Volunteer Abroad in Your Gap Year
Our mission is to create a platform of cultural exchange between disadvantaged youth, their communities and worldwide volunteers.
Looking for a great experience?
Aldeas de Paz (ADP) is a sustainable grassroots NGO based in Santa Elena de Uairen, Venezuela, near to the borders with Brazil and Guyana in South America. ADP is independent from political, religious or business interests. Individual volunteers,iInterns, families and groups are all welcome regardless of age, experience or background. Fluency in spanish is not a requirement, we provide full on-site support for translation (along with free conversational Spanish classes). Our community outreach and development programs are aimed to enhance the life of children and young people in this remote and spectacular region.
I wanted to do something different, see something new and possibly give a meaning to that experience.
∼ Eva Rampazzo / Copenhagen, Denmark
Our location and our Volunteers
Explore the world's most striking landscapes, help with meaningful volunteer work and meet like-minded people from around the world. Our headquarters are located in Santa Elena de Uairén, the heart of the incredible Gran Sabana National Park in Venezuela. This spectacular border region marks an triangle between Venezuela, Brazil and Guyana. We are at the center of one of the world's most impressive biological reserves while enjoying an extremely comfortable climate.
I can’t imagine a more beautiful place to be or better people to share my time with.
∼ Kate Bodkin / London, Canada
Make a difference
Experience local cultures and meet the people Aldeas de Paz Volunteers and Interns work in direct contact with the lovely people of Santa Elena and in stunning locations: In the village center with local institutions, on the Foundations´ Grounds surrounded by a virgin rain forest reserve and in remote and authentic Pemón Indigenous Villages. ADP practices an "Open Book Policy" and offers financial transparency to beneficiaries and supporters alike.
Mix & Match to Customize Your Experience
Youth Care & Community
Mobile School
Ecological Building
Environmental Conservation
Medicine & Healthcare
Pemon Aboriginals
NGO Management
ECO Village Art & Culture
Therapeutic Riding
News Stories
News Stories and Updates
New Program
El Paují Exchange
Cultural Exchange and Progressive Art
This assignment places you in the middle of the cultural and social movement in a remote eco-village, El Paují. In the 70s, people from ‘outside’ started to arrive. They were mostly young urban couples seeking some peace and tranquility, and a more natural environment in which to bring up their children. Many creatives with a different vision of the world.
We would like to provide volunteers to help raise conservational awareness, create art and learn through the values of mututal respect on which the eco-village was created. Read more about the program.
Webpage Update
We Have a New Look
Updates continute, but look around!
After ten years, we have decided to update the look of our website! We hope that it is easier to navigate and find information. If you find any flukes within the recently-launched site, please contact us and let us know.
The next step will be to update our galleries and to continue keeping up-to-date information about our programs and initiatives on the page.
Elephant Grass
Conservation Grant
We earned a grant to help feed our horses
We are currently clearing an area of our land to plant elephant grass. This crop grows very well in the otherwise rocky and nutrient-poor soil that in found in areas of the Sabana. The crop will help put the land to good use and also provide food for our horses.
School Improvement
Phase Two Complete
With fundraising help, the work continues
We started an alternative school project two years ago and had to stop the building of the school after a year as direct consequence of the “worldwide financial crisis” which affected our funding resources.
The school is in the second stage. This initial plan includes 3 classrooms, a kitchen with storage, bathrooms with an area for changing, a dining area, a children’s playground and recreational facilities. The completion of this phase will allow us to begin teaching pre-school and first-graders. From here we will add 2 classrooms every year, and an art workshop next year.
The school and surrounding playground are to be built in an ecological and sustainable manner. Join our building team to help the progress along!