UBECI and IVHQ

The company I use when finding volunteer placements around the world is called IVHQ, and is based out of New Zealand. They do all the legwork of finding legitimate and safe opportunities in countries of need. Once I arrive in country, I am directly working for the local NGO for that region. Here in Ecuador, that organization is called UBECI.

UBECI is run by Byron Salvatierra and his wife Monica.  They have three young girls of their own, and still they work tirelessly to help the street children of Quito.

From a young age, Byron dedicated his time to social service projects focusing on at-risk children and their families. In 1995, he began working with a social service agency as a street educator and has since implemented numerous social programs such as student scholarships, reintegration into the school system, summer programs, volunteer program coordination, and apprenticeship and exchange programs. 
In 1999, Byron reached out to areas in Quito where assistance was not available for low income families, creating recreational programs for children and families for special holidays, such as Christmas, International Children’s Day, and International Day Against Violence.
After eight years of working with children as a street educator and program coordinator, Byron, with the support of Archie Jarman (a current staff member at UBECI Foundation), established UBECI as an official non-profit foundation in the USA to continue providing social services to children in and around Quito.