Become Part of the Shiwiar Tribe and Help Them Fight for Their Land from Oil Tycoons

  Ecuador

• All Other Regions of Ecuador: 
Rural Areas

Durations of Program: 2-4 weeks, 5-8 weeks, 9-12 weeks, 3-6 months, 7-12 months, 1-2 years and over 2 years
Typical Duration of Program: 9-12 weeks
Dates: all year

Description: We are the Shiwiar people, enclosed by the Amazon jungle, living on the Pastaza river. We belong to the same cultural and linguistic tradition as the Achuar and Shuar. Our territory is one of the most pristine and isolated places in the Amazon basin, located near the Peruvian border and accessible only by air. Our primary forest is blessed with remarkable levels of biodiversity. Our population of seven hundred is scattered around nine different villages within the area. There have been few intrusions into our territory and we have only recently made contact with the western world (because of the Peruvian war in 1941).

This is your chance to discover an unspoilt region of the Amazon rainforest, to really leave the beaten track behind and to immerse yourself in a culture that belongs to the forest. You can experience the incredible biodiversity of the area, and find real warmth without luxuries. But this is an opportunity offered by a variety of agencies. What makes our project different is that it offers you the rare opportunity to escape the false "ecotourism" trap, where community events are staged and the business is own by foreigners, channelling profits into their businesses not back into local hands. But not here. We are completely self-managed and locally owned. You will not be invading or disrupting our culture but helping to preserve it. Our expedition offers you a wonderful opportunity to experience the jungle as it is, but more importantly to give something back to a community.

This project is part of Ecoteer - the solution to travel and volunteering on a shoestring

Ecoteer is a unique volunteer opportunities agency - offering a directory of cheap volunteer work opportunities, volunteer jobs abroad and working holidays. Our volunteer opportunities are cheap because we have eliminated the middleman slashing the price to volunteer abroad for gapyears, careerbreaks and working holidays. Ecoteer is leading the way in a new type of volunteer work opportunities abroad and is changing the volunteer and working holiday industry back to what it used to be benefiting both the volunteer and the volunteer project.

We have other opportunities in ecotourism, conservation, humanitarian aid and teaching in other 50 countries.

Please inquire for more of our cheap volunteering opportunities.

Highlights: We would like volunteers to help with many tasks including:
- Teaching English to our local tribe
- Helping on guided tours (translation etc)
- Medial tasks
- Hosting turists
- Accountancy
- Construction
- First aid (qualifications needed)
- Research Opportunities
- Tourism
- Fauna studies
- Flora studies
- Community tourism
- Community involvement

Qualifications: None needed

Cost in US$: US$10 per day

Experience Required: no

Age Range: 14-80

This Program is open to American, Asian, Australian, Canadian, European, Kiwi, South African and Worldwide Participants. This Program is also open to Families, Couples and Individuals

Participants Travel to Ecuador Independently

Typically Participants Work Independently

Application Process Involves:

• Online Application plus Application Assessment

Post-Program Services Include:

• Job and Internship Network

Ecoteer's Mission Statement: To help locally run grass root organisations to achieve their aims via attracting paying volunteers and tourists. Plus we personally help develop and improve the projects we work with to help them to achieve their objectives.

Year Founded: 2005