Overview

Mad about animals?

If you are then this is the perfect project for you in the perfect country. Given the huge amount of wildlife in Ecuador it’s no wonder that a few of them need a helping hand once in a while. This wildlife centre comes to the aid of around 300 wild animals of about 30 different species so it’s the perfect opportunity to see an array of hopping, bouncing, flying, diving and swinging creatures first hand (if you can get them to sit still long enough.) Duties include feeding, cleaning and of course cuddling as well as getting out and about and assisting with plant identification in the tropical forests and mangroves.

Trip Highlights:

• Working with a wide range of animals in the widlife centre
• Enjoying Guayaquil's famous nightlife
• Exploring the cities numerous parks - including one with tame iguanas!

Itinerary & Details

Project details:
This Wildlife Rescue Centre was founded over 20 years ago and is the first of its kind in Ecuador. The centre rehabilitates and provides care for around 300 wild animals of about 30 different species. In addition, there are 3 captive breeding programmes in operation all involving endangered species: the American crocodile, the spider monkey and the Guayaquil green macaw. All the animals at the centre are either donated by the public or rescued from the illegal pet trade. The centre also farms shrimp, tilapia, banana and cocoa with an emphasis on aquaculture.

Why the project needs volunteers:
A lack of financial resources and commitment from long-term government funded programmes makes it necessary for the centre to look to volunteers to assist them in all that needs to be done at the centre. The expertise, human resource, and economic backing provided by international conservation agencies and by smaller private groups such as i-to-i is essential to the survival of the small non-profit wildlife rescue centre.

What kind of skills you need to go on this type of project:
The most important requirement for this project is a strong love of all animals, enthusiasm, and flexibility, as well as the readiness to be involved with some of the more basic duties that will be required. Be ready to roll up your sleeves, get dirty and work hard! There are horses on site and you may be able to take horse rides out into the surrounding areas.

Your role as a volunteer:
Duties may include feeding the animals twice daily, cleaning and repairing all animal enclosures, building new enclosures, assisting in wildlife health care, maintaining animal behaviour database and bird sighting database, and assisting a botanist with identifying plants in the mangrove and tropical forest. You are encouraged to learn as much Spanish as possible before you go - knowledge of beginner Spanish will be key to communicating with the project staff.

Where the project is based:
This project is located in Balao Chico about 2 hours from the nearest city of Guayaquil, which is Ecuador's largest city and most major sea port. The project is about 5 km away from the nearest village and 16 km away from the town of Naranjal which has basic amenities and cafes. The project is in a rural, tropical location and you should expect insects!

You will be staying on site in a volunteer house, facilities are basic but comfortable, be prepared for quiet evenings.

You will need to arrive into Quito International Airport (UIO) on the specified arrival day, or if you prefer to arrive early we can arrange for an early airport pick up and accommodation at a small fee. Orientation will take place the following day and the day after you will transfer to the project and can take either a bus or fly to the local airport in Guayaquil from Quito. If you would like to arrange flights to Guayaquil please contact the Support team for more information. You will spend your time at the project and the day before your end day you will fly back to Quito, with your last day being spent in Quito, however if you would prefer to fly from Guayaquil for your onward journey home on the last day this would be possible.   

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 fora 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 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 60-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 team will arrange a pick-up for you at the airport and will conduct your orientation upon arrival. All coordination teams 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 team you'll be given access to a 24/7 emergency phone line manned by our response team in case any problem should arise while you're overseas. We also hire crisis management professionals 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. We also fly in our in-country coordinators to the UK regularly 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 from the project fee that you pay us. Instead we choose to support a number of projects every year through a grant scheme for tangible long-term initiatives. In the last 3 years we have distributed over US$250,000 to our most needy projects to help them in the great work they do. 

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

Volunteering 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

Next Steps

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

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)

We will contact you if we require anything else e.g. CV/resume for some projects, doctors note for medical conditions etc.

We will prepare for your trip and send you an email with confirmation of your project and accommodation 2 weeks after you've booked

We will ask you to complete your forms and pay your final balance if they are still due when required

We are available for any questions you may have on +44 1132 050 076 or support@i-to-i.com

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:

1. Application from
2. Travel details
3. Insurance details
4. Medical information
5. Emergency contacts

Complete your police check if requested

Do your Online TEFL Course (where relevant)

Make final payment at least 90 days before you go

Make sure you have a visa for your trip if it's 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

Having arrived on the Monday, you will be taken to your orientation accommodation in Quito, this will be in a comfortable homestay and likely to be a shared room with another volunteer. You will have a group orientation meeting with the in-country coordinator on the Tuesday morning, and a trip to Mitel del Mundo in the afternoon.

Travel to your placement will occur on Wednesday morning and you will start work either Wednesday afternoon or Thursday monring.

If you choose to take the language lessons add-on you will spend the remainder of the week in Quito - please contact the us for more information on what this involves. You will then start your placement the following Monday, travelling on Saturday.

Flights & Insurance

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 a

The cost of this Early Pick-up service is €60.00