Volunteer programs in Chile

About Chile

About Chile

Chile is situated in the southwestern region of South America and is divided into 15 regions and 54 provinces. Its capital city is Santiago de Chile, which also stands among the top ten most populous urban centers in Latin America. Currently, the population of Chile exceeds 17 million people.

 

Climate in Chile

In Chile, summers are hot, dry, and clear, whereas winters are cold and partly cloudy. Throughout the year, the temperature typically varies from 3°C to 30°C and seldom falls below -1°C or climbs above 33°C.

USEFUL INFORMATION

Time zone

Chile operates on Chile Standard Time (CLT), which is GMT-3. However, during daylight saving time, it observes Chile Summer Time (CLST), which is GMT-4.

Currency

The official currency is the Chilean peso. When traveling to Chile, it is often recommended to carry euros or dollars and exchange them locally at any currency exchange office or bank.

Location

The programs are located in Coihueco

Stay

The volunteer stay begins when the volunteer arrives at the destination and is picked up.

Meals

The meals included in the destination/project will be provided at the accommodations. However, meals during the journeys to the destination, excursions conducted by the volunteers, etc., will not be included.

Pick up times

It is essential to respect the specified pick-up schedules in each destination/project. Volunteers who arrive outside the designated pick-up time/day will incur an additional cost.

VOLUNTEER programs

Where are the volunteer programs located?

Coihueco is a city and the seat of the Municipality of the Coihueco commune, in the Punilla Province of the Ñuble Region, Chile. According to the 2002 census, the city had a population of 25,953 inhabitants. The economy of the city is mainly based on commerce and services.

Coihueco is located 27 kilometers from the regional capital of Ñuble, Chillán, and 119 kilometers from the city of Concepción, the regional capital of Biobío. The climate is Mediterranean, with summer temperatures ranging from a maximum of 30°C to a minimum of 15°C, and winter temperatures ranging from a maximum of 15°C to a minimum of 3°C.

Programs

  • Teaching Volunteer Program – Coihueco
  • Construction Volunteer Program – Coihueco
  • Agriculture Volunteer Program – Coihueco

Requirements

  • Volunteers must be over 18 years old at the beginning of the program.
  • Submit your Curriculum Vitae.
  • Passport Photo.

What is included?

Airport

Volunteers must arrive at the Carriel Sur International Airport (CCP Airport) in Concepción, where they will be picked up by our local staff and subsequently transported to the accommodation.

The volunteer should arrive at the airport on a Sunday between 10:00 AM and 2:00 PM.

Gastronomy

Chilean cuisine is the result of a blend between indigenous traditions and the colonial Spanish influence, combining their foods, customs, and culinary habits.

The most traditional dishes of Chilean cuisine include ajiaco, anticuchos, asados (barbecues), calapurca, cancato, carbonada, cazuela, chapalele, charquicán, curanto, empanadas de pino, humitas, milcao, paila marina, pantruca, pastel de choclo, pastel de papa, pescado frito, porotos granados, pulmay, and tomaticán, among many others.

Language

The official language in Chile is Spanish, spoken by a 99% of the population.

Transport in Chile

Transportation in Chile is primarily carried out by land. The southern part of the country is not connected to the Central Zone of Chile by roads, except through Argentina, making maritime transportation play an important role.

Start/Duration

  • Volunteers can participate in the volunteer program for a minimum of 1 week.
  • The volunteer can join the program for just one week, with an additional cost of 70€.
  • Volunteer programs in Coihueco start on Monday. The volunteer program will involve approximately 3 to 4 hours of daily activities.

Tourist attractions in Chile

  • Easter Island
  • Torres del Paine National Park
  • Santiago de Chile
  • Chiloé Island
  • Valparaíso
  • Cajón del Maipo
  • Elqui Valley
  • San Pedro de Atacama
  • Osorno Volcano
  • Futaleufú River
  • Valdivia
  • Pucón
  • Viña del Mar
  • San Rafael Lagoon
  • Punta Arenas

Program goals

The project aims to train young individuals to become social leaders. Volunteers will live in a multicultural setting, collaborate as a team on tasks or institutional projects, support beneficiaries in their daily activities or through workshops, and assist with the needs of the centers and homes.

