Internships
Espiritu Santo Internship Program, Guayaquil Ecuador
The Ecuadorian Internship Program

Espiritu Santo University's Ecuadorian Internship Program provides students of varying levels of proficiency in Spanish the opportunity in productive pre-professional work experiences in agencies, organizations, and companies in Guayaquil, Ecuador. These internships are designed to provide individuals with opportunities to develop skills in international communication, improve their productivity and effectiveness in working in a Latin American environment, and demonstrate competency in interacting with representatives of a culture that is different in many ways from their own.

THE INTERNSHIPS
The following agencies and companies receive UEES interns; most are voluntary in nature. However, one of the internship sites, The Spirit of Languages, pays qualified individuals a modest stipend to teach English. In certain instances, program participants should be prepared to spend at least four hours daily in work activities. In some cases, as many as eight hours of daily work are required. Internships sites include, but are not limited, the agencies and companies listed below. The nature of the work at each site is also briefly described here. Additional internship sites are available to program participants that have special needs of interest.

THE PROGRAM
The Ecuadorian Internship program is offered for a minimum of 30 days. Most participants, however, register for three months.

Spirit School of Languages
A language academy that specializes in the teaching of English in an intensive format in both an on-campus and an off-campus arrangement. Interns teach English.

Centro de Estudios Espiritu Santo
A private Catholic elementary and high school. Assignments in teaching English or Spanish. Also, assignments as teacher aides are available.

Jose Domingo Santisteban
A partner school with Espiritu Santo. This school provides kindergarten, elementary, and high school education to students who come from economically disadvantaged families. It is located at the foot of Santa Ana hill (where Guayaquil was founded), and welcomes international students to serve as teacher's aids in English, Spanish, Sports and Arts classes.

Luchadores del Norte Health Center
A medical center in a squatter community in Guayaquil. This medical center helps almost 600 families. Students help disperse health information and drugs prevention information.

Padre Damian Foundation
A mission designed to help people infected with Hansen's disease to live with dignity. The mission also provides them with daily needs.

Sor Dominga de Bocca Foundation
It is a shelter for girls from 4 to 12 years of age. It serves as their home, where they receive all their meals, medicine, clothes, etc. All of this made possible by donations. In addition, the girls receive a complete education. These services are financed through donations.

Carino Foundation
A non-profit foundation that helps poor families by giving them regular medical care and education. American godparents make monthly donations, which help fund this mission.

Luz y Vida Foundation
It was founded 20 years ago, and serves as a home and place of guidance for single mothers and their children. Funding is sporadic and unreliable; the women participate in the care of their children by doing chores in the Luz y Vida home.

FANN Foundation
A private institution that protects abandoned children by providing them with integral care (home, food, medical and psychological attention, education and recreation) while searching for an adoptive family.

Jacinto y Francisca Foundation
A private institution that protects disabled and mentally retarded girls. It provides therapy, pedagogical assistance and regular medical care.

Internships are also available at other foundations and agencies. Homestays
Participants will reside with Ecuadorian families, for the most part, of students of UEES. Program costs include meals, light laundry.

A medical doctor provides international students with basic medical attention; however, the latter must purchase their medicine. Students are required to have international medical insurance.

Internship Programs
Participants of the Ecuadorian Internship Program shall receive the following:

• Orientation of the Ecuadorian Internship Program, UEES, and the city of Guayaquil.
• A series of four seminars on the culture and organization of agencies and businesses in Guayaquil. These seminars will enable participants to share and process their experiences and develop strategies to improve effectiveness in their internships.
• Mentorship of the internship experience, to include consultation, problem solving, periodic visitations, and supervision.
• Review on the weekly journals presented by program participants.
• One to six credits in IES 499 - Internship, upon completion of the completion of the following program requirements.

Program Requirements

• Attend scheduled work sessions and complete assigned tasks in an effective manner.
• Demonstrate initiative in seeking work to be done at work sites.
• Attend and actively participate in orientation and seminar sessions.
• Maintain a journal with weekly entries within which successes and/or failures at work site are analyzed. Information presented at orientation and seminar sessions should be used to analyze organizations to which program participants are assigned.
• Attend Spanish classes for a minimum of four hours weekly.
• Certain level of Spanish language proficiency may be required.
• For program details and specifics please contact the Center for International Programs via e-mail at international@newpaltz.edu

Costs:
For program costs please refer to the Ecuador Program fees according to terms either semester or summer.

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