In February 2010 Canadian based Ecolibrium Sustainable Adventures teamed up with the Canadian green building company Construct & Conserve, and the Ecuadorian Tangare Foundation to create an opportunity for travelers to take one step beyond just regular travel and tourism. This project took place at the La Hesperia nature reserve in the Ecuadorian cloud forest. The goal of this volunteer adventure was to offer a sustainable tour that encompasses adventure, volunteering, and learning. This unique volunteer tour included both a green building and community health project. The second half of this project included an adventure tour around Ecuador that explored culture and environment in the Andes, Cloud Forest, Amazon and coast of Ecuador. Volunteers rafted through white water into the Amazon to visit an indigenous Shuar community to learn about their history, customs, and present day living situations. They also visited an animal rescue center that cares for and reintegrates back into nature; monkeys, parrots, and anteaters that have been exploited by circuses or individuals. Lastly, they hiked through the cloud forest in a locally managed nature reserve, and learned how to surf and salsa dance. This experience was life changing for everyone involved and these projects are still active in the community.
Green Building Project
Volunteers helped to construct an alternative school made of bamboo for children living in the rural communities surrounding La Hesperia nature reserve in the Ecuadorian cloud forest. The vision for this school is to provide basic education to children with an emphasis on sustainability programs. There are two full time Ecuadorian teachers that are now running the school during the Ecuadorian school year and visiting international volunteers help develop and run specialized programs as part of their volunteer projects. The school opened in June 2010 with twelve students.
Community Health Project
This community health project focused on running a preventative health clinic for a population of senior citizens that live in rural Ecuador. A free clinic was conducted with one on one interviews and assessments. Based on the intake the health care team worked together to create a sustainable treatment plan for the patients. There were local Ecuadorian health care professionals that were part of our team. We managed to raise over 10,000 dollars in medical apparatus donated by Canadian communities such as; wheel chairs, walkers, braces, and basic medical supplies. This project succeeded to provide an affordable and sustainable treatment plan with the focus of maintaining and improving the health of the patients. Workshops on healthy heating, exercise, diabetes prevention, heart attack and stroke prevention, and arthritis prevention were conducted and a new seniors fitness group was created.
Conservation Project
Volunteers also participated in conservation activities on the nature reserve like; organic farming, monkey monitoring, maintaining the medicinal plant garden, and reforestation.
