Want to work in one of the world’s great cities?
Stretching along the Rio de la Plata, the energetic city of Buenos Aires is the gateway to Argentina. You wouldn’t know it from the way they dance the Tango but recent chronic economic problems has created a lingering poverty in the city that has proved hard to beat, and this is where you come in! When hard times come to South America, it’s usually children and wildlife that bear the brunt so we work with projects that help both, but if you’re a people person this is the project for you. You’ll offer orphaned and disadvantaged children much-needed support and educational opportunities before exploring the glamorous side of one of the world’s great cities.
Fast Facts
Project Information
- Project Duration: Min 2 weeks - Max 12 weeks
- Project Costs: US$ 1390.00 for 2 weeks, US$ 300.00 for every week thereafter
- Location of project:Buenos Aires
- Arrival Airport:Buenos Aires (airport code EZE)
- Activities:Providing general care and assistance in looking after the children. This will involve playing games, teaching English & basic life skills
- Working Hours:Flexible; Monday to Friday 9am to 6pm or 4pm to 9pm; also Saturdays and Sundays as required by the project, all other time is free
- Getting to the project:Dependent on location; around 30 minutes bus ride (budget approximately US$20 per week)
- Requirements:Minimum age 18
- Other: Semana Santa (Latin America Holy week) will be from April 3rd to 12th 2009 and March 26th to April 4th 2010, you may have some disruptions to the placement during this time
What's Included
- Accommodation:Shared room in homestay
- Food:Breakfast only (budget approximately US$50 per week)
- Airport Pickup:Included on arrival date. Ask us for details if you're arriving early!
- Training:In-country orientation
- Support:Pre-departure helpdesk, Local in-country team and 24hr emergency support
What's not included
- Flights, Insurance, Visas, Return Airport transfer, Local Transport, Food (lunch and dinner not provided)
In Buenos Aires i-to-i work with a number of care homes and centres which aim to provide support and care for orphaned and disadvantaged children. Most of the projects are care homes where otherwise homeless children, or children who have been removed from abusive or dangerous situations, live on a residential basis. The children range in age from babies to teenagers. The projects are funded partly by the government and partly through private donations and aim to give the children as normal a family life as possible. Other projects are day centres where children and adults can go for food donated by the local government along with education and recreation. The aim of centres such as this is to care for and provide support and education to disadvantaged children and adults.
Due to limited funding, projects are under-staffed and volunteers are needed to assist the staff in coordinating activities and caring for the children.
You don't need any qualifications to participate in this project, but you must have a love of children and young people and be committed to working with them. You will need to be self-motivated, flexible and willing to roll up your sleeves and jump right in! A pro-active attitude is essential.
It is important to remember that many of the children attending these projects come from very difficult backgrounds and volunteers will therefore need to be patient, caring and understanding and are called upon to act as a role model. You should also be able to speak some Spanish.
As a volunteer at one of these projects you will get involved in a variety of activities, depending on the current needs of the project. You will teach English to the children, assist the kids with their homework, accompany the children to medical appointments, organise and assist with sports and other recreational activities, assist with preparing and serving snacks and meals and assist in maintaining and running the home or centre.
The projects are located in Buenos Aires - Argentina's largest city and its capital, offering volunteers the opportunity to experience one of the most cosmopolitan, lively and dramatic cities in the world. You will be staying in homestay accommodation.
You should fly into Buenos Aires Airport (EZE), known as both Ezeiza and Pistarini.
What exactly do i-to-i provide?
It may seem like a strange concept to pay for your volunteer experience. You'd be right if you think you shouldn't and the truth is you actually don't! Your placement is free; it's the benefits around it that you pay for. It's important to note that i-to-i is a travel company and not a charity. We provide a professional travel service. We are responsible for finding and assessing worthwhile projects across the world, preparing you for the volunteering experience and supporting you whilst you're there.
Here’s some more information about what your placement fee covers….
Project sourcing and assessment
We work with hundreds of locally run partner projects around the world and are constantly sourcing new opportunities. We visit all projects to check that they are worthwhile and legitimate and we also conduct a thorough safety assessment before we'll send volunteers there. More
Expert help-desk
Almost everyone who works for i-to-i has traveled extensively or worked overseas. This means we're a goldmine of information; we're always available to offer support and guidance before, during and after your trip.
Thorough project briefing materials
Once you book on to a project you'll receive a Welcome Pack that contains loads of general information about volunteering, about your chosen country and project, and a DVD about how to have fun and stay safe. We'll also give you advice on visas and inoculations.
TEFL training
If you are volunteering on a Teaching project then a 40-hour Online TEFL course is included in your placement fee. This is an internationally recognised and accredited certificate that will help you to make the most of your time overseas. More
Airport pickup
It can be pretty daunting arriving in a different country for the first time… especially after a long flight! If you arrive on your project start date, there'll be a welcoming face at the airport to pick you up and take you to your accommodation.
Arrival orientation
Soon after you arrive you will attend a thorough orientation with our in-country team. This is to cover important safety and security information. You'll also get some tips about sight-seeing options for your time off and maybe even learn some of the local lingo!
