Volunteer Ecuador Evaluation

Name:
Email address:
***(please provide email only if it is ok for other volunteers to email you about project)
Partner organisation: Campamento Esperanza
Start date: January 5, 2010
End date: January 29, 2010

• What were the main tasks you undertook at the project? Did you have any prior experience or knowledge that helped you with these?

I worked with the physical therapists at Campamento Esperanza, observing and helping with the patients.  I assisted in the treatments and took the kids over obstacles in the playground.  I did not have any practical experience prior to this internship, only classroom knowledge.  This knowledge helped me to understand how the children learn and different methods of motivating them to work hard and complete their tasks.

• Was the explanation and support you received from the organisation adequate to ensure you could carry out your work successfully? If not please explain why.

The support from the organization was excellent, all of the workers are very willing to assist you if you need help or explain things if you don’t understand.  The only problem was the language barrier, but I never had any serious issues and everyone was very patient and willing to explain things in multiple ways to help me understand what they needed.

• Would you recommend working with this organisation to other volunteers? What are the main areas of skills and interests that volunteers need for this work? Please give reasons.

I would recommend working with this organization, but only if you are willing to be very patient and enjoy working with children.  Many of the children have mental and/or physical disabilities, which can make working with them and communicating difficult at times.  However, it is very rewarding work and the children love when you can give them a little extra attention.

• Was the communication and support you received from Yanapuma, before and during your time volunteering adequate? Please comment on the initial orientation session, showing you to your site and communication throughout.  If not, please specify why and how it could be improved.

Support from Yanapuma was very good, especially the orientation the first day.  It was really helpful to get some basic tips about living in Ecuador and the culture here so we kind of knew what to expect.  They were also very supportive during my time here, making sure that the work and the home stay were going well and helping to plan trips to other parts of the country.

• How would rate your overall experience at this project?

Overall, my experience was a very good and rewarding one.  The children and adults were very fun to work with and everyone was very welcoming and accepting.  There are quite a few other volunteers as well, which is nice because they know what to expect and are flexible with your schedule and willing to help you fill out forms or other paperwork you might have.

• Any other comments?

I had a great experience at Camp Hope and really enjoyed my time here, thanks so much for organizing and helping to plan everything!

• If you would like, please write a short paragraph summing up your project and experience volunteering, as well as if and why you might recommend this volunteer site to others in the future. We will put this information on our Volunteer Ecuador website, as a direct quote from you to help others learn about your experience.

I worked at Campamento Esperanza, a school for children who are economically, mentally, or physically challenged.  My internship involved working with the physical therapists at the camp, observing and helping with their treatments.  I would recommend this site, as the staff is very welcoming and friendly and the children are very loving and great to work with.  The work is difficult at times, due to the difficult situations that the children are in, but it is very rewarding to see how happy they are when they accomplish their tasks or you give them a little extra attention.

Volunteer Ecuador Final Evaluation

• What were the main tasks you undertook with the organisation? Did you have any prior experience or knowledge that helped you with these?

My main responsibilities were feeding, changing and caring for disabled children.  This involved lifting the children, assisting with walking and taking those who were able to the toilet.  I also helped with cleaning tasks in the classroom such as sweeping, washing the wheelchairs and cleaning the toys

• Was the information and support you received from the organisation adequate to ensure you could carry out your work successfully? If not, please explain why.

The organisation was very supportive and willing to show me the best way of carrying out certain tasks.  If I had any difficulties, I would say this was due to the language barrier and a fault on my part as my Spanish was not as good as it should have been.  However, this did not really hinder me.

• What skills or interests would other volunteers need for this work? Would you recommend working with this organisation to other volunteers? Please explain.

I would certainly recommend it as the organisation was very warm and welcoming and working there was an enjoyable experience.  As I was only assisting in the disabled classroom, I can only comment on this and believe it is the perfect project for those interested in physical rehabilitation or child psychology.  It would also be a good project for people who enjoy working with children and there are opportunities to help in the kitchen too.  As different tasks arise, it is important to be flexible and willing to help in any way and volunteers should be capable of lifting children in order to be of the most help.  I would also suggest learning Spanish relevant to a child care centre, for example the words for ‘nappy’ and ‘wheelchair’ etc as this will make tasks quicker and easier!

• Was the information, communication and support you received from Yanapuma, both before and during your volunteer placement, adequate? If not, please explain why and offer suggestions on how it could be improved.

