Dates and Costs
Dates
The 2013 summer program will run from June 16th to August 2nd.
Duration
Because of the importance of consistency in education, volunteers are required to stay for a minimum of four weeks, but are encouraged to stay longer.
The program is broken down into two stages, in which volunteers take on different responsibilities both in and out of the classroom:
June 16th – June 29th: Volunteers will prepare for summer classes, design teaching materials, and develop students’ coursework. Tutoring is available for volunteers with weak Spanish. The second week of orientation will be devoted to working with the becados (scholarship recipients), who have already completed one year of high school.
June 30th – August 2nd: Teaching! Volunteers work with 7th graders to prepare them for high school in daily Math and English classes.
Arrival
Volunteers must arrive in Otavalo on one of three determined start dates.
A certain amount of flexibility can be made to accommodate for cheaper airfare prices during the week, but volunteers who arrive early must arrange for their own accommodations and plan to meet with the VEP Program Coordinator on a determined start date. Start dates for Summer 2011 include: June 16th, June 23rd, and June 30th.
Costs
The costs of the summer program are as follows:
-$150 / week for housing and meals. This includes all three meals a day every day, and can be paid upon arrival in Ecuador or week by week.
-$500 minimum donation. This money is used to fund the scholarships that the foundation gives to students for secondary school. All volunteers, regardless of length of stay, must raise the $500 donation. We suggest you fundraise through your college, neighborhood, church, or by other means to raise this money, and we encourage you to raise more than the $500 minimum.
-Plane fare. Each volunteer must make his or her own travel arrangements. For help finding inexpensive travel options, click here.