To achieve this, we use three key approaches:

Social inclusion

Social Inclusion of children, young people and grandparents in situations of social risk.

Attention to Centers and Homes

Attention to Centers and Homes for the protection and restitution of rights of socially vulnerable children, adolescents and older adults.

Social action

Project participants will work alongside community members, engaging with various social actors to ensure that the project benefits everyone and respects the rights of all individuals.

Our programs

English Teaching volunteer program – Coihueco – Chile

Teaching in rural schools presents an opportunity for students to broaden their knowledge and offers a rewarding experience for you as well. Your teaching approach can be highly flexible, allowing you to create games and other activities that focus on English language learning.

You will assist the English teacher during classes and follow the school’s curriculum to contribute new learning methods to the children.

Minimum duration: one week.

Agriculture volunteer program – Coihueco – Chile

Most of the inhabitants of Coihueco are farmers who cultivate fruits, vegetables, and flowers. You will enjoy your program time working with local farmers and assisting them on their farms.

Tasks may include planting and watering crops, cleaning the farm, and harvesting fruits and vegetables based on current needs.

Minimum duration: one week.

Construction volunteer program – Coihueco – Chile

This construction program will aid the community in Coihueco with the renovation and construction of their houses, schools, churches, medical centers, or community centers. Through renovation and construction work, we will be able to help many people in our community while also interacting with the local population and integrating into the community.

The daily tasks will depend on the local conditions and what is needed at each moment.

Minimum duration: one week.

accommodation and meals

Accommodation in Coihueco

In Chile, our main accommodation is a residence located in one of our schools in Coihueco. However, when we have a small number of volunteers, the accommodation may change to a family’s house, providing a more immersive cultural experience.

In Chile, three meals a day are included from Monday to Friday, and two meals are provided on weekends.

program costs

he total cost of volunteering is divided into two parts: a registration fee of 210€ to reserve your spot, and a program cost, which is paid later.

Construction Program – Coihueco

One week: 240 €
Two weeks: 480 €

English Teaching Program – Coihueco

One week: 240 €
Two weeks: 480 €

Agriculture Program – Coihueco

One week: 240 €
Two weeks: 480 €

If your currency is not specified in the list, you can convert the costs here.

What is included in the fee that I am paying?

What additional costs will be incurred by the volunteers?

Flights, travel insurance (mandatory), vaccinations (if required), airport return, transportation between accommodation and project location (if needed), other personal expenses.

Contact

Leave us your information and we will contact you within the next 24 hours

UNIVERSITY PRACTICES

Our volunteers will be able to validate university credits with the aim of traveling in a more responsible and economical way.

What does volunteering focused on university practices involve?

At Cooperating Volunteers, we make agreements with different universities to validate university credits with the aim of traveling in a more responsible and economical way.

The specialties we work with are extensive: medical volunteering, nursing, education, social work, psychology, physiotherapy, engineering, architecture…

The practices can be carried out in our designated destinations for this purpose, as well as in Spain.

If you choose an international destination, it’s a unique way to live an unforgettable and enriching experience, as you will have the opportunity to continue your education in another country, with a completely different culture.

Stepping out of our comfort zone and being part of the various projects at the destination will allow us to grow both personally and professionally, creating a more extensive curriculum.

And we are fully convinced that this experience will accompany you throughout your life.

You will be able to visit hospitals, schools, centers, orphanages, and participate directly and actively in the daily lives of all those people at the destination, always accompanied by other professionals willing to collaborate hand in hand with you and guide you in daily tasks.

If your university is not part of the agreement with Cooperating Volunteers, you can contact cristina@cooperatingvolunteers.com so that we can get in touch and make this experience a reality. 

CORPORATE VOLUNTEERING

Corporate volunteering consists of tailored programs for your company, designed to develop teamwork skills.

It is proven that teamwork directly impacts productivity. 

