I am a lucky woman! My role as Director of International Programs at United Planet allows me to travel to amazing places around the world. A month ago, I spent a week in Ecuador’s capital, Quito, learning more about United Planet’s volunteer program in the country. I visited the projects where our volunteers work, stayed with a kind and welcoming host family and saw some of the incredible sights in and around Quito.

There is such great volunteer work happening in the communities of Quito. UP volunteers have the opportunity to work with children in low income communities, assist physical therapy patients, and help out in a health clinic in the historic center of Quito. Volunteers can also work on environmental initiatives in a rural area outside the city. Working together with a local organization provides a great forum for cultural exchange – the local people learn from exposure to the volunteers. In exchange, the volunteers gain intimate knowledge of another culture and way of life from the people they help.

One of my most memorable moments was visiting children at a day care center in a poor neighborhood just outside of Quito. There are over 300 children ages 6 months to 12 years at this center all-day, every day. The Director struggles to find the funds to support these children as the government subsidies are not enough and many parents can not pay the small monthly fee the center asks of families. Many of the parents are single moms or grandparents trying to support children. This is because many husbands and fathers have immigrated to other countries to find jobs so that they can send money back to their children. For many children who attend the center, the meals they are fed there are the only food they will eat all day.

UP volunteers assist the caretakers with daily chores such as feeding the children, playing with them, and helping the older children with their homework. They also give these children a chance to learn about life outside of Ecuador and experience new languages and cultures. What remains with me are the smiles of the children and their never-ending hope and laughter, no matter what their background may be.

In addition to the lasting impression the Ecuadorian people made on me, I was blown away by the sheer beauty of this country! The geography is incredibly diverse, with mountains, volcanoes, beaches and jungles. Even the busy capital city sits between beautiful looming mountains and volcanoes. Just outside of Quito is Mitad del Mundo – the Middle of the World. Visit and you’ll be able to straddle the Equator! Also, no trip to Ecuador is complete without a visit to Otavalo, home of a large local market where the indígenas sell their beautiful handicrafts, produce, and other items. Otavalo also treats travelers to breathtaking views of mountains, crater lakes and volcanoes.

For the adventurous types, the Galapagos Islands, located just off the coast of Ecuador, are a sight not to be missed! Tours of the Amazon are also popular. Simply put, there is no limit to the adventure one can find in gorgeous Ecuador.

I can’t wait for the opportunity to travel again and I am sure a future journey will lead me back to Ecuador!

-Theresa Higgs

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Tags: children, community center, Ecuador, Galapagos, Quito

This entry was posted on Monday, May 5th, 2008 at 3:06 pm and is filed under Team Stories. You can subscribe via RSS 2.0 feed to this post's comments.

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