objectives of the trip:
Why Volunteer? One good reason to volunteer is the satisfaction you feel in helping people who are trying to build a better life for themselves. The trip allows you to not only see this indigenous culture but to experience it at a deeper level. By talking and working with community members, visiting their markets to view how they shop for their daily goods and traveling to their homes to observe their living quarters and how they make a livelihood, you will begin to understand the challenges they face and see how they deal with them. The new environment that confronts you in Ecuador means a change from your everyday life, but it will present you with a new frame of reference in meeting your life’s challenges at home. What Can We Accomplish? Your contribution of a few days is part of a yearly effort to
provide an ongoing program of education, medical care and service to
this Third World community. In
addition, as participants from various backgrounds and with varying
skills join together for the week as a team to provide service to
others, lasting bonds of friendship are formed between people that
would ordinarily not come together. Such interaction provides the
opportunity to be enriched by each others’ presence. Past team
members experienced personal growth and a new perspective on their
lives and the world around them after returning home from this trip. The Trip Leaders & Sponsors For the past 9 years, the Trandel-Korenchuk family has lead this annual humanitarian service trip to serve the indigenous community of Mojandita and surrounding villages near Otavalo, Ecuador. The consistency of returning to the same location each year allows for continuity in the service the team provides to the community. In addition the teams have the privilege of watching the communities grow and change and the opportunity to bond with the community members to form lasting relationships and build trust. The trip is sponsored by the Myers Park Baptist Church, an ecumenical congregation in the Baptist tradition. For 60 years Myers Park Baptist Church has built a reputation as a place where members are encouraged to ask questions, debate issues, and seek truth. Their doors are open to all. As a result, today they are a vibrant ecumenical congregation of more than 1,800 members, comprised of people from over 20 different faith communities. Keith, Darlene and their 4 children, Michael, John, Thomas and Sarah, lead this trip with a team of approximately 45 people one time each summer. Keith Korenchuk, JD, MPH, is an attorney for Covington & Burling in Washington, DC. Darlene Trandel, PhD, RN/FNP is a family nurse practitioner and serves as a consultant in chronic care to the Health Sciences Institute. Their 4 children are students in various stages of their education, ranging from middle school to graduate school. This trip has been a family endeavor for the past 9 years hence, the entire family plans, organizes and leads this event. This experience has changed how Trandel-Korenchuk family members see the world – they think this experience will likely have that same impact on those who choose to join them. Service Work The team consists of approximately 45 participants. We welcome singles, couples, and families from all walks of life and with various kinds of skills. People from all faith and spiritual orientations are welcome. This team engages in no biblical proselytizing. The spiritual nature of the trip is experienced through the work and service we engage with others and the relationships we form in that process. Team members can choose from several work opportunities: 1. The Mojanda Community Health Clinic.
