I am a volunteer

Accepted Volunteers

If you've already been accepted to OSSO's volunteer program, this is the page for you! Here you will find information and resources that will help you prepare for your upcoming experience or make your current adventure even more epic.

Volunteer abroad in South America. Serve in orphanages in Ecuador.

Volunteer Preparations

Once accepted, you'll want to start preparing for your experience in Ecuador. Be sure to follow the instructions in your acceptance email. For convenience, on this page are all the checklists, packing lists, and quizzes you’ll need in order to prepare for your trip.

Start your preparations with the following three steps.

Download, print, and complete the volunteer checklist.
Pay your program fees.

Volunteer Checklist

Immunizations

Before traveling with OSSO, we require you to stay up-to-date with CDC regulations, speak with your personal physician, and be current on all regular immunizations including the following.

Hepatitis A & B
Typhoid Fever
Flu Shot
COVID-19 is no longer required to volunteer, although some orphanages still require volunteers to wear masks.

NOTE: Where you will be living in Ecuador is between 8,200 to 9,200 ft (2,500 to 2,800 meters) above sea level. No Malaria medication is necessary for Ecuador. See the CDC website for more information.

Additional Ideas

Keep exploring! Take a look at our Pinterest boards for kids' activities, bucket-list adventures, travel tips, inspirational quotes, and more.

OSSO's Pinterest is a useful resource for volunteers before, while, and after volunteering.

Want to practice your Spanish? Check out our Spanish manual here!

Spanish Manual

Ecuador Volunteers

If you've been accepted as an OSSO volunteer or if you're already volunteering in Ecuador, check out these resources.

PACKING LIST

Click the button below to download your Ecuador packing list.

Ecuador Packing List

OSSO volunteer packing suitcase before traveling to South America to participate on a humanitarian trip.

OSSO volunteer in Ecuador playing with children. OSSO is an orphan care organization in Ecuador, a country in South America.

Activities for kids

Activities are an important part of your volunteer experience! Volunteers work together to prepare a fun activity for the children during each shift. We have a large supply of games, arts and craft supplies, and other fun equipment at the volunteer house that you can use for activities.

Once you have applied and been accepted, you will receive an email with a list of activity supplies that the volunteer house could currently use more of. We encourage you to consider bringing some of these items with you to Ecuador!

Whether you pack activity supplies or not, we do highly recommend that you at least come prepared with a list of activity ideas. This will help your transition into the volunteer work be much smoother.

You can visit our Pinterest for activity ideas or come up with your own. We encourage you to be creative and think about activities you enjoyed as a child!