) Interns can help to develop this ecotourism center within one of our collaborating communities!

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