Partnership with La Montana
Project Profile
La Montana (www.lamontana.com) is a Spanish-language school for tourists in Bariloche, Argentina. However, La Montana also coordinates a number of volunteer programs (see below), and visitors are invited to participate. Usually volunteer work programs require a minimum stay of one month and a good level of Spanish. Unlike most Omprakash Partners, La Montana charges monthly fees for volunteers. The volunteer work program has a fee of US$100 for students of the Spanish School “La Montaña” (US$125 otherwise). This fee is paid monthly and it is destined to the coordination of the projects during the year and it is also important for the material that is necessary to keep them going. It also includes the possibility of participating of all the extra activities that the school organizes (salsa lessons, tango, truco, movies, hikings, etc.), free internet, plus a special discount in the family stay while doing volunteer work.
Please contact volunteerwork@lamontana.com if you are interested.
Partnership History
La Montana has been an Omprakash partner since June, 2008.
Need for Volunteers
La Montana offers volunteer opportunities at multiple projects, and has submitted the following descriptions:
Education
Escuela Pilar 2:
Barrio Pilar is a neighborhood in the outsides from Bariloche. It is near the city, but in a rural environment. There is an elementary school there. In order to arrive there you have to travel by bus for 20 minutes or a bit more. The bus ends at the school. There the volunteers might teach English, help the students with maths or organize some special workshops. Some students have fixed the old computers that the school and another possibility might be teaching the boys and girls from the school how the computer works.
Barrio Malvinas:
It is a neighborhood at 30 minutes from the school. One of the neighbors has built a community center behind her house. There, she offers free meals for the poor neighbors and different volunteers go once or twice a week in order to help the kids with their homework or to teach English. Some volunteers have also been teaching how a computer works.
Barrio 28 de abril:
It is a poor neighborhood inside the city. There there is a community center where volunteers teach local music and dances, help the boys and girls with their homework and conduct a reading workshop. Our volunteers have been teaching English there twice a week for many months.
Hogar al amparo de la roca:
It is a place in a rural area that is located next to a school. Many of the students come from the surroundings so, during the week they live in this house. The volunteers ther
e might help the students with their homework and teach them some English.
Environment
Fundación Sembrar:
It is an organization that works with reforestation. The volunteers have to classify seeds, plant them, take care of them, feed them and, eventually replant them.
Parque Nacional Lanín:
It is a national park located 300 kilometers northwards from Bariloche. The volunteers might help the park rangers. This is only available in the summer.
Healthcare
Hospital Zonal de Bariloche:
It is the local hospital. There are two options. The most common is to be a “collaborator,” that is a person that help the volunteers to give information and organizes workshops for the kids that are living at the hospital or for those that are waiting for the doctor. Also, they might feed the patients.
The other possibility is open only for doctors that would like to do a “shadowing” program, if the hospital accepts them.
Other projects
Hogar de ancianos:
It is a house for old people where the volunteers might read to the old people living there or try to organize workshops for them.
Mercado de la estepa:
It is a Market where they sell crafts and homemade products from local crafters. They also sell products from rural towns and areas from the surroundings from Bariloche.