Volunteer in Ecuador - Join the thousands of volunteers who are making a meaningful difference with their lives.
- Feel what it’s like to know that someone else’s life has been made better because YOU were there
- Partner with others who know that a better world begins with changing a single life
- At $316, ours is the world’s most affordable volunteer program available
- Your safety is always our priority... every volunteer location has been thoroughly vetted
- Contribute in the way that is most meaningful to you... by volunteering in many life changing projects
Do you want to help the poor people while exploring a new country? Do you want to make a difference in the lives of the people of Ecuador?
Our volunteer opportunities in Ecuador put you right in the middle of all the excitement. You will be surrounded by the lively culture and captivating landscapes.
Nowhere else in the world will you see marine Iguanas in their natural habitat!
Ecuador offers you snow covered volcanoes, white sand beaches, ancient ruins, Andean mountains and so much more! Ecuador’s people are poor and destitute but so full of life and energy and will embrace all that you give them.
These last six weeks of volunteering have been a truly amazing and life-changing & very wonderful experience for me.
Alexandra Miller
- USA
I had an excellent time, better than I ever could have imagined. Other volunteers were so nice and willing to help.
Leslie Slade
- Vermont, USA
I had a wonderful experience. I had the opportunity to teach children of all different ages.I am sad to leave!
Don Maddocks
- USA
My volunteer experience with IFRE has been unforgettable. It has opened my mind & heart. Staffs were very helpful.
Manko Blakely
- Germany
What volunteer opportunities are available in Ecuador
We have many rewarding volunteer opportunities to help the disadvantaged people of Ecuador. You can work with the abused and abandoned children, teach English, or help with eco conservation projects.
Volunteer in Orphanage Project Ecuador
Abandoned and abused children are a tremendous problem in Ecuador. Many families are so poor they cannot take care of their children and leave them to fend for themselves.
Ecuador lacks the support from the government to improve this situation. A lot of organizations have opened orphanages trying to help these poor children. They lack support and funds to keep these orphanages open and desperately need orphanage volunteers.
Volunteers in the Ecuador orphanages are mentors and positive role models for these children who have no one. You will help with homework, teach English, but most of all show love and compassion to these abused and forgotten children.
You will show these children they are important and deserve love too.
Required Skills: As an orphanage volunteer, we prefer you to have some basic Spanish speaking skills. If you do not, we have a course you can enroll in. This will enhance your experience and help you communicate better with the children. We also ask that you be patient and love children. Those are the only things we request; no skills or past experience are needed.
Volunteer Chores: Volunteers with the orphanage in Ecuador will help the children with many different tasks. You can teach English, organize and play games, help with schoolwork, cooking and cleaning, and more; there is so much for volunteers to help with you will not be bored!
Volunteer English Teaching Opportunity Ecuador
English schooling is greatly needed for students in Ecuador to get better jobs and be able to support their families. English teachers are expensive, and many families cannot afford to pay for these classes.
Volunteers are greatly needed to teach English to the disadvantaged local children. With the teaching English volunteer program in Ecuador, you will teach English to these eager students in the local schools, private or public.
This is your chance to share your knowledge and compassion with children who desperately need you.
Required Qualifications: We prefer volunteers to know some Spanish in order to communicate with staff and the children, but it is not mandatory. You can however enroll in one of our Spanish classes to enhance your volunteer experience. Past experience or training is not required. We do request all volunteers to be passionate, accepting, and patient with the children.
No shorts or short sleeved shirts are allowed. You must be presentable; no excessive tattoos or piercings allowed.
Volunteer Tasks: Volunteers teaching in Ecuador will help with all levels of school teaching English. You may teach other topics such as art, music, mathematics, or physical education if you are knowledgeable in them. Volunteers can also assist with extracurricular activities, discussing hygiene, and sanitation.
Conservation Opportunity
Ecuador is full of breathtaking scenery and a large variety of unique animals. Volunteers in the Ecuador rainforest will spend their time on the Los Cedros Biological Reserve that sits on 17,000 acres of rainy and foggy forests!
This reserve is brimming with over 240 different kinds of birds, thousands of diverse insects, and the largest cockroach you have ever seen!
Required Skills Skills are not required. You must only possess a love for nature and be eager to help.
Volunteer Responsibilities Conservation volunteers will have different chores every day. You will help develop and maintain the trails, assist with research and new projects, upkeep with the facility, feeding the animals, helping with the fruits and vegetables, and additional chores as needed by staff.