Accommodation and meals
Accommodation is included with all projects and meals are even included with some. We only use locally-owned and operated accommodation so that part of your placement fee is filtering back into the local economy. Most projects offer homestay, guesthouse or shared volunteer houses as standard accommodation, but some offer the chance to upgrade to a more comfortable living standard. More
Local in-country coordinators
Your in-country coordinator (ICC) will pick you up from the airport and conduct your orientation upon arrival. All ICC's are English speaking and are locals of your destination country. They won't be at your project every day, but will be on call 24 hours a day, seven days a week if you need them. More
24/7 emergency support
Aside from the local support from your in-country coordinators you'll be given access to a 24/7 emergency phone line manned by i-to-i staff in case any problem should arise while you're overseas. We also hire crisis management professionals Docleaf to be on hand in case of a situation that requires additional expert support. More
Ongoing training
The safety and security of our volunteers is paramount. For this reason we provide ongoing crisis management and emergency response training to our local teams around the world. At the end of 2006 we flew all our in-country coordinators to the UK for thorough training to help them offer the best safety to the thousands of volunteers they support each year. More
Supporting our projects
We don't fund our projects directly, but once a year they are all invited to apply for funding for special projects or resources from our registered charity arm, the i-to-i Foundation. i-to-i funds the operation of the i-to-i Foundation and is the largest single donor. Along with the generous support of our volunteers, we have distributed over US$200,000 in funding in the last two years alone! More
Recruiting people like you
We make no secrets of the fact that part of your placement fee is reinvested in to recruiting volunteers just like you! The volunteers recruited in one week will typically deliver over 2000 man-days of service. The difference this makes to projects overseas is immeasurable. Many of our overseas projects rely on assistance from international volunteers, so it's necessary for us to put together brochures and websites to find the people who can support them. This recruitment process is vital to ensure programs have a constant stream of reliable volunteers.
The intangible benefits
VVolunteering through a company like i-to-i has a lot of intangible benefits to developing overseas communities and the individual projects that we work with. To find out more about our placements. click here
What we will do after you've booked:
- Once booked on you will instantly receive a welcome email confirming your booking with access to your online account
- We will send a Welcome Pack in the post containing further information and a t-shirt, the information in this pack should answer most things you need to know
- Community Development and Teaching customers will receive an email introducing them to their Online TEFL course
- Community Development and Teaching customers will be requested to complete a police check (where relevant) or send through a reference
- We will contact you if we require anything else e.g. CV/resume for some projects, doctors note for medical conditions etc.
- We will hound you to complete your forms and pay your final balance when they are due
- We are available for any questions you may have on 800 352 1794 or operations@i-to-i.com
- We will prepare for your trip and send you an email with final project and accommodation confirmation 21 days before you go
What you need to do after booking your place with us:
- Book your flights
- Arrange suitable travel insurance
- Fill out some extra details through our online interface:
- application from
- travel details
- insurance details
- medical information
- emergency contacts
- Complete your police check or request your reference (where relevant)
- Do your Online TEFL Course (where relevant)
- Make final payment at least 60 days before you go
- Make sure you have a visa for your trip if its needed
- Visit a nurse or travel clinic for advice on inoculations and malaria prevention
- Read all details and prepare as much as you can for your trip
- Take contact details of the in country team and where you're going in your hand luggage - just in case!
- Get on the plane!
Orientation Information
You will arrive on the Arrival Date – Friday and will be met at the airport on that day (whether it is 12 in the morning or 11:59 at night). If you are arriving into the airport you should meet the team in the Lounge. If arriving overland by bus should wait in the arrivals
area. You will be taken to your homestay where you spend your stay in Posadas.
Note: If you’re arriving early we can arrange a meet and greet for you. If you require this please contact us to arrange this service.
Your orientation will take place on Saturday morning (address details below). Orientation will cover introduction to the country, safety, travelling around, time for questions then lunch followed by a city tour.
Pasaje Brasil Nº 2514
Posadas
Argentina
You will have Sunday free to explore and relax before starting work on Monday morning.
Insurance
It's important that you get adequate travel insurance for your i-to-i experience and as many of you will be working this often means standard policies won’t work. The good news is that no matter where your coming from we have already found a policy to suit you.
The best time to get your insurance is when you book your project as this means you can get a fully tailored policy exclusive to i-to-i, just ask your consultant for further details at the time of booking.
EU Customers – find out more here >>
Australian customers - find out more here >>
All other customers - find out more here >>
Flights
As with insurance we advise you get these booked as early as possible to avoid high prices and to make sure you arrive on the right day. The i-to-i team is right up to date with the best deals no matter where you’re flying from; their insider knowledge could save you some time and money.
Early Airport Pick-up
If you are arriving before your designated arrival date, we can arrange for an extra meet and greet service for you. For an extra supplement we will be there to meet you at the airport and take you to your orientation accommodation. One additional night accommodation is included in this payment; if you require more than one night please inform the team.
