FEMM Ecuador

We are an Ecuadorian private, nonprofit and volunteering organization, we have been working on research and conservation for 30 years to benefit Marine mammals (bottlenose dolphins and humpback whales mainly) and in recent years with marine-coastal protected areas to preserve their habitats.

Our Mission is to promote and carry out the scientific research; environmental education; sustainable management; responsible scientific tourism and conservation of the marine mammals species, endangered biodiversity, the fragile land and coastal-marine ecosystems and natural protected areas of Ecuador; as well as to contribute with development of management policies and legal regulations for their protection and conservation.

During all the year we have office and field work, scientific watching tours and activities for bottlenose dolphins research program. The humpback whale watching field trips are between June and September. The four kind of volunteering programs are:

1.      Internship volunteering: minimum 1 month, it's included accommodation and two meals with a 50 USD daily fee (more information on the sections below). Research field trips included.

2.       Free volunteering: minimum 6 months, it's included accommodation but the other conditions will be agreed between the Foundation and the volunteer. 

3.      Free volunteering with special arrangements: limited (short) time for people with special skills required by the organization and conditions will be agreed with FEMM Ecuador. Accommodation it's included. 

4.       Online volunteering: minimum 1 month with the conditions specified in the online volunteering section. It is not on-site. Personal internet services needed. 

Volunteers work

1. Assistant in different disciplines/multipurpose activities: research projects related with cetacean species (mainly bottlenose dolphin and humpback whales) and the protected areas where they live. Besides, the volunteering will help in conservation, environmental education, sustainable management, ecotourism projects. The volunteer will do field work for the study of these species and office work to collect, edit and analyze the data.

2. Marketing and Fundraising: promoting the fundraising of the foundation through donations; promoting the volunteering program; selling souvenirs, dolphin and whale watching tours (standard and scientific tours); administrative work; dolphin and/or whale research if agreed with the organization

3. Community manager: responsible of Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, etc.; responsible of the Organization website; email response; volunteering program platforms control; administrative work.

4. Administrative Assistant: secretary and administrative work; helping to process information; fundraising applications; physical and digital files organization; managing the organization agenda; sending documentation; service payments; supervising other positions.

5. Environmental Education Assistant: developing a program of environmental education; creating environmental information for schools; creating environmental information for fishermen; creating environmental information for tourism.

6. Conservation Assistant: helping on the creation of conservation programs; contacting with other organizations to try to do some agreements; helping on the research projects.

7. Website Designer to create the Organization website: we need someone who can design or help us to find the most economical way to do the website; besides the volunteer can help with promotion of the website and the other platforms where we have information about the organization.

8. Drone photographer: video recording of the field work in a boat and from the air studying the endangered bottlenose dolphin population; taking pictures of the field work; edition of the pictures and videos for promotion; recording and editing online courses; managing the YouTube account.