Chile Volunteer Quests
Volunteer in Chile: 2-12 weeks

The purpose of this Quest is to promote a deeper level of cultural exchange and understanding through meaningful volunteer work at local schools, home stays, and both free and guided excursions.

United Planet is currently working with different volunteer opportunities in partnership with local

organizations in Chile.

2) Day Care Quest

Intermediate Spanish Required
Volunteers will work in small day care centers located near downtown Santiago. The Sala Cuna serves a maximum of 12 children between the ages of three months and two years. A larger Jardin Infantil serves children from two to five years old. The mothers of these children reside at a nearby shelter for the homeless and work during the day. The children stay at the centers from 9 am until 5 pm. In the Jardin Infantil, they eat a morning snack and lunch; participate in daily activities including: game playing, storytelling, drawing and riding tricycles; and use didactic learning materials, all supervised by volunteers. The last week of this Quest is spent in a Day Care Center in Vina Del Mar. This Quest is offered year-round.

3) A new teaching-focused opportunity in Chile for 2010: the Cultural Awareness Project!

Minimum duration: 1 week. This Quest is offered from mid March to the end of November. It is closed the last three weeks of  July due to  winter vacations.

No Spanish is required but volunteers must be English native speakers or complete English fluency required

Since 2001 United Planet’s mission has been to promote cross cultural understanding. You can help fulfill this mission by participating in our new CAP Quest in Chile! Across the world cultural understanding and tolerance of others can suffer because people do not have the opportunity to learn about other countries and cultures. You can help stop that by your commitment to the Cultural Awareness Project (CAP Quest). This project combines two teaching-focused quests.  First you will help Chilean English teachers in their elementary and secondary school classrooms of 45 students  in a poor area of the capital city of Santiago. This will include any tasks that facilitate the work of the teacher including giving  your powerpoint CAP talks to  older students. For your last week, you will move from Santiago to Vina del Mar, a beachside city. Here you will give several CAP presentations per day to Chilean students studying English at a technical college. This is a very challenging project  where you will be speaking in public to students and  leading  classroom  discussions.   Through your CAP presentations you will have the opportunity to learn more about Chile and its culture, in addition to teaching Chilean students about your own culture. Often, these students would never have the opportunity to travel abroad, so by doing this project you will bring your own country into their classroom and engage in a meaningful cultural exchange.

4) Healthcare Quest

Minimum duration: 2 weeks

Advanced Spanish required

United Planet volunteers will work in a “sala de enfermos" or a room for sick people. There are 80 beds in a two-story building and the beds are usually all occupied.  No births or operations take place here as it is not a medical clinic. Most of the volunteering will involve talking with patients and comforting them. There are doctors and nurses who visit and perform basic medical procedures such as taking blood samples. Other volunteers will typically be Chilean nursing and medical students. A medical background is not necessary for United Planet volunteers. There is a telephone interview with United Planet’s coordinator in Santiago prior to entering this particular Quest which is offered year-round.

5) New Healthcare Quest for 2010

Minimum duration: 1 week 

Year round except February

Basic Spanish Required

Volunteer at a modern rehabilitation center in the capital city of Santiago and help improve patients’ lives!  The facility provides care to  young children and teenagers with physical disabilities. To be involved in this Quest you don’t need specific qualifications, but volunteers do need to be motivated and have a strong interest in health care. Volunteers will help as facilitators and organize recreational activities for the patients while having the opportunity to learn about  specific  patient areas as they move from one area to another. This project offers is a unique opportunity to learn about physical rehabilitation in a different country.  The last week of this quest may be spent at a second rehabilitation center near the city of Vina Del Mar.

6) Special Homebuilding Quest Intermediate Spanish Required The Homebuilding Quest will run in the first two weeks of January and last two weeks of July 2010 (exact dates TBA) - This is a special project for high school and college students! For two weeks, volunteers join Chilean students as they travel around Chile constructing housing for low-income families. Please call us for more details! 7) Women's Shelter Quest This Quest is open in January, February, the last two weeks of July and the first two weeks of December.. Volunteers work with women's children in the shelter, taking care of them and helping with tasks around the shelter. Please call for more details.

• Chile Quests begin on every Sunday of each month.
• One year of Spanish language studies are required for all Quests, except for English Teaching Assistants, the CAP Quest and the 'Sala de Enfermos' Quest
• Chile Quests are open to individuals aged 16 yrs old and up
• Click here to view a sample two-week itinerary