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Where does Intag work:
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Intag
Otavalo, Ecuador
2 weeks in Cuellaje parish, Intag
April 10, 2012
I stayed for two weeks in Cuellaje and it has been the highlight of my time in Ecuador so far. The town itself is very beautiful and quaint with a
why the volunteer contibution to family costs?
April 01, 2012 | 1 comment
Notes on volunteer contributions to their host family while with the Intagtour ProjectBy Ned Cresswell, Intagtour project coordinator.While recognizing that money is not, generally speaking, a subject of fascination to
March 18, 2012
10 march 2012Financial report of Intagtour, for Omprakash.1. The setting up and maintenance of intagtour.Dec 2007 Design and publishing of intagtour website $800(locally produced by Sr Richard Guevara)Jan 2007 improvements, corrections, and Spanish version $200Oct
Rosario, the school and the pig...
March 18, 2012
My name is Kirsten, and I spent a month teaching English and living with a family in Rosario, Intag. If you are a prospective volunteer itching to learn Spanish, help
March 18, 2012
My partner and I have spent 2 1/2 weeks volunteering at Finca San Antonio, and can highly recommend the experience! Eduardo (Ned) has been great in setting us up and
February 26, 2012
Volunteering in Rosario – IntagVolunteering was the aim of our recent trip to South America and, as a result, we spent a great deal of time researching the volunteering opportunities
February 26, 2012
Volunteering inIntagHello!Thanks to Ned, Chari and Felix I was able to make it to the wonderful area to volunteer. My experience while there was very incredible and I am amazed
February 26, 2012
3 lovely weeks in Intag Living in Intag was a special experience of getting to know more about Ecuadorian culture and the life. I enjoyed every single minute being there, 2
February 26, 2012
Rural DreamsFebruary 6, 2012 at 12:00 am (Uncategorized)Frida and I arrived into the San Antonio valley on the back of a truck, being thrown this way and that way with
What does the grant mean to Intag?
November 12, 2011
With this grant, the modest farmers who own the San Venancio ecological reserve will finally be able to construct a small refuge and push forward their hopes in developing a
Model ecotourism project: San Venancio in Cuellaje, Intag
Intag, by Christina Chaya
March 06, 2012
I've been living in South America for over ten years, realizing the conflict of capitalism and modernization in indigenous/small rural communities. There is much to learn about their simple lifestyles: sustainable in practice, and respectful to Mother Nature in essence. Through my social and environmental entrepreneurial work, I support the communities' vision of Sumak Kawsay, "Buen Vivir". This has led me to this remote town called Cuellaje in the Intag valley, where I have found a community of highly conscious, proactive, hardworking, community-oriented Ecuadorian natives aiming to live harmoniously with their natural environment, protecting important water sheds, primary forests, and internationally renowned flora, fauna and valuable natural resources in their cloud forests.One of the outstanding local initiatives I have decided to focus my energy towards is the vision of a...
How volunteering changed my life!
Intag, by Ankura Ranade
January 24, 2012
It was in February last year that I heard from a friend that she was going to volunteer in South America. It was from her too, that I heard about Omprakash. I had been feeling restless in my job for a while then and so when she told me about her travel and volunteer plans, I instantly knew that I wanted to do the same. It took me six months after that to be able to get visas etc in place and leave the country. I was headed for South Am too.A few days before I left I met some expats living in my city and working with NGOs there. One of the girls said to me ´You´re going to have a great time!´ I knew it too but I...
Life at Intag
Intag, by Ankura Ranade
November 07, 2011
4 weeks have flown by and it is time for me to leave Intag in 3 days. When I got here, I thought '5 weeks is a long time' and given that I thought that there was nothing much to do here, I was worried about how I was going to pass my time.As it turned out, I had nothing to worry about! Intag and Cuellaje (the village where I am staying) are indeed special with special people. Intag is the name of the zone and it comprises of many communities. Cuellaje is part of one such community with 6 neighbouring parishes. I taught english at the Cuellaje school to kids aged 7-11 for 3 weeks. The kids were adorable and genuinely wanted to learn! They would start cheering when...
First experiences as a volunteer
Intag, by Ankura Ranade
October 18, 2011
I have now been a volunteer for one week. It seems like it has been longer though! And through this one week, I have dealt with some amount of restlessness before settling down and getting used to life in this village in Ecuador and moving on to having fun!So I am in a village in Ecuador called Cuellaje. It has indeed been along journey from India to here via NYC, houston to Quito by flight. From Quito (which is the capital city) by bus to Otavalo and then to Cuellaje with another bus. Didn´t end there though! I got to Cuellaje and stayed overnight at a small hotel they have here. The next morning I was supposed to go up to the mountains (which surround this village) to meet the co-ordinator at Intag, Ned. He...
Last leg of preparations
Intag, by Ankura Ranade
August 20, 2011
So I finally got my visas! :) And now I'm all set to leave for Ecuador in a month's time to volunteer with Intag. I am very excited and a little little scared somewhere sometimes. But this fear of the unknown, uncertain is what makes this journey interesting, challenging and highly satisfying. Now it was time to resign from my job and tell everyone why I am going, where I am going and what I will do. In the Indian context, its not very commonplace for someone to quit a very well paying job, stall a career mid-way and head off to the other side of the globe to volunteer. I got various reactions - my boss called it a "holiday" and told me that it was not the smartest...
