Volunteer in the Amazon Rainforest (1-6 months)

Interning with Manna

Interning with Manna Project International is an opportunity to develop important professional skills in high impact professions while also improving your Spanish, learning Kichwa, making relationships with people from around the world, and exploring the Amazon Rainforest.

During your time with Manna Project International you will experience life and work alongside other young leaders and community members. At our site in Ecuador, you will support a variety of impactful programs designed to meet the specific needs and opportunities of the community. You will be based in Shandia, an indigenous Kichwa village in the Talag Parish, located within the Amazonian province of Napo, Ecuador. Since launching our site in Shandia in May 2023, MPI has been actively engaged in providing support to the village's 350 residents and approximately 2,000 individuals from 13 neighboring communities.

To help respond to these challenges, an intern will join onto projects that have been collaboratively designed with the community. These projects include:

• public health
• women's empowerment
• education
• youth development
• sustainability and ecotourism
• agriculture

About the Organization

Manna Project International (MPI), a US-based nonprofit organization operating health, education, and economic empowerment programs in Ecuador, is looking for volunteers and interns to strengthen our on-site team in rural, Amazonian Ecuador to create sustainable grassroots programming that addresses the challenges and needs in the community.

Since 2004, Manna Project International has fostered communities of talented young leaders to become the next generation of social change agents by engaging in collaborative, on-the-ground service with international communities in need. MPI focuses on building cross-cultural relationships with local residents, partner organizations, community leaders while creating and implementing small, start-up community programs and develops our short-term and long-term volunteers and Program Directors through challenging field work, active skills building, and hands-on leadership opportunities over the course of their service. For more background on MPI, please visit our website, www.mannaproject.org.

During your time with MPI you will experience life and work alongside other young leaders and community members. At our rural, indigenous Kichwa village site in the Ecuadorian Amazon Rainforest, you will support a variety of impactful programs designed in collaboration with the Shandia community to address their needs. You will have the flexibility to support new programs and conduct personal research where the community's vision intersects with your own education, passions and interests. At a new site in rural Ecuador, working with an indigenous community where 70% of residents are underserved, this position is well-suited for volunteers who are adventurous and flexible, comfortable living in rustic conditions, and eager to work with some structure and lots of entrepreneurship.

Responsibilities:

The responsibilities of interns include any and all tasks necessary to maintaining and improving the day-to-day operations of MPI. This includes but is not limited to:

• Maintaining current community development programs
• Researching, designing and implementing new initiatives
• Building and deepening MPI’s local and international partnerships
• Collaborating regularly with fellow volunteers, Program Directors, and the Country Director to improve the reach and effectiveness of MPI’s programs
• Submitting programmatic reports to the Country Director and regularly tracking metrics to assess the impact of MPI’s programs
• Collaborating regularly with fellow volunteers and the Country Director to improve the reach and effectiveness of MPI’s program
• Participating in organization-wide planning and development, including recruitment, finances, grant writing, fundraising, social media, public relations, and donor relations.

Desired Qualifications

• Strong interest in community development.
• Excellent communication and interpersonal skills.
• Ability to adapt to new environments and work collaboratively with diverse groups.
• Patience and flexibility for unpredictable community work pace.
• Self-starter capable of autonomy.
• Proficiency in Spanish is not required but is highly recommended as it will allow externs to have a much more enriching experience on site.

Benefits of volunteering with us:

• Extensive ongoing leadership experience and preparation for many professional fields including but not limited to: International Development, International Business, Latin American Studies, Nonprofit, Education, Healthcare, Law, Communication, Foreign Relations
• Opportunities to conduct personal research
• 5-10 personal days (depending on length of commitment); 10 national holidays annually
• Valuable workforce and life skills
• A visa to live in-country for the duration of your work with MPI
• Professional development including language training, mentorship, quarterly retreats
• Access to a growing and very distinguished Alumni Network of 2,000+ and resources to help with your future

What Manna Project Alumni are saying:

• "Manna was an integral part of getting me to where I am now. Without the experience I got abroad, I can't imagine getting the job I have now or getting into grad school. It taught me so much about putting what I had studied in undergrad into practice, and gave me real life experience. I talk about it all the time in interviews, as "fun facts" when you have to do those lame introduce yourself games, and just in every day conversation." Liz Rosenbaum, 5-month volunteer

"As a Program Director in Ecuador, I developed confidence in ways that have helped me continue to grow personally and professionally. Some examples:

• In Ecuador we were consistently adapting to challenges in order to find success.
• We were presented with multiple opportunities to step up and gain experience leading program, group or class.
• We learned firsthand the power and impact of building strong community alliances."
• Evan Quinell, 11-month volunteer