“Kicking” it off with the communities!

A group of “gringos” in the jungle would have a hard time surviving without the support and understanding of the local communities. Community development is a large part of GVI Amazon and the support of the surrounding communities is very important to us. There are various facets to our involvement in the communities. Each week we teach English to students in nearby schools. We help out on community work events called “mingas”, which could involve anything from moving wood to rocks to helping mix and pour concrete for the base of the new sports arena in Puerto Rico. We also have a friendly game of football every weekend in Puerto Rico… still hoping for a win against the Ecuadorians after all these years!

Also, our community program is growing! Last phase we added a class to our English teaching roster at a school at the north end of the Reserve, Rio Bueno, making it our fourth class we teach in each week (in addition to two classes in Puerto Rico and one in Puerto Salazar). The students are super keen to learn English and seem to enjoy our lessons. Furthermore, we know they are practising on their own because we see improvement in them each week! As this class prepares to move into a new school that has been built for them, we are continuing to provide them with helpful English lessons each week, followed by a friendly game of football after each class!

Jenn Sinasac - GVI Amazon Field Staff

“Kicking” it off with the communities!