Yanapuma were brilliant throughout the experience.  I received welcoming letters from both of the volunteer coordinators prior to my departure which relaxed my last minute nerves.  I was taking Spanish lessons with the organisation so I had contact with Yanapuma throughout my stay and was able to go to them with a medical concern, which they dealt with happily and reassured me.  I only received a couple of emails asking me how things were going during my stay but this was just right as I was so busy that I often didn’t have time to check my email account! Upon my return I received an evaluation form, so had support from Yanapuma throughout my trip.

• How would you rate your overall experience?

Absolutely wonderful! I am already planning to return to Ecuador and also thinking about my next destination! I cannot think of anything negative to say about my experience.

• If you would like, please write a short paragraph summing up your volunteer placement to help Yanapuma, our partner organisations and future volunteers learn from your experience.

I was a little apprehensive about working with disabled children but it was nothing like I expected.  Despite being difficult, both emotionally and physically at times, it was also very enjoyable with welcoming staff and wonderful children.  It was extremely rewarding being in a position to assist the organization and I soon learnt the daily routine and what was required of me.  I had a lot of fun while I was at Camp Home and met some wonderful people.  I must also say how great my home stay family was.  I was very concerned about staying with a family as I was unsure what to expect and was worried that I would feel awkward in someone else’s home.  This was proved wrong immediately as the family was so lovely and made me feel very relaxed.  They showed me around the city and made me feel like a part of the family.  Within days I felt at ease in the house and enjoyed talking to the family and assisting with cooking.  I couldn’t have asked for a better home stay placement and fully intend to keep in contact with the family, who I was extremely sad to leave.  I highly recommend staying with the Coronels!

• Any additional comments?

• Do you authorise Yanapuma to share the information contained in this evaluation with other volunteers and partner organisations?                   YES _P____                 NO _____

We would like to thank you for volunteering with us and for taking the time to complete this evaluation. Volunteer feedback is invaluable as it helps us improve the programs and services we offer and assists us with our goal of providing meaningful experiences for both our volunteers and the organisations and communities with whom we work.

Thanks again,

The Yanapuma Team
Volunteer Ecuador Evaluation

Name:
Email address:
Partner organisation: Camp Hope
Start date: 11/17
End date: 12/10

• What were the main tasks you undertook at the project? Did you have any prior experience or knowledge that helped you with these?

I helped out with the second grade and with horse therapy when it went. I´d had a lot of experience with kids and some limited experiences with horses in the past.

• Was the explanation and support you received from the organisation adequate to ensure you could carry out your work successfully? If not please explain why.

Absolutely. I was especially plussed that Stephen took the time out of his day to come down and show me how to get to the place and introduced me to the director.

• Would you recommend working with this organisation to other volunteers? What are the main areas of skills and interests that volunteers need for this work? Please give reasons.

Absolutely. An appreciation of kids is a must, and, other than that, I´d say a willingness to be patient and help out.

• Was the communication and support you received from Yanapuma, before and during your time volunteering adequate? Please comment on the initial orientation session, showing you to your site and communication throughout.  If not, please specify why and how it could be improved.

Orientation didn´t do particularly much for me as I had already been in the country for a while. It was more designed for people with absolutely zero knowledge. I might make it optional.

• How would rate your overall experience at this project?

Overall, I´d rate my experience very good. Things were somewhat disorganized, but then again so am I and the length of time I was staying was short so it´s very understandable that I wouldn´t be given a huge role in what I was doing. I learned a whole bunch and the kids were great!!!! I wish I´d have had somewhat more time to spend with them.

• Any other comments?

Nope.

• If you would like, please write a short paragraph summing up your project and experience volunteering, as well as if and why you might recommend this volunteer site to others in the future. We will put this information on our Volunteer Ecuador website, as a direct quote from you to help others learn about your experience.

Muchas gracias!!!
Volunteer Ecuador Evaluation

Name:
Email address:
Partner organisation: Volunteer project: Camp Hope, Quito, Project arranged via Andere Reizen, Holand -> Yanapuma
Start date: 27 October 2008
End date: 21 November 2008

• What were the main tasks you undertook at the project? Did you have any prior experience or knowledge that helped you with these?
• No prior experience or knowledge (no teaching background or volunteering experience)
• Helping the teacher in the class: 11 children in age of 4-6 year (pre-basica), mix of “normal” and “disabled” children

• Was the explanation and support you received from the organisation adequate to ensure you could carry out your work successfully? If not please explain why.

