Nómadas de Esperanza
Proyectos de trabajo
We build alongside families in Ecuador, one home at a time. It starts with the local leaders in Jadán — they know their neighbors, and they bring us the homes that need care. We go see each one together, walking through the space and talking with the family about what’s needed. From there, we work out the materials, think through the skills the job will call for, and figure out what we can take on that year with the volunteers and funds we have.
Volunteer work trip · Cuenca, Ecuador
Jadán — July 2027
Every July, we travel to Jadán, a rural parish 45 minutes from the center of Cuenca, and spend a week working on homes. We build bathrooms, repair roofs, walls and other projects to make the homes more livable. The Maestro, our construction director, oversees every build.
But the work is only half of what we’re there for. Volunteers stay with a host family for the week, sharing meals and daily life in a community where homes are spread across the mountainside rather than clustered close together. That time together — not just the job site — is where relationships take root.
The 2026 projects have been completed, and planning for 2027 is now underway.
No construction experience or Spanish language skills are required.
Not traveling? Materials are the other half of the trip.
Every bathroom, roof, and floor starts with materials bought locally — cement, blocks, roofing, doors, windows. Most of the people who make this work possible never set foot on a plane. Their support is what puts the tools in the Maestro’s hands and the roof over a family’s head.
If travel isn’t the right fit for you this year, funding materials is just as essential to the work in Jadán.
Where we have worked
Nueva Prosperina — Guayaquil
We worked with leaders in this northeast Guayaquil barrio from 2015: bathrooms, roofs, floors, reinforced walls, and food and basic supplies during the pandemic. Our work there continues through Académicos Nómadas, which covers uniforms, books, supplies, and tutoring for students in Nueva Prosperina.
We can still take on a building project in Nueva Prosperina when local leaders ask for one and there is funding directed to it. Materials are bought locally and the work is done by local labor. It is funded work, not a trip.