Galapagos Island Project
San Cristobal Island is in grave danger of losing the battle of maintaining the local ecosystem and bio diversity.
The island is being overrun with new species that threaten to eliminate the endangered ones that call the Galapagos Islands home. Environmental volunteers in Ecuador are urgently needed to help!
You can join the fight to help save the threatened indigenous species and sustain the agriculture by volunteering!
Conservation volunteers will take part in the current projects and be a part of preserving the Galapagos Islands and maintaining their tranquil beauty.
Desired Skills Skills are not needed to volunteer with the conservation in Ecuador. We only require you have a passion for protecting the environment and be willing to go where you are needed most. Please be aware, your lodging will be very basic, and you will not have internet. You can go to the nearest town to use the internet and call home.
Chores for Volunteers: As an eco-volunteer, you will work Monday -Friday and some partial days on Saturdays. You will be educated on biodiversity, the history of nature, and environmental science.
You will have different chores each day like monitoring the trails and signs, construction, or helping with fresh water and cooking. You might also be assigned to help with the organic farming
Volunteer Program Dates:
Most programs are available year-round. We recommend volunteers begin their placements on a Monday, scheduling their arrival and departure on the weekends. However, due to flight availability, particularly traveling internationally, start dates are flexible.
We ask that all volunteers ensure to communicate their arrival and departure plans clearly to their country coordinator to ensure transportation and accommodations are properly arranged.
Volunteer Program Fees:
IFRE Volunteers strives to provide the lowest fees along with transparency to all of their volunteers!
- Most affordable fees
- Registered non-profit for tax deductible fees
- Transparent transactions ensures volunteers they know where their money goes
- Proven quality and safety
IFRE Volunteers is proud to offer the world’s most affordable fee for international volunteering and as a 501(c)3 organization, your program fee will be tax deductible.
We are proud to focus on the humanitarian aspect of our business, not on profit. We strive to maintain affordable cost, particularly for volunteers; we recognize the value of your donated time and efforts. We remain devoted to maintaining both the quality of the program and the safety of all volunteers involved.
IFRE fees comprise of two separate fees:
- Application fee of $299 USD (covers advertising, staff/office expenses, etc.)
- Weekly program fee paid directly to your project (covers room/board, field support, etc)
You will pay your fee directly to host families and projects. In this way, what you pay will go directly from you to the people who deserve it (not for profit).
| Weeks | Quito | Galapagos |
|---|---|---|
| 1 Week | $266 | $573 |
| 2 Weeks | $427 | $816 |
| 3 Weeks | $588 | $1,059 |
| 4 Weeks | $749 | $1,296 |
| 5 Weeks | $910 | $1,514 |
| 6 Weeks | $1,071 | $1,721 |
| 7 Weeks | $1,232 | $1,933 |
| 8 Weeks | $1,393 | $2,140 |
| 9 Weeks | $1,554 | $2,359 |
| 10 Weeks | $1,715 | $2,559 |
| 11 Weeks | $1,876 | $2,778 |
| 12 Weeks | $2,037 | $2,984 |
Program Fees Cover:
- Accommodation (volunteer house or host family)
- Food (local food 3 times a day)
- Airport pick up/Transfer
- Program Orientation
- In-country support
- Personalized project
- Pre-departure information
- Certificate of completion
- Fundraising ideas and letters
- Discount for returning volunteers
Program Fees Exclude:
- Visas
- Airfare
- Airfare Galapagos
- Personal expenses on soft drinks and foods
- Daily transportation
- Airport return transfer
- Food (if you are volunteering on the Galapagos Islands); Please allot $60-$70 a week to cover the cost of your meals
The volunteering programs in Ecuador fees will cover expenses that will begin on the first day of the program (usually the first or third Monday of the month) to the last day of the program. If you arrive before the first day of the program or you decide you stay beyond your program’s last day, you will be responsible for the additional expenses, which would typically be around $30 a day for room and meals at a hostel.
Lodging/Meals/ Support
Volunteer programs in Costa Rica provide you with a hotel or host family for lodging. All of our accommodations are safe and secure.
Host families will provide you with a private or shared room, shared kitchen and bathroom, three meals a day, and a place to wash your clothes (you can pay a small fee to have your clothes washed). Be aware, most host families do not have hot water.
Our local staff is available 24 hours a day and will stay in contact with you during your entire stay.