Camp Hope: friendly, I felt welcome, they say often how much the appreciate volunteering, they are flexible en you  can easily ask if you want something different. I volunteered only for a month, so really short and too far too short to manage my own class or something like that. But I the school and the teacher gave me enough space to introduce new games or activities or organise something. And because of my as a extra person in the class, the teacher could give more attention to the kids individually, what was the most important contribution I think. I really liked the teacher I worked with, she really tried to connect me with the class and get me involved. She was interested in me, and always listen and thought about my contribution. She for example asked me at the end to write a little observation about every child, how they were performing and acting in the class. Afterwards we discussed this and she used this information help and teach the children more personally.

• Would you recommend working with this organisation to other volunteers? What are the main areas of skills and interests that volunteers need for this work? Please give reasons.
• Yes I would recommend Camp Hope
• Interests: interest in working with children, and also children with special needs.
• Skills: If you stay a month or shorter you shouldn’t expect to do more than just helping the teachers. And for this job you don’t need special skills except some enthusiasm, basic level of Spanish and a open mind to the system the work with.
• If you want to do more than helping the teachers, you should stay longer than a month and need some background in teaching/ working with disabled children and speak Spanish very well (many children have language/speaking problems and are very difficult to understand). They have good teachers, and they need especially people who help them. I don’t know if volunteers can have their one class. But there is always room to organise activities or arrange with your teacher that you are in the lead for a part of the day with your programme.

• Was the communication and support you received from Yanapuma, before and during your time volunteering adequate? Please comment on the initial orientation session, showing you to your site and communication throughout.  If not, please specify why and how it could be improved.

The support form Yanapuma was adequate en enough. Before I started Shanti organised a presentation/ discussion session with other starting volunteers. Stephen explained me the project, asked what I wanted en visited the school with me. Was good start. During my project Stephen asked if everything was ok, what I was doing and if the support at Camp Hope was enough. I was doing fine on my project so it was good and I needed nothing more.
I think it is enough and I think it is also de responsibility of the volunteer to ask for more help or advice if needed. You also need to be responsible and pro-active on your volunteering, so the support from Yanapuma should be from the same perspective. This balance was good.

• How would rate your overall experience at this project?

As a good and nice experience, just how I wanted it to be. I only volunteered for a month, and for me it was an introduction in volunteering, teaching, working with children and practising Spanish and living in another culture. I also really liked the other activities at Yanapuma, because when you working at your project you don’t meet so many other people and you are also tiered. It is nice that Yanapuma organised some easy accessible, relaxing, but also cultural linked activities (cooking class, visiting the city, watching a film, ..). I was also really impressed by the enthusiasm and involvement of the teachers and Venicio with these activities. They are friendly, are enthusiastic in explaining and telling about Ecuador and the language, interested in you and helpful.

• Any other comments?

No.

• If you would like, please write a short paragraph summing up your project and experience volunteering, as well as if and why you might recommend this volunteer site to others in the future. We will put this information on our Volunteer Ecuador website, as a direct quote from you to help others learn about your experience.

After one week of Spanish classes, I volunteered four  weeks at Camp Hope in the north of Quito. Camp Hope is a school for disabled and normal children. They try to integrate the children in “normal” classes as much as possible. I worked in the class with the 4-5 year old children, where I helped the teacher. On Tuesdays mornings a also helped with the horseback riding therapy outside Quito for the disabled children. With no experience in teaching, working with disabled children and a basic level of Spanish, it was a perfect job. I could just see how my teacher was teaching, helping her so she could give more attention to every child individual when needed, play a lot with the children, practice my Spanish and introducing some Dutch games with the children. The teacher I worked with, was really great and I learned a lot of her.  Four weeks is really a short time, so I stayed with the same class the whole time, but if you prefer to switch classes, that is no problem at all.

Muchas gracias!!!

Volunteer Ecuador Evaluation

Name:
Email address:
***(please provide email only if it is ok for other volunteers to email you about project)
Partner organisation:
Start date: 3 januari 
End date: 14 januari

• What were the main tasks you undertook at the project? Did you have any prior experience or knowledge that helped you with these?

Well the project was very learnfull to me, I have a little bit experience with handicapte people but because its in a other country everything is new ofcourse.
But the people giv us the change to see what we can do and helped us out with questions, also they didn’t put pressure on the follunteers that the Have towork..

• Was the explanation and support you received from the organisation adequate to ensure you could carry out your work successfully? If not please explain why.

