Ceiba Foundation for Tropical Conservation

As a Ceiba volunteer you will put your knowledge and skills to work for habitat conservation, environmental education, community development and scientific research.

Lend Ceiba a Hand -- Volunteer in Ecuador!

community development volunteer in EcuadorBroaden your horizons and gain valuable experience as you lend a hand to the Ceiba Foundation for Tropical Conservation. As a Ceiba Ecuador volunteer you will put your knowledge and skills to work for habitat conservation, environmental education, community development, reforestation, and scientific research.

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See our NEW volunteer positions!

Why Volunteer for Ceiba?

* Make a tangible contribution! Ceiba is dedicated to conservation of tropical ecosystems, and works with local people to protect natural resources and develop sustainable ways of living. Volunteers make tangible and lasting contributions to our projects, and are long remembered by the communities where they work.
* Gain valuable experience! Being a volunteer for Ceiba is a great way to get hands-on experience: whether its building trails, leading school kids on a forest hike, planting native trees, or surveying bird diversity!
* Live in a foreign country! Our volunteers live and work in Ecuador, a vibrant South American country rich in culture, history and biodiversity.
* Practice your spanish! All of our reserve managers are native or fluent Spanish speakers and you can travel to local towns or environmenal attractions during your days off.

Important Information for Ceiba Volunteers

Thank you for your interest in volunteering your time and skills to the Ceiba Foundation for Tropical Conservation. The quality work of our volunteers greatly contributes to the success of Ceiba projects. Like ourselves, our volunteers are committed to conservation and helping others, and recognize that each one of us must do our part to protect the environment. This document details the general guidelines and policies for volunteers participating in Ceiba projects abroad. We appreciate you taking the time to familiarize yourself with the conditions and guidelines for becoming a Ceiba volunteer.

Volunteers are required to conduct themselves at all times in a professional manner while participating in Ceiba projects or working at Ceiba sites. Participants are expected to work responsibly to complete the tasks assigned to them to the best of their abilities. Volunteers are requested to cite Ceiba and any Ceiba project locations (e.g., reserves, etc.) in any publications relating to work conducted while working on Ceiba-approved projects. Since providing continuity is one of the greatest challenges of any volunteer program, volunteers are requested to send an email to Ceiba at the end of their stay to summarize the work they did during their volunteership, and to provide comments, suggestions and copies of any materials created. In the case of extended projects, Ceiba may request that volunteers submit intermediate progress reports from the field (most often by email) .

All participants are expected to provide Ceiba with copies of data, notes, maps, photos, recordings, theses or publications that result from your volunteership. Participants are expected and encouraged to pass on their knowledge, and the information they have collected, to local people whenever possible, and to listen carefully to and incorporate the ideas and knowledge of local people. If appropriate, you may organize workshops, seminars and other presentations, and should at all times strive to involve those with whom you routinely interact (landowners, local students, field assistants, et al.). Finally, participants are encouraged to be prepared to be flexible, when situations arise that require adapting the initial description of your expected duties (after all, this is field work).