HealthCare Volunteer - Current Opportunities, Ecuador

Home > Volunteers > Current Opportunities > Ecuador

Volunteers & Job Seekers

Tanzania

Uganda

Brazil

St. Vincent and the Grenadines

Suggested Packing List

Back To My Account

Ecuador - Trip Report
Misahualli, Ecuador
June 2007
By: Sean Bastani (DS2) & Shamim Moslemi (DS2)

Misahualli Dental Volunteering Info
Dental Clinic
The trip to Misahualli for us was a great experience. This trip gave us the chance to see how dentistry is practiced in communities with very limited resources in particular remote areas of Ecuador.
The medical clinic of Misahualli had been renovated two years ago; the new building included several rooms which were used by a general doctor, a nurse, a pediatrician, and two local dentists. The dental room of clinic was one of the biggest rooms in the building with plenty sunshine which was the main light source of dental unit.
Ecuador dental volunteering

The dental work done in Misahualli can be considered as basic procedures such as extractions, resin composite fillings, exams (No X-rays). In total there were two units available: one was a fixed chair with no light that had many signs of repairs, the other unit was a portable set which was used in the two days that we spent in the communities along side of the Napo River.
The two local dentist of this community were extremely friendly and passionate about helping their people, but lack of dental supplies and instruments seemed to be their biggest obstacle. They had never worked with assistances before so our volunteer work was very useful for them.
Under the supervision of local dentists we got to do some dentistry such as injecting local anesthetics, and relatively simple extractions. We could have done more if they had more units available, but not having enough clean instruments was the biggest problem. In many cases just holding a flashlight for the doctor was the best help due to the lack of light source.
Knowledge of Spanish is very important as local people do not speak English; however, there are many good Spanish schools in Quito that you can learn basic Spanish in the shortest amount of time.

Misahualli
Misahualli is a small village located 200 kilometres east of Quito the Capital. It takes about six hours by bus to arrive in Misahualli. Everyday there are direct busses from Quito-Misahualli and Misahualli-Quito. The population of Misahualli is a mixture of indigenous people and mestizos (mix of indigenous and Spanish people). The village has a population of about 700 people.

Accommodations
There are several hostels located in this village. We stayed at Hostal Show/Ecoselva, a small hostel in the center of Misahualli. The hostel is run by PepÃ© Tapia and his wife Margarita. PepÃ© Tapia is one of the few local people who speak English, and operate different jungle tours. He also coordinates different volunteer projects. You will share all your meals with the family of PepÃ© and Margarita. The hostel is somewhat clean, there is electricity (but be aware that in the Ecuadorian jungle this can go out every minute due to heavy rainfall or falling trees), hot water, and laundry facilities. There is no Internet cafÃ© or telephone available in the village; you need to go to Tena, which is about 45 min away from Misahualli. There are frequent buses going to Tena, also the cost of taxi is about $8. The cost of stay for one week in the hostel is $90 which includes room and 3 meals.

Tourism Opportunities
1) Amazon jungle tour is available through Pepe
2) Visit the butterfly garden in Misahualli
3) Village has a sandy beach on the river, right outside town where you can go for a swim in the Rio Misahualli. The Rio Napo is accessible by canoes and offers excellent tourism opportunities
4) See the monkeys running around at the central plaza, visit local indigenous communities by canoe
Apply now

How Do I Apply?
Follow this 3 step process:
1. Create an account and then login. Next Fill out the Online Application.
2. Next, Print/Fill out the Paper form (PDF or DOC) and mail it to us with any supporting documents.
3. Upon receipt of your materials, we will process your application, obtain necessary work permits and deploy you to your volunteering site. Filling out the volunteering form is not a guarantee of placement, but we do try to accommodate as many volunteers as possible during the times you request. Please remember you will have to pay your own visa, temporary licensure or other governmental fees necessary. In the mean time, please gain the latest recommended immunizations
US Citizens: Follow CDC Guidelines | UK Citizens: Follow NHS Guidelines | Other Citizens: Follow Local Guidelines

Top

Healthcare Volunteer In The Media
View Videos from the Field| Apply Now