Summary and cost of trip:

Why Quito, Ecuador? Even though Jeff was born in the USA, he has spent a large amount of his adulthood in Quito, Ecuador.  His love for his parent’s hometown is enormous and this is the place where he was part of his first soccer team. So, in respect for Jeff, we will be traveling to Quito, Ecuador.

Introduction to Ecuador:

You have chosen to come to one of the most amazing countries in the world or so we think anyway! Ecuador is a culturally and geographically rich and diverse country. Never mind its small size, it is full of adventure.  Please be mindful that Quito sits at an altitude of 2,800 meters above sea level therefore take it easy and drink lots of water for your first few days and allow yourself to acclimatize.

Accommodations:

We will be staying at the “Community Hostel”, which is in the center of Quito, Ecuador.  Its fantastic location means that Plaza Grande and the sights of Centro Histórico are only a few minutes’ walk away and the busy nightlife of La Mariscal is only a 5-minute taxi ride away. The facilities provided by Community Hostel are done so with the traveler in mind, there are lockable personal storage drawer under each bed and rooms are cleaned daily. The room rate will be about $30 to $50 dollars per night, with breakfast included.  We can also have dinner included for $5 dollars more a night, but we will keep that optional and sign up as we go since there will be nights we can just go out to eat  

Website: www.communityhostel.com

Volunteering:

Villa Ticca is a non-profit organization that provides childcare to children of poor families in the south of Quito. The suburb where Villa Ticca is located is called El Camal, which is a low socioeconomic area. Families in this area commonly suffer from issues of domestic violence, substance addiction and the rate of single motherhood is high. The day care service provided by Villa Ticca means that the children receive nutritious meals throughout the day, educational classes to begin their learning development and regular medical check-ups. Parents of the children also benefit from the service as it allows them the freedom to earn an income during the day while having the peace of mind that their child is being well taken care of.

The children at Villa Ticca are divided into 4 groups depending on their age. The groups are as follows:

Group 1 / Nelly: Children aged 2 – 3

Group 2 / Jenny: Children aged 3 – 4

Group 3 / Marlene: Children aged 4 – 5

School-aged children / Margereth/ Jenny or Nely: Children aged 5 – 12, these children come to Villa Ticca once they have finished school for the day and receive help with their homework. Below you will find an outline of the daily structure of Villa Ticca:

Time Activity

07.30 – 08.00 Children are brought to Villa Ticca by parents/caretakers

08.00 – 08.30 Breakfast

08.30 – 11.00 Each group goes to its own classroom to work/play

09.30 – 10.00 Group 1 plays outside in the patio

10.00 – 10.30 Group 2 plays outside in the patio

10.30 – 11.00 Group 3 plays outside in the patio

10.30 Eating of a snack (usually a piece of fruit)

10.30 – 11.30/12.00 Work/play in own classroom

11.30 Group 1 has lunch

12.00 Group 2 and Group 3 have lunch

12.00 – 13.00 Most kids are picked up by their parents/caretakers

School-age students arrive

13.00 – 13.30 Children that stay for the whole day (approximately 25 children) get help brushing their teeth and have a nap

School-aged children have lunch

14.00 Staff have lunch (soup, rice meal and juice)

15.00 Children wake up, have a drink and are picked up by their parents/caretakers

13.30 – 16.00 School-age children do their homework and play and leave when they are ready

We will be splitting our group up in half so that some attend in the morning from 8:30am to 12:30pm, and then our afternoon group will arrive at about 12pm to 4pm.  Every day we will swap our morning and afternoon group so that the morning group the next day will go in the afternoon and our afternoon group will go in the morning, this way everyone gets to work with all the children from different ages.

The last Friday that we are there (Jan 20th) we will do a sport day (just in the morning with the smaller kids), here we will need all volunteers!
On Thursday afternoon (Jan 19th) we could go to the park with all the student-aged children and play soccer and/or other games (anything fun we might think of and make their day) Again we will have all volunteers attend.

The days we will be with Villa Ticca are Jan 12, 13 ,16 ,17 ,18 ,19, and last day 20th.  On the weekend of the 13th we will be touring Ecuador and its beautiful main places.  We will be visiting a beautiful home town named “Alausi” and also in our schedule is to go to “Banos” and/or “Otavalo” and/or “Ibarra”.  On top of this we would like to visit “The Middle of the World” and “The Angel in Quito”.  Further details to follow for our weekend activities!

 http://www.villaticca.com/en/

Weather and Clothing:

Quito is nestled in The Andes Mountains which means while it is in a beautiful location the weather is unpredictable and can change quickly. Because of this we suggest that you pack clothes that you can ‘layer’. It might be sunny and warm in the morning but by the afternoon it can be pouring. You really do need to pack for all types of weather.

December – May

These months are usually the coolest and wettest. It’s a good idea to carry an umbrella or light weight rain coat with you all the time because you’ll never know when you will need it. Also it does get quite cold, especially of a night time so make sure you pack some warm pants, jumpers and boots.

Transportation:

Transportation will be $10 per person, per day.

 Safety in Quito:

 Here are some simple tips that we practice ourselves when we travel to Quito, Ecuador:

• When on the local buses, especially the trolley bus, wear your backpack on your front. Keep your handbag to the front of you and hold it.

• Don’t walk around or catch the bus with your iPod in. First reason being that you are showing potential thieves, the goodies that you have. Second reason, you can’t hear what is going on around you.

• Don’t flash around your expensive personal items such as cameras and iPhones. Once again you will make yourself a target. That is not to say you shouldn’t pull your camera out to take a photo but put it back in your bag once you’re done.

• When getting cash out from an ATM, do it during the day and if possible have someone else with you. Ecuador’s currency is the dollar bill so we do not have to exchange money to a different currency.

 Flight Information:

 The airfare round-trip to Ecuador will be about $650.00 and can be lower depending when booked.

Jeff’s Kids will donate a free stay of 10 days to one adult at the Community Hostel. ( This was presented to Christian Tomaj for the Ecuador 2017 Trip)