Welcome to Cuenca - a small, historic city nestled high in the Andes Mountains in the southern end of Ecuador. You’ll love living amongst the green picturesque mountains, colonial architecture, and cobblestone streets. As a volunteer, you’ll have the opportunity to serve in several different orphanages and work with children of all ages! During your free time, you can explore Cuenca and eat at delicious cafes, visit the local cathedrals, and go souvenir shopping at the artisan markets - and don’t forget the weekly group activities!

OSSO has partnered with orphanages in Cuenca and provided volunteer abroad opportunities here since 1999!

If you’re looking for a meaningful volunteer abroad experience with a well-established nonprofit - Cuenca is for you!

At a Glance:

• Number of Orphanages: 6 orphanages + 1 daycare for low-income families

• Age Range of Children: 0-17

• Unique to Cuenca: One of the main orphanages you’ll serve at is specifically for children and adults with disabilities.

The basics:

As an OSSO volunteer, your main service is to help meet the emotional needs of children and youth living in orphanages. These children have their basic needs met by the orphanage (food, shelter, clothing, etc.), however, what they most often lack in is love. This is where YOU come in!

OSSO volunteers help fill in the role that orphaned children are often missing - parents, older siblings, mentors, and friends. As a volunteer, your job is to help each child receive the individual love and attention they need to truly thrive. While this might seem like a big task, the volunteer service itself is typically very simple! The smallest actions often have the greatest impact on a child’s life - such as a smile, a hug, or even just remembering their name.

Unique to Cuenca:

Cuenca is home to Hogar de Ángeles (“Home of the Angels” in Spanish) - OSSO’s orphanage for youth with disabilities.

While most of the orphanages we partner with in Cuenca are run by local organizations or Catholic nuns, Hogar de Ángeles is the only orphanage fully run by OSSO! This is one of the main orphanages you’ll volunteer at during your time in Cuenca.

Most of the residents at Hogar de Ángeles first came to us as young children and are now adults. The vast majority of the residents are wheelchair users and many of them are nonverbal. While the service you’ll give here is very different from the other orphanages, the impact you have on the children and youth here is huge!

You won’t need to have any prior experience working with individuals with disabilities in order to volunteer in Cuenca but you will receive training and orientation once you arrive.

Hogar de Ángeles is often a volunteer favorite - come volunteer in Cuenca to see why!

Volunteers live together in safe and secure housing in a quiet neighborhood just outside of Cuenca. We currently have three different volunteers houses on the property with separate areas for single women, single men, and families. The volunteer housing is on the same property as one of the orphanages that OSSO supports in Cuenca.

Each house is modest but equipped with Wi-Fi, clean drinking water, washing machines, a fully-stocked kitchen, and more. Lunch is provided to volunteers every day, but you will be responsible for making your own breakfast and dinner (or making a meal together with your fellow volunteers).

The temperature in Cuenca is fairly temperate throughout the year and generally stays between 50-75°F. Because of this, the volunteer housing does not have heating or air-conditioning. You generally won’t miss either of those, except when it gets cooler during the nights or during Cuenca’s winter (June - September; Cuenca is in the Southern Hemisphere!). As long as you pack some warmer clothes and a rain jacket, you’ll be fine!

Check out the video for a full tour of one of our Cuenca volunteer houses.

spring 2024

Erin and Patrick Campbell are from Boston, Massachusetts. While raising their 4 kids, they volunteered with OSSO in Cuenca in 2017 and fell in love with it. They have spent many years working with young adults in varying capacities, and while doing so have lived with their family in Madrid, Spain and Concepcion, Chile.

Because of their past experiences they are very excited to be in Ecuador working with wonderful volunteers performing important service!

Erin and Patrick served as Volunteer Directors from September 2022 - May 2023, and will be returning to serve again this year!

Interested in becoming a volunteer director? Learn more about the position and apply here!