From one end of the world to the other! Visa sagas and other blues
Intag, by Ankura Ranade
June 23, 2011
So I have recieved a volunteer grant from Omprakash and am delighted about it! I plan to volunteer with Intag in Ecuador and possibly Seeds of Hope in Peru in September/ October.Once the excitement and celebration of having recieved a grant died down, I got down to the more practical business of logging onto multiple travel websites to book tickets etc.I have travelled a lot and one hurdle that I constantly face is that of applying for and getting visas to various countries. Since I am an Indian citizen, I require visas to almost all countries in the world before I leave home. Which means buying round tickets, getting employment proof, bank statements and in some cases even insurance before applying for the visa. And many countries insist on personal...
ECOmapping at University of Panama
Intag, by Reshma Kulkarni
May 25, 2011
ECOmapping is an activity that helps the student’s to realize the importance of participation and creates interest in environmental and governance issues. It gives them a chance to deliberate on the surrounding environment and channels their thinking in a positive manner to find solutions after a problem has been identified.A site on the University area was selected. The area is located behind the basketball court and has a creek running through the site. This is relatively an isolated area, not much visited by the students and the creek is not in a good environmental condition.The purpose of the activity was to identify the problems and encourage the students to think about different ways to solve the problem. The students were empowered by making them think as if they were the...
Biodiversity Conservation – Through a new lens.
Intag, by Reshma Kulkarni
May 11, 2011
It is like entering a grand mall and walking straight to your favorite shop; if an item is out of stock you either walk away empty handed or are then forced to explore the rest. It is like, after an exhausted day, having a plethora of menu but ordering the pet ones. Inspite of variety being the spice of life, we carry some ‘favorites’. May be the security of the known or the reluctance towards the unknown; being oblivious to the updates or believing in the time tested tastes; may be lack of time or mere lethargy; or maybe trusting the open market to weed out the unfit. ‘Favorites’ ..We choose it, revert to it and exploit it.You and I together and for generations together, have selected a few favorites!...
Homestay in San Antonio (Intag, Ecuador)
Intag, by Reshma Kulkarni
May 10, 2011
I lived with Samuel and Ceneida and their two daughters, Carla and Nayeli. Carla is nine and Nayeli, seven years old. A warm and loving family, they made me feel at home! Samuel is the president of the community and the couple is considered one of the few progressive ones.Day starts at five. Samuel and Ceneida milk the cows and the girls leave around 6:30 for school. The school is a 40 minute walk through the mountainous road and misty skies. Milk, farming and cattle are the main sources of income. Samuel works on the farm. Ceneida looks after the household. The girls get back from school in the afternoon. The television and the radio provide entertainment. Mostly all Spanish, but the radio plays English songs too! The family gets...
Reaching San Antonio – ( Intag, Ecuador)
Intag, by Reshma Kulkarni
May 10, 2011
As if I couldn’t make my mind where I had to go.. I flew up and down, north and south .. Lima – Bogota- Guayaquil- Quito! After over 18 hours I finally reached Quito… Chari and Felix stood outside with my name tag to receive me. They are a warm and friendly couple and their house reflects the same notion. It is a cozy place! Felix is an artist and musician and he gladly showed me the Andean instruments. Chari is an excellent cook and after weeks of ‘arroz con verduras’ I had nice, tasty vegetarian home-cooked dinner. Having spent two nights in travelling, I fell asleep in matter of seconds. Next day Chari came to drop me at the Terminal Terrestre (bus terminal, as called in Latin America). Through...
Dominican Republic 2011
Intag, by Jordan Moody
March 24, 2011
Grant acception
Intag, by Jordan Moody
March 24, 2011
Updating since I was accepted for the volunteer grant to go to Intag, Ecuador in July. I e-mailed Ned Cresswell and told him about my acception, I'll post it here. Dear Ned Cresswell,I know it has been many months since our last message but I am happy to inform you that I was accept by the Omprakash Volunteer Grant for $1000 and will be buying my plane ticket as soon as the check comes in the mail. I've planned to buy the ticket for July 1st, 2011 and my return ticket will be for December 20th, 2011. Along with the $1000 grant money I have enough to cover any other costs that will be needed while I am in Ecuador.By June I'll be sure to e-mail you about any other plans...
Pictures from the Dominican Republic
Intag, by Jordan Moody
September 14, 2010
Andean rural and remote communities: More than English teaching...
Intag, by Sandra Saulnier
April 14, 2010
Omprakash grant recipient Volunteering with Intag partner from October 21 to May 1st 2010I’m Sandra from France and I’ve been teaching English and computer skills to children from Intag communities in Ecuador for 6 months. As there are environmental issues in this beautiful part of the world, I was also motivated to raise public awareness about deforestation and helped Ned Creswell to develop the Ecotourism project. I’ve narrated my experiences as a teacher; the daily life shared with families from different communities and described the environmental issues in my blog http://ecotouristadventure.wordpress.com.With the Omprakash grant, I’ve been able to fund my trip but also finance the teaching expenses. I also printed photos for the school, my family hosts and people from the community and contribute to food supplies weekly. Before I left,...