Volunteer Torewa

Communidad Indigena Torewa

A unique opportunity to live and work in an indigenous community deep in one of the world's most diverse ecosystems!
About Torewa
Torewa is a jungle community situated in Madidi National Park in Bolivia. The community is located 3 hours upstream from Rurrenabaque on the Beni River. The community consists of a group of families of which most have migrated from Apolo, a town located in the same territory. This migration is due to a lack of employment and land to cultivate their own food. In Torewa, the people live almost completely off the land. They cultivate their own rice, platanos, corn and various other fruits and vegetables. Their survival depends entirely on this agriculture.

In the interest of cultural exchange, Torewa is currently seeking volunteers interested in the unique experience of living in a jungle community. Volunteers will have the opportunity to live and work side by side with the community.

Torewa is a warm, open and friendly community of people who are eager to welcome volunteers into their homes and their way of life. This is an exciting opportunity to get off the beaten track and experience jungle life in Bolivia, while at the same time making a difference. The proceeds of this project benefit the community directly, helping to improve their difficult living conditions.


Living Here
Volunteers live and work closely with community members, sharing nearly all aspects of their lives. The comforts are very limited with no running water or electricity. Volunteers bathe in the river like all community members, drink boiled river water (unless you bring enough bottled water for your stay) and rely on candle light and flashlights in the evenings. It is also likely that your sleeping accomodations will be shared with your host family in a one room house. This is a true jungle experience.

From the village, volunteers can enjoy Madidi’s exceptional scenic beauty, fish, learn about medicinal plants, venture out on jungle treks and boat rides, observe wildlife, practice their Spanish, relax, spend quality time with community members and play with the children. Wildlife watching is plentiful as animals include a wide variety of bird species, reptiles, mammals (spectacled bear, tapir, etc.) and various primate species (monkeys, etc.). Take a look at our photos page for a better view of the village and the flora and fauna of the area.


Volunteer Responsibilities
There is nothing that you are obligated to do during your stay and the choice is always yours. There are however numerous things you can do to help the community with their day-to-day lives. Some ideas:

   •   Work in fields to help community members cultivate rice and other crops
   •   Help prepare meals and clean kitchen
   •   Collect firewood
   •   Teach English to community members
   •   Take care of and play with the children
   •   Develop possible ideas for a future tourism project

These are just a few examples and you will find that there are loads of other things that you can do to help out.


Volunteer Requirements
The members of the community do not speak English. Therefore it is necessary that you have at least a basic to intermediate knowledge of Spanish. Also the ability to live in very a harsh, hot and humid environment full of bugs and without electricity or running water is essential. Lastly, a minimum stay of 4 weeks is preferred but not mandatory. However, keep in mind that you will get much more from the experience if you stay at least one month.


Costs
All fees go towards the cost of transportation to get to Torewa and for food for the duration of your stay. Any funds left over go to the community to help improve their living conditions. Transport in a motorized dugout canoe costs 500Bs one way (approx. $70.00). The cost of food is 1000Bs/month/person (approx $140). All meals are eaten with a local family and consist of 3 meals a day. Meals consist of locally grown food supplemented with products bought in town.


What to Bring

• Mosquito repellent with deet	• Sun cream
• Light-colored, long-sleeve shirts and pants	• Rubber boots (can be purchased in Rurre)
• Rain poncho	• Swimsuit (bathing and swimming in river)
• Towel	• Toilet paper
• Candles	• Hat
• Flashlight	• Extra Batteries
• Mini first-aid kit and any medication (pain relievers, antibiotics, etc.)	• Laundry detergent
• Water bottle

**Optional Items: Work gloves, books to read, snacks (chocolate, peanuts, cigarettes, alcohol, etc.), bottled water (only if you don’t want to drink boiled river water), and malaria pills (although there are no reported cases of malaria in the area, many still opt to take pills as a safeguard).

**Items for the community: School supplies (pencils, erasers, notebooks, books, etc.) and basic medicine (aspirin, band-aids, disinfectant, ibuprofen, etc.)


How to Get Here
From La Paz to Rurrenabaque
• 45-minute flight on Amazonas or TAM (approx. $66.00 U.S. dollars)
• 18-hour bus ride (approx. $13 U.S. dollars)

From Rurrenabaque to Torewa
• 3-hour boat road up Rio Beni (1000 Bs roundtrip)

Transport contacts in Rurrenabaque:
Baldemar: (+591) 71126588

If you don’t manage to contact Baldemar you can call:
Seρora Guely Macuapa: (+591) 71905559


Climate
Our climate is of the hot, wet tropical type. Rainfall varies from around 700 mm in the driest areas to almost 5,000 mm in the wettest. The dry season is May through October. In any case, this is just a guideline and the weather can be unpredictable and when it rains, it rains.


How to Apply
There are no special qualifications required for volunteers to participate in this project. However, it is important that you have at least a basic to intermediate knowledge of Spanish. Also, volunteers must be enthusiastic and have a genuine love for animals, nature and learning about other cultures. And of course, you need to be ready to give up the luxuries of which you are accustomed to.


Donations
As described above, the community is in need of help in order to improve their living conditions, mainly in the form of improved transportation (motorized canoe), healthcare and education. If you'd like to help the community monetarily, please feel free to send a check to the address below. Anything you can spare will be greatly appreciated!

Correo Central de Rurrenabaque
Emiliano Paredes
Comunidad Indigena de Torewa
Beni - Bolivia


Contacts
In La Paz:
-Diego Paredes (+591) 71282152(between the hours of 3pm-9pm Bolivian time) or email- diego_profatal@hotmail.com (Please try calling first, email may take a while)
-Emilio Paredes: (+591) 71268553 (Emilio is only reachable by phone when outside of the community)



Past and Future Volunteers
This page was set up by Torewa's first two volunteers who spent January 2008 with the community. Due to a change in the project, the page was modified in August 2009 by another volunteer who stayed in Torewa on two different occasions, most recently in May 2009.

If you decide to go to Torewa, please email Sara at sls_00@hotmail.com. Sara is happy to answer any questions and provide further clarification on what it's like to live and work in the community. Some past volunteers struggled with the living conditions, while others absolutely loved their true jungle experience. This opportunity is a very good one for the right person.

Upon returning from Torewa, please email Sara at sls_00@hotmail.com and Lee and Janelle at jmhayes40@hotmail.com to inform us of your experience and provide us with any great photos and/or updates for the website. It is important that we are kept aware of any changes and past volunteer experiences so we can continue to keep the website up to date for future volunteers.

Thank you and we look forward to hearing from you soon,

Lee, Janelle and Sara