The Yachana Foundation Volunteer Program is designed to provide people from all walks of life the unique opportunity to make a meaningful contribution toward the conservation of the Ecuadorian rainforest and the sustainable development of its indigenous and mestizo communities. Through this one of a kind experience, Yachana volunteers embark on a journey of self-discovery that gives them an insider’s view of the Amazon rainforest and a chance to make the world a better place. Interested?
We are seeking dedicated pioneers to volunteer in the Amazon rainforest in our education, our conservation and sustainable development projects, and at the Mondaña Medical Clinic.
Conservation and Sustainable Development – Since 1994, the Yachana Foundation has acquired over 4,300 acres of primary and secondary Amazon rainforest. The Ecuadorian Ministry of Environment has declared all of our land a Protected Forest.
Twenty percent of our Protected Forest and surrounding land owned by local farmers are recovering from logging and cattle ranching. We have started a program to rehabilitate these areas by replanting the secondary forest and pasture with native trees. This program speeds up the process of nutrient reintroduction in the soil, prevents soil erosion, and produces shade that kills the grass that took over after the areas were deforested. With the help of conservation volunteers working together with our local students, the secondary forest and pastures will once again become lush tropical rainforest.
To provide the seedlings that are used to replant these areas, Yachana is building an extensive native tree nursery. The native trees propagated in the nursery will be used for reforestation and in our sustainable agro-forestry projects. We are encouraging local farmers to reforest as a viable alternative to cattle ranching and logging, the two biggest threats to the remaining rainforest.
Conservation volunteers working in the program may:
- Gather seeds and seedlings for our tree nursery
- Work in the nursery mixing soil and caring for the seedlings
- Prepare areas of pasture and secondary forest for reforestation
- Reforest these areas with native tree species cultivated in the nursery
Over the years within the vicinity of Yachana Lodge and the Yachana Foundation field station, we have developed an extensive network of trails used by tourists and researchers while they investigate and explore the forest. It is a full-time job maintaining these trails. Sometimes we ask volunteers to work with our staff to maintain the handrails, steps, and bridges found throughout the trail network.
Volunteers may also work together with local Amazon youth studying at the nearby Yachana Technical High School where all learning is focused on three main areas: rainforest conservation, sustainable agriculture, and eco-tourism. The school, designed to provide access to relevant education to high school-age indigenous and mestizo students, was opened in 2005 to benefit those who live in the remote rural communities of the Ecuadorian Amazon.
Volunteers also help with other projects and general maintenance at the new Yachana Rainforest Interpretative Center. In the past, volunteers have built staff housing, repaired water treatment systems, replaced solar panels, and constructed a two-way radio tower. There is plenty of maintenance work for those interested in alternative energy and innovative solutions, both hallmarks of Yachana Lodge and the Yachana Foundation.
**We require that volunteers speak conversational level Spanish. We are searching for volunteers with experience in Environmental Science, Engineering, Agriculture, Biology, Forestry, or Art.
Click to download the Volunteer Information and Application form for Yachana Foundation's Volunteer Program in conservation and education the Ecuadorian Amazon.
For more information about volunteering with Yachana Foundation, e-mail volunteer@yachana.org.ec
Mondaña Medical Clinic - In 1997, Yachana and Amanecer Campesino* established the Mondaña Medical Clinic in the heart of the Ecuadorian Amazon. At the time, the Clinic was the only full-time, fully staffed medical facility in the remote Upper Napo River Region. In 2005, The Yachana Foundation officially handed the title of the Mondaña Clinic over to the Ecuadorian Ministry of Health in an effort to bring long-term sustainability to the Clinic, guarantee that sufficient medical supplies and staff will be available, and to meet the healthcare needs of the local people. The Clinic is now known as the 'Sub-Centro de Salud de Mondaña' and is maintained fully by the Ministry of Health.
Yachana has developed a Clinical Rotation Program designed to provide public health and clinical experience to students and health professionals in the fields of medicine, nursing, and public health. Medical volunteers participate in community-based public healthcare activities run by the Ministry of Health in the vicinity of the Clinic.
In addition to rotations at the Mondaña Clinic, we are involved in an urban rotation at the Hospital San Jose Obrero, a public hospital in Quito that serves the city's marginalized populations. Many volunteers choose to complement their work at the rainforest clinic with a rotation at the city hospital. The clinic was constructed as part of a community-based healthcare program and the hospital is a stand-alone institution that treats patients as they come in. Both experiences are very different, but give great insight into the lives of all the people of Ecuador.
Click to download the Clinical Volunteer Information and Clinical Application form for Yachana Foundation's Clinical Rotation Program in the Ecuadorian Amazon.
Read what other volunteers have to say! Find out what is most needed at the Mondaña Clinic and how you can help!
* Amanecer Campesino is an organization which the Yachana Foundation helped form and it represents 35 communities located along the Upper Napo River. It has recently shifted their its activities in the region from providing healthcare training to offering technical assistance of improved methods of raising cacao, café, and corn to local farmers.
