The role of the volunteers within the project is crucial to its success. Funding and equipment cannot be properly utilised without people to manage them.

The Arajuno Road Project integrates volunteer lessons into the annual curriculum. This gives the pupils a structured learning program and ensures that volunteers efforts and enthusiasm have a long-term effect. Volunteers are allocated lessons and assignments according to their strengths, and all volunteers have the opportunity to help create an improved education for the local children. The importance of speaking English in an area which has tourism as a key growth market and a global economy where speaking English is vital.

The project works with 6 of the 8 schools between the provincial town of Puyo and Km40 of the Arajuno Road. Volunteers normal work in 2 schools, each twice a week. In Ecuador, schools terms are from January to the end of June and from September until the middle of December. Lessons are between 8am and 12.30pm Monday-Friday and volunteers assist teachers or take classes for 2 and a half - 3 hours each day. One day a week is used to engage in activities outside the school and research special events for lessons.

Each afternoon volunteers spend time in teams planning the following days lessons. Volunteers work with our coordinators to plan lessons that form part of a structured curriculum, giving volunteers clear guidance and support. In addition to academic activities, volunteers teach sports, art and music. The lessons are focused on interaction with the children, aiming to promote learning by doing. Our lessons are visual based and fun, meaning that you can get involved even with limited Spanish. Volunteers are supported by our long-term volunteers, fluent in Spanish and familiar with the children and teachers of a particular school.

In July and August the Arajuno Road Project runs a summer school. During the summer holidays many of the children are left with little to occupy them, the summer school is designed to give them more creative freedom than they have during term time. The Arajuno Road summer school placement is focused on sport, art and music, and volunteers have the opportunity to put their own ideas into action.

The Arajuno Road Project also runs local community projects. These are subject to funding and what is needed but placements can be anything to redecorating the school to sprucing up the local community to fitting clean running water into local homes.