Proyecto Suwa

Proyecto Suwa is a non-profit volunteer organisation which works with the Achuar, an indigenous people from the Ecuadorian Amazon, to learn English.

The Achuar are a proud people who are currently engaged in a number of political struggles for autonomy over their rainforest (against oil prospectors) and their waterways. They have established ecotourism projects as an alternative to selling their territory. They want to learn English to work with the tourists and save their biodiversity from the oil contamination as well as to publicise their struggles internationally.

There is currently no mains electricity or running water in the community. We use solar panels and rainwater instead.

This project is inspired by the legitimate environmental and human rights cause that the indigenous people of Ecuador are fighting for. We work supplying volunteer English teachers for the community of Suwa, an extremely remote indigenous village, deep in the interior of the Ecuadorian Amazon rainforest. We work closely with each volunteer to prepare them for their stay, as well as communicating with them throughout their placement, in order to guarantee their enjoyment, enrichment and general wellbeing. We also have an ongoing relationship with members of the community of Suwa to ensure we best meet their needs, as well as the official support of the Nacionalidad Achuar del Ecuador (the Achuar government). This project has been created to meet the demands of the inhabitants of Suwa, and of the Achuar people as a whole, to learn English.

Proyecto Suwa is looking for volunteers who can give time and energy to this educational programme and enjoy life in this unique location in the jungle’s interior, living alongside and a in a similar fashion to the Achuar. Our placement is for the more adventurous and motivated volunteers, who will see the occasional discomforts and geographical isolation as a challenge rather than a chore, and is interested to learn about different cultures, traditions and lifestyles.

We also help Suwa by providing them with more educational resources (books, pencil, white boards, etc.) because of the extreme lack of all basic and educational materials.

Proyecto Suwa is a volunteering program which considers the relation between volunteer and locals as a form of mutual exchange.