Sample Volunteer Abroad Projects — Chile
VIP Chile has relationships with NGO's, government and private institutions devoted to the improvement of human living conditions for those in need. All of our projects demand the solving of daily unexpected challenges. A positive, flexible, loving and devoted attitude is always appreciated by those involved in service projects - especially by the host communities.
Social Welfare Service Programs - Public Health Programs in Chile's Medical System - Environmental Program in a National Park - Working with the Mentally Disabled - Custom Designed Projects - Education and Teaching Programs
SOCIAL AND WELFARE SERVICES
Social and Welfare projects include a wide range of opportunities to develop and provide tools for those in need. Social gap and discrimination in Chile have resulted in a number of problems that require an immediate effort and commitment to build up dignified lives for those who suffer or live in extreme poverty. Daily care, assistance, school support, project management, fund raising initiatives and others proposals to work and help directly with target groups and institutions that include people from orphanages, children, the elderly, homeless people among others.
Sample Project 1
“ORPHANAGE FUNDACIÓN KOINOMADELFIA”
”Law of Love and Communion”, this is our motivation to introduce you, as a volunteer, into an institution located very close to Santiago city where 80 children and adolescents, from 1 to 18 years old, are given a chance to understand and experience life in a different way from their previous exposition to high social risk due to abuse (such as neglect, physical abuse, psychological or emotional abuse, and sexual abuse) or abandonment.
The main idea is to create a familiar atmosphere and to restore family values that all children should acquire and share. Every child lives in a ‘home’ with seven more kids who are supervised and cared for by a ‘host mom’. The homes are run like those of any ‘normal family’. They also attend school outside the institution so they can interact with other kids. All children have their own private world, along with a caring family and a whole new set of opportunities to build up a new life.
The institution main goal is to be able to restore an adequate standard of living, health care and education for these children so they could realize that there are other options and it is to them to change things. In spite of its limited resources, a group of very creative and committed professionals, substitute host mothers and volunteers has managed well to group a united, caring and understanding team that works hand by hand for the children’s rights, dignity and welfare.
As a volunteer you will have to develop the children’s consciousness of their rights and responsibilities. At the same time, you will be a motivator/facilitator for the development of their abilities through a wide variety of activities such as: school support, maintenance, recreational activities, sports, acting workshop, gardening, singing, computers, etc. To insert the children back to the community and society.
Personal project: we encourage volunteers to develop their own small side project according to their own interest, needs analysis and skills considering the needs of the organization. (EIL Chile will advise and help to coordinate during application process).
Volunteers have room and full board at the project site located in a semi rural/urban area only 50 mins away from Santiago city with easy access to transportation.
Sample Project 2
BRIDGES FOR LA PINTANA
Many volunteers express their interest in knowing about the differences between developed and underdeveloped countries in terms of social growth and equity. A major component of social equity lies in the availability and access to social, educational, recreational, health, environmental and work opportunities among people. In spite of the evident social and economic progress in many aspects of the Chilean society, a large number of people have been set aside from this only because of the lack of opportunities to become part of the new trend. Government and non government organizations make a lot of efforts to diminish the gap among these socially and economically discriminated people; however, these are never enough. The social and economic gap is extremely large in Chile with a negative tendency to grow.
Bridges is an attempt to make a difference by creating and developing volunteer opportunities as tools to connect La Pintana people to the rest of society in equity. By incorporating international volunteers to the development of social, educational, recreational, environment and health projects in La Pintana, we want to build the bridges to develop better opportunities for La Pintana people. La Pintana is an emblematic model neighborhood for anyone interested in society growth and equal opportunities. Qualified and Non-qualified volunteers are welcomed.
WHY LA PINTANA? The unique nature of La Pintana neighborhood, its people and challenges for the future plus the positive results of a visionary management developed in a very complex social, educational, cultural and economic scenario justify all possible efforts from any organizations to support and help develop opportunities and programs for La Pintana people. Growth in equity is a common task to achieve.
Bridges, volunteer opportunities to grow in equity, connects volunteers and projects to build social equity for La Pintana people.
PUBLIC HEALTH PROJECTS
Sample Project
Quillota hospital is a public hospital located in an urban zone of a mostly agricultural area in Central Chile in the Aconcagua Valley. 
The hospital welcomes volunteers from medical or nursing schools willing to help and experience the Chilean public health system.