3. The Mojandita Community Center. We also need individuals who are fluent in Spanish to work as a translator for the team. We use translators to help team members in all the areas listed above. Most of the service work is conducted on the Mojandita Campus. For more information about these projects please see: http://www.casamojanda.com/foundation.html. Team Members People of all faiths, all ages and with all types of skills are welcome to join the team. While we are always in need of individuals who have healthcare backgrounds to work on the medical team and individuals who have teaching experience for the education team, all are welcome to participate in the various service projects offered regardless of profession or skill. All that is necessary to join the team is an interest in learning about different cultures and enhancing ones own personal growth. We welcome children and teens of all ages but they should be accompanied by a parent or guardian. We find that generally children 6 years and older do well and enjoy using their special skills in helping the adults paint, garden, build or work with the Ecuadorian children in the school.Team members do not need to speak Spanish. We furnish translators as needed. Nevertheless, we welcome people who speak the language to help their team mates with translation. Often the teenagers who are taking Spanish in school advance their fluency in this language during this experience by working and talking with the local people. Health Status & Immunizations: Participants should be in relatively good health. Medical care standards are not on par with the US. There is an American hospital in Quito. The outdoor environment at Casa Mojanda is hilly. While the ability to walk long distances is not essential, individuals should be able to ambulate given conditions of uneven terrain. This trip takes place at 10,000 feet in the Andes and while we haven’t had participants experience severe altitude sickness, it is common to feel some minor effects (headache, shortness of breath, etc) the first few days. These symptoms generally disappear in 2-3 days. Throughout the trip, bottled water is consumed and care is taken with the preparation of the food. For travel to this part of Ecuador, immunizations (tetanus & polio) should be up to date and Hepatitis A and Hepatitis B shots are recommended. No malaria prophylaxis or typhoid/ yellow fever vaccines are necessary. Weather Conditions: Team members enjoy the cool, generally dry weather conditions of Ecuador during their stay. In the high Andes the temperatures range from a comfortable 65 – 75 degrees when the sun is out (60s if it is raining). The nights and evenings are chilly with temperatures in the 40’s and 50’s. Itinerary: This trip includes both a service and a sight seeing component in order to meet, work and learn about the indigenous Andean people and to appreciate their culture. Therefore, 2 days are spent in traveling back and forth between the US and Ecuador, 4 days are spent serving and working with the people and 4 days are spent sight seeing and learning about this traditional culture. The trip departs from 2 gateways: Charlotte Douglas Airport in Charlotte, NC and Washington National on June 28th with a mid-day flight to Quito, Ecuador. If you begin your travel from another city, arrangements will be made for you to meet the group in Quito. After spending the night in Quito, the team travels 2 hours north by bus on Sunday to Casa Mojanda Mountainside Inn, the headquarters for the rest of the trip in Otavalo, Ecuador. After arriving and settling into your rooms, the team assembles on the Mojandita campus to unpack supplies, become familiar with the setting and ready themselves for the next day when they begin their service work. Monday through Thursday is spent serving the indigenous communities. Depending on your which team you choose, you will be providing health care in the Mojandita clinic and the rural neighboring villages, engaging the Mojandita elementary school children with an arts/crafts program or working with the people complete a community project for all to benefit. The day begins with a hearty 8 am breakfast in the Mojandita dinning. The teams break at 1 pm for lunch at the Inn. Work for the days ceases about 5 pm with dinner beginning about 7:30 pm after a short debriefing and sharing of stories from the days work among all the team members. An indigenous band comes several evenings after dinner and stirs the team to join in their Ecuadorian music and dancing. On Friday the group tours the neighboring indigenous villages, observing the artisan families at work in their homes and learning about the native culture. Other tour options are available for people who have been before on a previous trip including hiking in the Andes, etc. Saturday is set aside to shop (and bargain) at the famous Otavalo
market, the largest South American craft market. Members are often
happy to have the baggage carried supplies now empty to tote home
all the souvenirs they purchased at this shopping event. Early Monday morning, the team departs by bus from Casa Mojanda to the Quito airport for the return flight home to the States, arriving Monday evening. ....................................................................................................................... Frequently Asked Questions: What is the cost of the trip? If you are traveling from Washington National to Ecuador, the cost of the trip is $2,390. If you are traveling from Charlotte, NC to Ecuador the cost of the trip is $2,290. This fee covers the cost of your meals, accommodations, on-site travel, and planned sight seeing and round trip airfare to Quito, Ecuador from Washington, DC/Charlotte, NC respectively. If you are traveling from another city to Ecuador, the price of the trip will reflect the increase or decrease in the cost of your airline ticket. The airfare portion of the trip is subject to increase due to any additional fuel charges that may be imposed by the airline. We will give you notice of any fare increase if it occurs. What expenses am I responsible for? Your additional expenses will be any side trips you decided to take, personal items (such as email/phone charges, etc), souvenir purchases, alcoholic beverages and soft drinks (juice, coffee/tea is provided at each meal) and departure tax from Ecuador on your return trip home. How do I pay? In order to reserve a spot on the team, you will need to submit an $800 non-refundable deposit no later than February 1, 2007. Because the team is limited to 45 participants we accept deposits on a first come-first serve basis. In recent years the trip has filled rapidly, therefore we suggest you send you deposit as soon as you decided to join the trip. The second payment of $800 is due March 1, 2007. The balance payment is due May 16, 2008. What will my accommodations/meals be like? On the first night of the trip you will overnight at the Hotel Sierra Madre in Quito, Ecuador. The hotel is a renovated Spanish Villa with a charming atmosphere and a very friendly English-speaking staff. All rooms have flushing toilets and hot water. Breakfast will be in the hotel dinning room. Accommodations are based on double occupancy. Their website is: www.hotelsierramadre.com.
