How safe is it to volunteer in Ecuador?
Our volunteer program has been operating in Ecuador since 1999! Our team at OSSO is extremely familiar with the country and constantly monitors the safety levels for our volunteers.
While the areas of Ecuador our volunteers live in are generally tourist-friendly, the safety of our volunteers is our number one priority!
We recognize that there are always risks that come with any sort of international travel, however, we have implemented numerous safety measures to ensure that our volunteers have the best and safest experience possible. Some of these measures include:
Secure housing. You will be living on an enclosed property with a locked gate and high walls. Only OSSO volunteers, staff members, and approved personnel have access to the property.
Hired drivers. We have hired drivers that we trust for in-country transportation for our volunteers. We also encourage our volunteers to use the Azutaxi app for finding safe taxi drivers when traveling into the city during their free time.
Group travel. Once in-country, you will never travel by yourself. You will be greeted at the airport by our volunteer directors and for the rest of your volunteer experience, you will always travel in groups of at least 2-3 people.
Code of Conduct. All volunteers have agreed to abide by OSSO’s Code of Conduct, which includes many safety measures, including a nightly curfew, no drugs or alcohol, no visits to bars or parties, etc.
Safe activities: When traveling for OSSO-sponsored weekly activities, we never take volunteers to locations that are listed as a Level 3 or above (as outlined on the Ecuador Travel Advisory).
Phone access: OSSO has phones available for volunteers to use as needed when outside of the volunteer housing, allowing for easy communication if volunteers do not wish to bring their personal cell phone with them.
Volunteer Directors: Volunteers will be supervised by in-country Volunteer Directors who also live in the same housing. Volunteer Directors provide 24/7 support to volunteers and help maintain all safety regulations.
Regular safety updates: OSSO receives all safety notices from the U.S. Embassy and Consulate in Ecuador. Additionally, our staff frequently assesses any safety concerns with our local partners and community members on the ground.