Collective effort surpasses individual capabilities, promotes diversity of skills, stimulates creativity, and facilitates problem-solving in the face of various challenges.

Therefore, it not only maximizes efficiency but also enriches the work environment.

We conduct corporate volunteering programs that consist of customized programs for your company, designed to develop teamwork skills, improve performance, and foster unity among employees.

We tailor projects to the corporate identity and size of the company, and we can adjust them to any destination and time of the year.

The advantages of corporate volunteering include:

  • Improving communication.
  • Group unity.
  • Cultural integration in different situations.
  • Employee training.
  • Increased Corporate Social Responsibility.

The future is aligned with a more responsible society, and participating in social projects positions our company among the list of revolutionary businesses that want to be part of the change.

If you resonate with this message, corporate volunteering is a unique experience both individually and collectively, and at Cooperating Volunteers, we accompany you throughout the process to make it a unique journey.

FAMILY VOLUNTEERING

Quality time spent with family strengthens emotional bonds, promotes communication, and contributes to the emotional well-being of its members. 

Spending quality time with family and being able to disconnect from our hectic routines is not only enriching but also necessary.

Sometimes we forget to communicate, connect, and dedicate time to each other. Each one of us lives focused on our jobs, schools… And it’s necessary to find the opportunity to pause and take care of ourselves.

Quality time spent with family strengthens emotional bonds, promotes communication, and contributes to the emotional well-being of its members. And of course, it creates lifelong positive memories.

At Cooperating Volunteers, we suggest moving away from those ‘more superficial’ trips (which can also be fantastic), but we invite you to live this experience to bring out our most empathetic and humanitarian side.

Family volunteering gives us the opportunity to be part of a positive impact, promoting values of solidarity and social responsibility.

There are many families who choose to experience these trips focused on cooperation and direct involvement with different communities around the world, where living conditions are very different and sometimes entirely precarious.

Projects are tailored to different ages, allowing us to work together.

An incredible way to fill our suitcase with memories, learning, and knowledge.

And although stepping out of our comfort zone often feels daunting, we assure you firsthand that it’s worth it.

At Cooperating Volunteers, we accompany you throughout the entire experience, from start to finish, to make it unforgettable.

SENIOR VOLUNTEERING

At Cooperating Volunteers, we believe it’s never too late for anything, especially for volunteering and living a unique and unforgettable experience.

There are many people, increasingly so, who opt for responsible travel that involves social work.

Accustomed to organized and mostly touristic trips, at Cooperating Volunteers, we want to advocate for a more enriching experience, one that transforms us from within and allows us to be part of the change the world needs to see.

We can adapt both the destination and the duration of our projects to fit your needs.

It’s an opportunity full of emotions that allows us to significantly contribute to different communities and their evolution. And you can participate in different areas such as education, social support, or assistance in different centers.

Some of the benefits include:

  • Sense of purpose: Provides a sense of purpose by contributing your skills and experiences to meaningful causes.
  • Emotional well-being: Reduces feelings of isolation and establishes social connections.
  • Personal development: It’s continuous learning, skill development, and discovering new activities while keeping the mind-body active.
  • Physical health: Keeping active.
  • Stress reduction: The act of helping others reduces stress and contributes to mental health.

Living this experience will undoubtedly be a before and after. 

SOCIAL VOLUNTEERING

A volunteering initiative with leadership and impact through the educational action program.

When we talk about social volunteering, we refer to all those actions and activities carried out altruistically, selflessly, and with the aim of addressing multiple problems and needs of different communities, always focused on education and self-sufficiency.

Education is essential because it provides the tools and knowledge necessary for personal, social, and economic development.

Our goal is to create self-sufficient communities and provide opportunities for the future personal development of each member. The message is not to ‘give’, but to accompany in the process of training for self-managed provision.

At Cooperating Volunteers, many of our destinations and projects embrace this type of volunteering. Some of our projects include: community programs, education, women’s empowerment…

And although they are completely different from each other, they share a single objective: progress towards a society that can embrace us all in the same way.

If you are someone who is restless, who needs to see a change in the future, volunteering is an experience tailor-made for you.