The cost of this Early Pick-up service is US$ 59.00
A little bit of history…
Settled by indigenous groups since around 10,000 BC, Argentina was marked as an Inca civilisation from the 1480s when the Inca’s conquered the northwest part of the country. In the northeast, the Guaraní tribe flourished while the Pampas and Patagonia regions were home to nomadic cultures, including the Mapuches. The foundations for the Spanish conquest of Argentina were laid down in the early 16th century which culminated in the founding of colonial cities, most notably Buenos Aires as a major trading port. Argentina became fully independent of Spanish rule by 1816 and by the 1860s the country had built itself up as an attractive destination for migrant workers. Buenos Aires’ economy was in full swing and the city’s population ballooned with European immigrants including Italians and Germans. These prosperous times were not without calculated tragedy. In 1879 the minister of war, General Julio Argentino Roca, carried out a process of extermination against the indigenous people of the Pampas and Patagonia regions. This became known as the Conquista del Desierto (Conquest of the Desert).
With not enough industry for the growing population combined with the effects of the Great Depression, the country’s booming economy could not be sustained into the 20th century. It was in 1946 that one of the country’s best known leaders came to power, Juan Perón, who, with the support of his wife Eva (Evita), strove to give greater political rights to the working class and women. But a grim economic landscape could not prevent him from being ousted from power. The 1960s saw social and economic unrest in the shape of political kidnappings and guerilla warfare. In 1973, Perón briefly returned to power before dying of illness the following year. A wave of violence erupted in the country during 1976-1983, a period that is referred to as the Dirty War, whereby the military government sort to rid the country of its opposition and leftist groups using harsh tactics. It’s thought that around 30,000 people ‘disappeared’ during this time. Following its defeat by the British over The Falkland Islands War, democracy returned to Argentina and a civilian government came to power.
A period of seemingly economic well-being during Carlos Menem’s term as president from 1989 to 1999, where the middle classes were comfortable and the peso was pitched against the dollar, was a slight calm before the storm. He was accused of corruption and by the end of his presidency the country was in economic crisis. The country has since been steadily bringing itself back from the brink and toward long-term stability.
Best time to go…
The seasons in Argentina are reverse to those experienced in the northern hemisphere, with January and February the hottest months while jumper and jacket weather is usually July to October. Buenos Aires is best visited when the temperature is mild and the streets are comfortably full; the city’s best suited to autumn (March-May) and spring (September-November), while summer (December-March) sees its streets deserted. During the summer months, beaches and resort towns are busy and Patagonia and the southern Andes are ideal destinations as the days are longer and warmer. A good time to head northwest is during winter (June to August) or spring when it’s drier and cooler. The ski season, meanwhile, runs from mid June to mid October and the slopes are at their busiest during July and August.
January, February and July are the big vacation months in Argentina so expect a healthy flow of visitors to popular tourist spots during these times, together with higher travel and accommodation prices. There are several festivals that are worth experiencing. Carnaval (Mardi Gras) takes place the week before Lent and is celebrated throughout the country and the Gaucho Parade in Salta in June sees Argentina’s own cowboys in full regalia.
Getting around…
Flying is the most attractive option especially for long distances in what is Latin America’s second largest country after Brazil. It’s best to shop around the country’s major airlines for the best fares available. For frequent flyers, national airline Aerolíneas Argentinas offers an air pass with discounted domestic flights but it must be purchased outside of Argentina. Most domestic flights are linked to Buenos Aires; flights from Buenos Aires depart from Aeroparque Jorge Newbery (AEP), 20 minutes from the centre by taxi and some domestic flights leave from the international Ezeiza (EZE) airport, which takes around 45 minutes to get to from the centre.
Buses are the most popular mode of transport and there’s a variety of bus companies to choose from like Andesmar that serve major and remote destinations in air-conditioned comfort. Security is good and overnight services are available for long haul journeys. Sometimes two classes of service may be available, común and diferencial, with diferencial the better class. Local buses, known as colectivos, are efficient and can get you from A to B in good time. These are usually numbered and the final destination is in prominent view but it can be confusing as the same numbered services may travel different routes so it’s a good opportunity to use your Spanish and check with the driver. Depending on the city, buses may accept coins, prepaid cards or tokens only so it’s best to check before you board.
Car rental is a good possibility for getting around, if on the expensive side. The roads are generally good; like anywhere, it’s the other drivers that you need to look out for. Police checkpoints occasionally stop drivers so it’s good to have registration, licences and insurance details close at hand. Tolls also exist on some highways.
Useful links
www.lonelyplanet.com
Lonely Planet are leaders in the travel guide sector and their website is a great source of travel information.
www.fco.gov.uk
The Foreign & Commonwealth Office’s website provides up-to-date political news, travel advice and information on visas.
www.aerolineas.com.ar
National airline Aerolíneas Argentinas.
www.andesmar.com
Bus company Andesmar.
www.aa2000.com.ar
Aeropuertos Argentina 2000 runs the nation’s airports and its site includes links to domestic airlines, a flight search facility and other important departure and arrival information.
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