Volunteers from medical school will work together with nurses and doctors in charge of the volunteers. Volunteers will be asked to work in the morning starting at 8am until approximately 5pm. On specific days, they may have to do part of night shifts as well.
The city of Quillota is located in the Aconcagua River valley, in the Valparaíso Region of Chile. It is the capital and largest city of Quillota Province where many inhabitants live in the surrounding farm areas of San Isidro, La Palma, Pocochay, and San Pedro. It is an important agricultural centre (mainly because the plantations of avocado and cherimoya {custard apple} trees). Quillota is connected with the city of La Calera by the small town of La Cruz. The area's agriculture and landscape was described by Charles Darwin in his book The Voyage of the Beagle. A nearby National Park (La Campana) holds a plaque at a viewpoint visited by him. Quillota is 120 km from the capital Santiago, 60 km from the regional capital Valparaíso and is home to the Chilean Army's Calvary School and the Pontifical Catholic University of Valparaíso.
Volunteers need an intermediate level of Spanish and some medical or nursing training, studies or experience to be able to join this project and be part of the public health system in Chile. They will receive a 32-hour Spanish course upon arrival in Santiago.
ENVIRONMENT
Sample Project
CONAF is Chile's National Corporation of Forests and volunteers will work directly under the supervision of Conaf administration and other park rangers at La Campana national park, a World Biosphere reserve declared by UNESCO in 1985 and visited by Charles Darwin in 1834.
Why is it important to volunteer with them? They receive limited governmental resources and help is needed to protect areas and increase the environmental knowledge of the area and awareness of people visiting the different areas of the parks.
The task of rangers and volunteers is to protect the natural reserves, keep trails and signs in good shape, control the flow of people to keep activities safe, deal with trash and litter, and very important,
organize material and activities to promote environmental education among other tasks. Volunteers become part of the park staff.
Volunteers are expected to work 35 hours a week from Monday to Friday, though, there will be instances when volunteers will spend time at the different posts and their hours on duty will be different.
Volunteers will live in Central Chile, V Region. The park is located at about 60 kms from Valparaiso and 160 kms from Santiago on the Coastal Mountain Range. It is very close to Olmué town, an area that gets very busy in the months of November to April. The park comprises 8,000 hectares and has one of the last Chilean Palm Tree forests left in the country, a tree in danger of extinction.
Working with the Mentally Disabled
Sample Project
This project offers a unique opportunity to open up to an uncommon but highly rewarding life experience as volunteer. Become an important agent of change to build a more understanding, conscious and solidary society towards people with mental or psychiatric health problems who come from extremely poor conditions.
Volunteers are welcomed by a model institution in Chile that deals with extreme cases of discrimination, abandonment or social exclusion in people who suffer from mental or psychiatric problems. Hard work with lots of love enables volunteers and professionals to detect and develop these people’s potentials, strengths and capacities to help them live in dignity. Volunteers work hand by hand with a supportive professional team to establish and open more spaces with a community focus that allows people to participate and integrate themselves into the social and work scenarios once they have developed their potentials.
Volunteers will live in Santiago city with local families close to the project site.
Volunteers need to have emotional stability and maturity to face a reality which is usually unknown or misunderstood by society due to preconceived ideas about mentally disabled people.
CUSTOM VOLUNTEER PROJECTS
VIP Chile is interested in developing custom projects related to your special interest and abilities, for example, volunteers for the National Museum of Natural History, teachers or assistant teachers at rural schools. Please talk to your local VIP representative if you are interested in pursuing a special volunteer project.
EDUCATION AND TEACHING
English Opens Doors: Teach English in Chile
Have you ever thought about teaching English as a social contribution? Join this unique program to contribute and leave your mark on the world. Chilean people and schools are open to welcome volunteer native speakers of English to teach in one of the many regions of this diversified, attractive and leading country in South America. Available programs range from 4, 6 and 8 months. 
During this time you will be immersed in local culture and language by living with a local host family and by your daily work in public schools as English Language teaching assistants. Volunteers are assigned to public schools in regions throughout Chile, live with host families in their community, and receive a monthly stipend. The volunteer will work in the classroom for 25 hours per week, and spend an additional 10 hours a week planning classes and leading extracurricular activities for the school community.
Volunteers to this program must be native speakers of English or use English in their everyday language and must be between 21 and 50 years of age. Contact your local VIP representative or complete the on-line Inquiry Form for more information. Fees for the English Opens Doors project are different from other volunteer programs. Please ask your local representative for details.
