Wachimak

Before visiting Wachimak, please read the following:

• Each visitor must buy themselves knee-high rubber boots. These can be purchased in Tena.
• Tours and volunteer placements need to be paid for beforehand and can be transferred to the community's savings account in Banco del Pichincha Nr. 5477950100 in the name of Jacobo Andy, the village's legal representative. The fees can also be sent by MoneyGram or Western Union in the name of Jacobo Andy, or paid to him directly in Tena at least a day prior to departure to Wachimak.
• Material donations are given to the president of the community at the Welcome Meeting at arrival
• The Farewell gathering by the community´s members for the visitors is held on Friday from 15:00 to 23:00
• Departures from the community back to Tena is on Saturdays at 12:00
• Donations: If you are in Ecuador, any additional economical donations for things such as health care, education and social projects for the members of the community can be transferred to the community's savings account in Banco del Pichincha Nr. 5477950100 in the name of Jacobo Andy, the village's legal representative. International donations can be sent by Money Gram or Western Union in the name of Jacobo Fernando Andy Tanguila.
• The community´s anniversary is 22nd and 23rd October each year.
• If your family at home needs to get in touch with you during your stay, the phone number in Wachimak is +593 63017941
• The Kichwas of Wachimak do not speak English, but speak fluent Spanish. Although like everywhere on Earth, you will manage without speaking Spanish, it will make everything about your stay in Wachimak much easier if you speak some Spanish. We recommend the extremely useful "Pimsleur Spanish Audio Course" - you can try it out for free and if you like it, you can download it or have it sent to your home as a CD. There are also a lot of Spanish schools in Quito you can find on Google but we are in contact with a couple of them, in case you need help. However, you're highly encouraged to make an effort to learn some of their native language, Kichwa. It's not a difficult language, the vocabulary is quite basic and it has only three vocals: a, i, u. If you decide to apply as a volunteer in Wachimak, we will send you a short Kichwa course in Spanish FOR FREE!
• If you plan to teach English, please be prepared to work independently. This will make your efforts much more worth-while and rewarding. From own experience, I recommend taking a TEFL Course (Teaching English as a Foreign Language). It can be done in a classroom in a city near you, or online and you get an internationally recognized diploma after completing the course successfully.