Depending on his or her interests and individual strengths, the volunteer can work and help with different activities of the foundation “Minadores de Sueños”, which will be planned together with the volunteer directly on site.

In Ecuador, the children don’t always have the same school schedule and in order to teach as many children as possible, some have classes in the mornings and some in the afternoons.

Therefore, the foundation is offering help with homework and extra tutoring classes in the mornings as well as in the afternoons.

Accordingly, the activities are organized as follows:

Full day

• Homework: Helping the children to do their homework and also control the homework in the different subjects.
• Tutoring classes: Teaching children in subjects with which they have learning difficulties or show deficiency in school (additional exercises). Realizing pedagogical exercises.
• English classes: Helping with English homework. Enlarge and consolidate their knowledge of the English language in a practical and fun way (grammar, vocabulary and pronunciation). There exists a large deficit in the learning process of the English language.
• Free and guided activities during recess: Spend the recess with the children and use educational games and toys.
• Planning and preparation of tutoring: Weekly team meetings to plan and evaluate the work. Developing educational materials, planning the English classes or sequences of playing.

When required

• Family and school visits: The volunteer can accompany the social worker to school and family visits. Visits are necessary if academic or personal problems occur, which may harm the child’s development. Sometimes the visits may take place in the evening or on weekends.
• Medical assessments: Accompanying the child to the doctor. There are weekly visits to the doctor in several areas (speech therapy, dentist, pediatricion,…)
• Craft works / Maintenance: Helping with the construction of further school buildings, work in the garden, carpentry work, etc. These activities are planned with the volunteer and carried out accordingly to the needs of the foundation and the interests and flexibility of the volunteer.

Schedule

08:30h – 11:30h Homework and tutoring classes
11:30h – 12:00h Accompanying the children having lunch
12:00h – 12:30h Clearing up and cleaning the class room
12:30h – 13:30h Lunch with the team
13:30h – 14:30h Accompanying the children having lunch / planning the tutoring
14:30h – 17:30h Homework and tutoring classes

Saturday (optional)

• Tutoring classes: providing tutoring to children with academic difficulties in order to enable them to follow the learning process in school again. The tutoring takes place in the form of individual lessons.
• Excursions: Occasionally on weekends or on a holiday we make excursions with the children of the foundation. Everyone in the foundation will participate on a trip to, for example, a zoo, a park, a museum or a swimming pool.

Holiday program (end of July – end of August)

In August, there is the possibility to accompany the yearly holiday program for one month. It requires very good knowledge of the Spanish language. During the holiday program the volunteers guide a group of about 30 children or offer a specific activity for several groups. In order to be able to guide and implement the whole holiday program, the team consists of about 15 volunteers and adolescents from the neighbourhood.