For the rest of the trip the team will stay at the Casa Mojanda MountainSide Inn and Farm. The group stays in cozy adobe cottages while partaking in gourmet organic meals at the inn. All rooms have flushing toilets and hot water. Surrounding the inn are spectacular views of the countryside and 15,000 feet volcanoes. Their website is: http://www.casamojanda.com. Check out the pages on their toolbar listed for lodging and meals. Their photo gallery on the tool bar will show the delightful setting of this Inn high in the Andes.
Casa Mojanda offers a limited number of private cottages which are reserved for families and couples. An extra fee of $100 dollars per person per trip is charged for these cottages. Assignment is made on a first come, first served bases. Single occupancy is available in dorm-type lodging for men and women. These dorms accommodate 5 – 10 individuals in comfortable and cozy rooms with shared bathroom/shower/toilet facilities in each room.Three meals a day are provided in the dinning room at Casa Mojanda. All meals are served with a freshly squeezed fruit juice and tea/coffee. Lunch and dinner are 3 course healthful and creative home cooked meals based on traditional Ecuadorian and international recipes made from their organic garden. Special dietary needs can be accommodated if prior notice is received.
Will I have easy and free access to potable water? Yes, you will always have free and easy access to clean and potable water. Clean water is provided for your entire stay in Ecuador. How many other members can the trip accommodate? The maximum number of participants we can accommodate is 45. Do I need to speak Spanish? Absolutely not! If you do speak Spanish you will have ample opportunity to use it, however, you will have translators to assist you in your work in the community. On the medical team, each physician/nurse team has a translator. In the school, at least one translator is provided in each classroom setting. For those who work on community projects, translators are provided as needed. Can I add on to visit other destinations after the service trip? Some people choose to visit the Galapagos Islands or other Ecuadorian/South American destinations at the close of the trip. This is acceptable, however, travel expenses related to your non-program stay are not included in the price of this trip. If you need some help in planning visits to other sights, the staff at Casa Mojanda can recommend reliable travel agents in Ecuador to help you. What do I need to bring with me? We will provide you with a packing list in advance of the trip detailing the climate, conditions and recommended items to pack, but feel free to contact us with any questions. Is there electricity access? Ecuador is on the same electric current as the US (120 v) hence, your electric appliances will operate without a converter. There is electric access in your rooms and plugs available in the bathrooms for electric shavers, hair dryers, etc. Do I need a passport? A visa? Passports are required and given the amount of time it can take to process, volunteers should plan on securing passports at least 4 months before their travel begins. No visa is required for entry to Ecuador. What currency do I need to take? The Ecuador economy is based on the American dollar; hence, you can use your US currency for exchange in that country. The only money you will need to bring is the amount you will spend on drinks, souvenirs and travel/entertainment outside this program. How does the team transport their supplies/donated materials to Ecuador? Each year, the team collects medical supplies and pharmaceuticals along with school and building supplies. The best and most secure way we found to transport these goods is for volunteers to carry them in their checked bags. The airlines allow each passenger to have 2 bags checked and one carry-on. We suggest participants use one of their checked bags for donated items, staying within the airline regulations for weight and types of materials allowed for transport. ....................................................................................................................... Contact Us Interested? If you would like to find out more about this trip or are interested in being a participant, please email: |
