Volunteering with the Centro de la Niña Trabajadora – CENIT

Unfortunately, during our visit to Quito, Shine a light did not have the opportunity to meet personally with CENIT. The program has been kind enough to send us a description of their volunteer needs, which we include here. For further information, please write to the address at the bottom of this page.

CENIT is dedicated to helping working children and street children and their families – with a special focus on girls and women. Our non-profit, non- governmental organization works with our local community and international volunteers to empower individuals to improve their quality of life and to serve as agents of change in our society. We have a street outreach programme, a kindergarten, a primary school, a vocational high school, a drop-in tutoring center, adult educational and vocational programs and a medical clinic.

Volunteering:

CENIT relies heavily on volunteers from all over the world in many of its various programs. As a CENIT volunteer, you will work in a team environment according to your interests. All of our programs accept volunteers, but placement depends on the amount of time you'll be spending with us, whether your commitment is full or part-time, your Spanish level and your areas of interest.

• Volunteer Inscription Fee As of February 1, 2003, all incoming volunteers will be asked to pay a one-time processing fee of $50. This inscription fee allows volunteers full-time supervision and written evaluation upon request. These funds are used to cover the volunteer coordinator’s salary, administrative expenses and program costs.
  
  
• Visa Arrangements Due to the expense of international faxing, incoming volunteers requiring assistance with visa arrangements are charged $15 upon arrival.
  
  
• Additional Services… Some of our incoming volunteers need assistance arranging airport pick up, homestay/accomodations, and spanish lessons. If you would like information regarding these services, please contact us.
  

The minimum time commitment is one month. Exceptions are made in special cases, so please contact us if you're interested. Volunteers tend to be from ages 18 to 26, but adults of all ages are welcome. Depending on your level of experience in a given areas, your responsibilities as a CENIT volunteer may vary widely. Nonetheless, here is a description of the tasks generally assigned to a volunteer in the following programs:

Volunteer Opportunities

1. Adopt a Dream Coordinator
2. Literacy Coordinator
3. CEA Coordinator
4. English Education Coordinator
5. Volunteer Nivelaciones Coordinator
6. Street Outreach Clinic
7. Sexual Education
   

Spanish level: Intermediate
Minimum time: 3 months
Schedule: Monday-Friday: 2:00pm-5:00pm (Timetable varies depending on need and activities planned.)

*Please contact us for further advice or if you need assistance seeking housing and Spanish classes during your stay in Quito.

ayudacenit@hotmail.com

Contact person: Byron Salvatierra
E-mail: contact@cenitecuador.org
Address: Centro de la Niña Trabajadora – CENIT
Calle Huacho 150 y Jose Peralta, Quito, Ecuador
Tel/Fax: (022) 265 4260
www.cenitecuador.org