Ecuador 2012

		Please visit our 2011 Ecuador blog and trip itinerary to learn more about the summer 2011 trip and to give you an idea of what to expect in 2012. (Because we are always striving to improve the quality of our overseas experiences, we are still working on the details of the 2012 trips.)
2011 Ecuador Trip

In Ecuador, Global Service Program participants will spend time in two distinct, biodiverse regions. 

The first week will be spent in the Napo region in the Amazon, where participants will learn about and work with indigenous Kichwa tribes who are members of the Kallari Association. The Kallari Association is a cooperative of Amazon artists and organic cocoa producers. Kallari has created sustainable income programs so the Kichwa people can fulfill their basic family needs without logging their rainforests or selling their land. Service will include working with the Kichwa in the harvesting and processing of cacao, helping host families with day to day village activities such as gathering and preparing food, assisting with the making of handcrafts, and providing basic English instruction.

Week two will be spent in the cloud forest community of Yunguilla. The ancestral community of Yunguilla has taken significant steps toward sustainable development, utilizing their natural resources while maintaining their cultural heritage. Service will take the form of reforestation, trail maintenance, agricultural activities, and helping in the production of handicrafts and other goods. 

Participants will spend two nights in an eco-lodge, but will also have two multi-night homestays: one during their time in Yunguilla and another in a Kichwa village in the Amazon.  The homestays provide an unique opportunity to experience firsthand the culture, lifestyles, challenges, and simple joys of life in rural Ecuador. They are typically the most meaningful part of the trip.

Excursions will likely include visiting the Kallari chocolate factory and trips to a local hotspring, the equator monument, and the Pululahua volcano. In Quito, the capital of Ecuador, we will visit artisan markets and the historic old town. 

The cost of the trip is $3,250 and includes everything (including airfare) except spending money and transportation to and from George School.

Important Dates:

June 25	Faculty Institute starts at George School.
June 26	Student Institute starts at George School.
June 28	Leave George School for Quito.
June 29 to July 12	Service portion of the trip .
July 13	Return home.

Note: The travel dates are subject to change depending on available flights and visa and travel license restrictions.