Chile is one of the fastest developing countries in South America. The poverty rate has been cut in half since the early 1990s. Living conditions have not been improving equally for everyone though, and many Chileans still live in poverty. ELI works with several Chilean organizations to create volunteer opportunities that benefit the locals while giving international volunteers a unique opportunity to learn first hand about Chilean culture.

Social Work

Volunteers assist Chilean social workers to help provide support services for children, families, and communities living in poverty. Volunteers with this program will cooperate with the social workers to create workshops to help benefit the community. Volunteers have the opportunity to work with a wide variety of populations. Some possibilities include assisting with care for the elderly, single mothers, indigenous groups, and the unemployed. Past projects have included micro-credit programs, legal aid, vocational training, nutrition education, and recreation programs.

Art

Volunteer at an art school for at-risk youth. The art school aims to give these children the tools and inspiration they need to communicate their feelings, build self esteem, and increase their concentration. Volunteers will lead classes and activities for over 100 at-risk youth. Possible areas to explore with the children include visual arts, dance, theater, music, writing, sculpture, and other forms of expression. International volunteers provide inspiration and support for children who often have trouble expressing themselves due to their difficult and complicated lives. Volunteers are also welcome to assist teaching more traditional subjects such as Math, English, and Spanish. Many of the children at this school are struggling to complete remedial classes and catch up with their peers in school.

Home Construction

Impoverished families throughout Chile are in great need of improved housing. Many families live in homes constructed with inadequate materials and by people not qualified to build homes. This means the families are exposed to dangerous conditions on a daily basis (unstable structures, lack of clean water, no electricity, no heat, etc.). In a land often shaken by earthquakes like Chile, it is very important for all families to live in soundly constructed homes. Volunteers with this program will help with ongoing home construction projects.

Special Needs Children

As in much of Latin America, children born with disabilities often face a bleak future in Chile. ELI works with several schools for special needs children. The schools work to provide the children with the skills and education they need to integrate into society. Volunteers with this project will have the opportunity to assist with occupational therapy, physical therapy, and other activities to stimulate the children physically and intellectually. This is a great opportunity to help motivate and empower the children at these centers. Interacting with international volunteers is always a high point for the children, and their smiles are unforgettable.

Conservation projects

Chile's landscape is stunning. The country stretches from north of the Tropic of Capricorn almost to the Antarctic Circle. The Atacama desert in the north is the driest place on earth--only trace amounts of precipitation have ever been recorded in some areas of the desert. Moving south along the Andes, the intensely arid desert gives way to vineyards, world famous ski areas, temperate rain forest, and large ice fields in the south. Boats headed for Antarctica regularly set sail from Ushaia on the Argentine side of Tierra del Fuego. The first national parks and reserves in Chile were first established in the 1920s, but despite these early conservation efforts, Chile is facing many serious environmental issues including deforestation, industrial pollution, air pollution, and introduction of exotic species. Volunteers with a background in environmental science, agronomy, ecology, tourism, or aquaculture are welcome to work in a variety of projects in national parks and reserves.