The organisation really need some people for to help them there, in some cases is very hard for them but they are very happy with the help they get from us.
The first day was very new and you have to see al what they do but the second day was even much better and you can make a fast proecess of your work overthere…. And the emplojees like this very much.

• Would you recommend working with this organisation to other volunteers? What are the main areas of skills and interests that volunteers need for this work? Please give reasons.

I will recommend them aslutly for to go to the project, the work is very thankful and you can help thme out.
Also for beginning nurses or therapists it’s a good starts for to get some experience for your own job, and the organisation like to help you with your skills.

• Was the communication and support you received from Yanapuma, before and during your time volunteering adequate? Please comment on the initial orientation session, showing you to your site and communication throughout.  If not, please specify why and how it could be improved.

Yes the organisation was helping very good, they give much information and also the family were I stay was very polite to help me out with everything !!

• How would rate your overall experience at this project?

As a very good new life-experience and will recommend thme to all other people who wanna start with your foundation there in quito.

• Any other comments?

Hmmmm… no

• If you would like, please write a short paragraph summing up your project and experience volunteering, as well as if and why you might recommend this volunteer site to others in the future. We will put this information on our Volunteer Ecuador website, as a direct quote from you to help others learn about your experience.

My time in Ecuador was very nice, I mett new people and I stay at a very very friendly family, they give me a very warm welcome and I was a daughter for them for the time I was at there house.
The school gives much information about the projects and alos they help you out to find something what you maybe like for to do.
The school gives Spanish classes and you have a option for a full “ total packedge” at the organization.
They give you information about excursions and you can do a lott off activities with the school and the other students who are there at the same time as you are.
For me it was a very nice time for to stay, and I learned  a lott off the countrie, the culture and the follunteering what I did.

It’s a life experience… and nobody will take that away from you anymore !!!

Muchas gracias!!!

Volunteer Ecuador Evaluation

Name:
Email address:
Partner organisation: Camp Hope
Start date: 12/11/08
End date: 26/11/08

• What were the main tasks you undertook at the project? Did you have any prior experience or knowledge that helped you with these?

I was working in a class of children with Cerebral Palsy at Camp Hope. My tasks included helping to feed the children, exercises to stimulate their senses, playing and interacting with them, and changing their clothes / nappies. I didn't have any prior experience in this type of work.

• Was the explanation and support you received from the organisation adequate to ensure you could carry out your work successfully? If not please explain why.

Yes

• Would you recommend working with this organisation to other volunteers? What are the main areas of skills and interests that volunteers need for this work? Please give reasons.

Definitely – I have already

• Was the communication and support you received from Yanapuma, before and during your time volunteering adequate? Please comment on the initial orientation session, showing you to your site and communication throughout.  If not, please specify why and how it could be improved.

Yes, I was taken to visit the school, and the route was explained to me. I also had a helpful orientation session about the culture of the country at Yanapuma.

• How would rate your overall experience at this project?

Highly

• Any other comments?

Though I enjoyed my time working at Camp Hope, I would probably recommend that another volunteer should have a good level of Spanish. I did find the communication a real challenge. Though the staff were very patient with me,  I often couldn't understand what I was being asked to do.
Also, I would probably recommend a longer period than two weeks. It takes at least that long to get to know the children and other staff, and become accustomed to the tasks, at which point the volunteer is more useful to the organisation.

• If you would like, please write a short paragraph summing up your project and experience volunteering, as well as if and why you might recommend this volunteer site to others in the future. We will put this information on our Volunteer Ecuador website, as a direct quote from you to help others learn about your experience.

I volunteered for two weeks with Fundación Campamento Cristiano Esperanza (Camp Hope) - a school in a northern suburb of Quito, Ecuador. The school is funded by churches in the states and caters for a mixture of ´normal´ kids with difficult family circumstances and special needs kids. I worked in a class of about 10 kids, ranging in age from 5 to 30 with Cerebral Palsy. It was very different for me, not having done anything like this before, and I struggled with the language, but a worthwhile challenge for sure! My duties ranged from helping the kids with their meals to dressing them, playing and interacting with them and doing exercises to stimulate their senses. The teachers and other staff at the school were really friendly and helpful, and some of them spoke a little English. The arrangement of the volunteering was managed very efficiently by Yanapuma, and I learnt a lot, being able to take Spanish lessons with them at the same time. I would certainly recommend this amazing experience!
Muchas gracias!!!