Program
Sustainable Development
Gain experience as a research assistant by joining one or more of our ongoing projects.
This is an opportunity to gain course credit, international experience and design your own field research experiment if you wish to do so.
ONGOING PROJECTS
Project Coordinator
Alexandra Hoeneisen
Children of the town La Esperie are a beautiful reminder that joy, curiosity and love for life can be found in the simple things in life.
They are a reminder of our past and of our future. Our mission as a reserve started alongside their ancestors. With threats like climate change, and biodiversity loss our vision is to share with them our passion and the discoveries that are happening right in their backyard through ongoing 2 month after class workshops for 32 children (5-12 year olds).
We have a partnered with the local school teachers and for decades we have run fundraisers and managed donations of school & sport supplies.
Importance
In order to promote a healthy learning environment that prevents abandonment feeling, only long-term volunteers will have the opportunity to interact directly with the children in specific activities following local instructors & teachers guidance.
Collaborators
La Hesperia Cloud Forest Reserve
Escuela Fiscal Sixto Maria Duran
Skills involved
Public Speaking & Communication
Donor Mapping & Fundraising
Wildlife Identification and Outdoor Safety
Program Director
Juan Pablo Játiva
Within the area of influence of the Foundation, the main source of income for local people is the livestock industry. For this reason, we are committed to look for alternatives that allow this activity to be carried out sustainably: minimizing environmental degradation and reducing GHG emissions.
We are always looking for students and professionals in the veterinary and agropecuaria careers to support these efforts.
Collaborators
La Hesperia Cloud Forest Reserve
Advantages
Soil regeneration
Animal Comfort
Living Fences
VIRTUAL VOLUNTEERING
Project Coordinator
Carolina Rodríguez
COVID-19 gave us the opportunity to re-imagine how we connect with each other. We partnered with La Hesperia Cloud Forest Reserve and Ecuadorian enterprises to host a series of webinars with a wide range of topics that will prepare you to experience fully and holistically our natural ecosystems and prepare you for when you decide to visit us. This is a great first step if you want to contribute with our Ecuadorian team but your Spanish Level is not that high yet.
Connect
Have a little taste of the Cloud Forest remotely and learn how technology contributes greatly to our conservation efforts.
Collaborators
Skills involved
Networking
Donor Mapping & Fundraising
Content Management & Digital Media Design
Past projects
SOCIAL STUDY
"A local perspective: can alternative agriculture practices improve production whilst reducing deforestation in two Ecuadorian Cloud Forest communities?"
Thomas Mackay-Smith, 2017
WORKSHOPS
For children and adults on topics such as organic agriculture, environmental legislation and conservation.
Collaborators:
Corporación Eléctrica del Ecuador (CELEC)
(Electrical Corporation of Ecuador)
NGO Aves y Conservación
(Birds and Conservation)
Ministry of Environment.
2017
CREATION OF MONTESSORI SCHOOL
23 families from the Manuel Cornejo Astorga parish were benefitted.
2009-2014
ECOLOGY CLUBS
90 local children at La Esperie town were introduced to the world of ecology, biology and science.
BUILDING WITH RECYCLED MATERIALS
Used eco-construction principles, PET bottles and wooden pallets to create a children's classroom. Funded by the MacEwan University Educational Fund.
2012
SUMMER CAMPS
Children from the two towns closest to La Hesperia Cloud Forest Reserve were able to learn and explore the ecosystems that surround them.