Spend one full month or two weeks participating in this incredible volunteer adventure. The first two weeks will be spent on a local farm learning sustainable living, working in an ecological school, and organic farming. The second week will be spent in the Amazon Jungle doing reforestation, organic farming, teaching in a school, and learning about local customs.
Volunteer Activities
This program has been designed for volunteers with an interest in nature, sustainability, agriculture, animal breeding, bio-food, organic vegetable garden, and outdoor recreation.
- Organic Vegetable Garden: Preparing soil, planting seeds, weeding, harvesting and general maintenance.
- Production of Organic Fertilizers and Pesticides: Maintenance of Compost heaps, earthworms, manure tea, mulch, etc.
- Organic Agriculture: Maintenance of banana, coffee, sugar cane, citric, fields (clearing with a machete, weeding, fertilizing, pruning, harvesting mature products)
- Alternative Animal Production: Cows, pigs, chickens, goats, horses, mules, ducks, geese, rabbits. Volunteers will participate in feeding these animals, planting the crops to feed them, maintenance of pastures, fencing, milking and taking the milk on the mule into the town.
- Bio-food Production: Volunteers will participate in the process of preparing of home-made cheese, butter, yogurt, chocolate, coffee, pasta, bread, pizza, dry fruits and vegetables and vinegar.
- Forestry Program & Sustainable Wood Production: Wood production of native species can become an economic alternative to local communities in Ecuador. In addition to trying to resolve poverty, forestry also contributes to the fight against global warming. An average of twenty tones of carbon dioxide is absorbed per year by one hectare of trees in growth. Volunteer activities could include: Collecting seeds, nursery maintenance, trail maintenance, tree care and reforestation.
- Medicinal Garden: Volunteers will maintain the medicinal garden.
- Eco-construction: Construction with COB, bamboo and wood depending on the time of the year. If at the time of your stay there is not a current construction project, once a month the staff will conduct a COB workshop.
- Handicrafts: Volunteers will learn to make simple handcrafts with natural fibers and seeds. One of our main aims is the empowerment of the local communities, especially La Esperie. We help some members of the community by selling their handicrafts to our volunteers and visitors.
- Alternative Energy: Volunteers will assist in the sugar cane field for the future production of ethanol as a renewable fuel to replace the use of oil. In 2007 we will continue with the evaluation of possible energy projects, consulting experts and making agreements with relevant institutions. We are open to any kind of cooperation.
- New Ideas: Volunteers with the relevant experience may contribute by helping to write grant proposals and other communications on behalf of the reserve.
