‘Ever since arriving in Maqui there was a little spot
by the river that I loved,’ wrote Kerri McGuinness
of her placement with Outreach International,
spent mostly at the Maquipucuna Ecological
Reserve, two hours north of Quito, Ecuador.
‘The song of the river and the view from it are
awesome.’ But there was a problem: there
was nowhere to sit to admire them. Taking the
situation in hand, Kerri and another volunteer
decided to build a bench from bamboo. But that
wasn’t enough – they weeded the surrounding
ground, constructed a small rock staircase and
landscaped the area, so that everyone else who
visited the reserve might have a place to relax
and listen to the river’s song. This story perfectly
illustrates the rewards of ambitious self-
determination that many development projects,
like those of Outreach International, offer. Kerri
initially signed up with the London-based charity
for a three-month volunteer project, but stayed
on for four. When Kerri is asked what her typical
duties were, she replies, ‘What were not my duties
is far easier to answer! Normally I’d rattle off what
a ‘typical’ day was, but the beauty was that every
day was unpredictable!’
Even though she admits there was little
structure to her particular programme, she
found that freedom liberating, and says that
the more she put in to the work, the more she
got out of it.
‘I immersed myself in the local community
working with the craftswomen, teaching in
schools and painting murals in the school play-
ground. Then I went to the organic coffee farm
affiliated with Maquipucuna for a few weeks,and lived with a typical family,’ she says. ‘Aside
from helping with coffee-growing, I took on the
other aspects of farm life. By 6am every morning
I was across the valley herding the cows (a hand-
ful on your own!) and after milking them I herded
them back over, cowgirl style. We then drank their
milk in our home-grown coffee at breakfast time.
For the final month of my stay I had the run of
the place, and helped construct trails and build
signs, and I taught English, helped in the kitchen,
waited on guests, translated and built a bench
from bamboo, to name just a few projects!’
But she was hardly slacking during her days
off. She rafted the Amazon, climbed volcanoes
and explored local hot springs. She even
found time to take the famous train ride down
the ‘Devil’s Nose’, said to be one of the most
dangerous rail journeys in the world. ‘We rode
on the roof like peasants!’ she says.
When Kerri finished in Maquipucuna she
toured the region, topping off her trip with a
visit to the Galápagos islands, ‘No better way of
ending my out-of-this-world adventure. I was
30 metres under, diving with sharks, turtles,
rays and sea lions.’
All told, it was her trust in the Outreach
International staff that helped her choose the
programme and she describes the placement
as unforgettable, gratifying and eye-opening.
‘One only sees so much when travelling but vol-
unteering with Outreach International allowed
me to go to places no backpacker would even
know about and do things that they’d never
think of doing. I feel fulfilled, refreshed and
hungry for more already.’Memories of Maqui
05: Organised Volunteer Programmes:Memories of Maquidestinations: worldwide, but many
placements are in europe.
Costs: the price depends on where you
go and what you’re doing, so could cost
anything between £210 and £1190. this does
not include flights. special offers apply when
booking on more than one project.
eligibility: minimum age 18.
groups or Individuals: expeditions place
volunteers together in small groups.
annual no. of Volunteers: 300
annual projects: 30
partner programmes: 20
selection & Interview process: there is no
selection process.
In-country support: pre-project contact is
by phone or email with the leader. all btCV
leaders are trained in leadership, technical
aspects and health, safety and welfare, and
they accompany every project, as do local
leaders. there’s a 24-hour emergency contact
for volunteers and family members, 24-hour
organisational back-up for emergencies and
a trained leader on-site. fully developed
safety management and risk assessment
systems are backed up by btCV’s full-time
professional team.
the Centre for alternative technology
machynlleth, powys sY20 9aZ, wales, uK
%+44 (0)1654 705950
fax +44 (0)1654 702782
http://www.cat.org.uk
Cat is europe’s leading ecocentre, which
inspires, informs and enables people to live
more sustainably. Key areas of work are
renewable energy, environmental building,
energy efficiency, organic growing and
alternative sewerage systems. there are
two volunteer schemes. one is for long-term
volunteers who come for six months and work
in a specific area or department – including
biology, building, engineering, gardening,
information, media, publications or visitor
centre management. the second is for short-
term volunteers who come for a week or two
and help with general outdoor, practical work
(mostly gardening).
timing & length of placements: the
short-term programmes are for one or two
weeks and run during particular weeks in
the spring or summer. the long-term six-
month placements begin either in spring
or autumn. due to the popularity of the
programme, it’s a good idea to apply six
months in advance.
destination: powys (wales).
Costs: short-term volunteers pay £10 per day
for full board. long-term volunteers pay £105
per month if they are staying on site and an
additional £110 per month for food, laundry,
fuel etc. some long-term volunteers cannot
be accommodated on-site so there’s no fee
payable to Cat (although you obviously need
to pay rent to someone else). long-term
volunteers must also take a minimum of one
of Cat’s courses which are running during a
their stay.
eligibility: for those aged 18 and over.
groups or Individuals: Individuals; groups by
negotiation for specific projects.
annual no. of Volunteers: 64 short-term
volunteers and approximately 20 long-term
volunteers.
annual projects: ongoing construction,
installation and research projects are
possible, such as the production of woodland
walk display boards.
partner programmes: european Voluntary
service (p97).
selection & Interview process: long-term
volunteers spend a trial week with the
department they wish to assist, following
submission of their CV.
In-country support: support is provided by
the personnel department and a friendly,
supportive atmosphere. many long-term staff
are former volunteers.Coral Cay Conservation
elizabeth house. 39, York road,
london se 1 7nQ, uK
%+44 (0) 207 620 1411
fax +44 (0) 207 921 0469
[email protected]
http://www.coralcay.org
Coral Cay Conservation (CCC) runs expeditions
to collect scientific information in some of the
most beautiful coastal areas of Cambodia,
tobago and the philippines. participants help
to protect some of the most endangered
marine and tropical habitats in the world on
cutting-edge programmes that work hand-
in-hand with ngos from the host countries.
CCC runs projects at the invitation of local
governments and in collaboration with in-
country ngos, so it is purely coincidental that
continued on p136Kerri McGuinness at the Maquipucuna Ecological ReservePhoto: Kerri McGuinness