Research Volunteer Internship (In-Person & Online)

The best part of my time here has been the incredible sense of community. The environment is relaxed and friendly, with people on the street greeting you, which makes everything feel very welcoming. The EcoSwell house and staff are just as warm—they greeted me every day and made me feel right at home. Overall, this experience has been all about connection, kindness, and feeling truly welcomed, making it a memorable stay.

This experience provided me with a meaningful opportunity to apply my studies in epidemiology and public health to real-world projects. Being able to work on a public health project similar to what I do in university allowed me to immerse myself practically and deepen my understanding of the field. Collaborating with Alejandro, the supervisor of Research Program on the impact report was especially valuable, as I'm considering a career in nonprofit work. This experience gave me insight into how nonprofits operate and what it's like to work in this sector. Alejandro was incredibly supportive, offering guidance and always ready to help. Overall, this experience was highly beneficial for gaining practical knowledge and exploring potential career paths.

Overall, my experience was very positive. I appreciated being placed directly into an environment where I felt like a true part of the organization. The level of autonomy I had was one of the best aspects, as it allowed me to take ownership of my work and manage my responsibilities independently. Alejandro, my supervisor was instrumental in providing this opportunity for autonomy, which made the experience even more rewarding and engaging. This experience gave me a genuine sense of responsibility and hands-on learning that I greatly valued.

The best part of my experience was the strong sense of community, both within EcoSwell and in Lobitos. I had the chance to connect with people from diverse backgrounds and cultures, building friendships and contacts across various countries. This was exactly what I had hoped for, and the experience exceeded my expectations. Additionally, practicing Spanish with the EcoSwell staff was invaluable—it not only helped me connect more deeply with everyone but also improved my language skills significantly. This experience offered both cultural enrichment and meaningful connections that made it truly memorable.

I spent two weeks with EcoSwell in Lobitos, a lovely little untouched town. The work allowed me to get involved with the community. The EcoSwell team are well established in the locality and have a great relationship with the fishermen of the town. I honestly couldn't have chosen a better place to do my research!

My name is Jorge Schwalb, I’m from Lima, Peru, and studied Business Administration at the University of Lima. I was 2 weeks in Lobitos as a volunteer with EcoSwell, I met them through a talk held at the University of Lima and it caught my attention because I always wanted to be able to help a community doing something that has a positive impact. The main aim of my project was to find a sustainable use for Fishermen’s Guild Community Hall, which has a solar panel and a biodigester that are not being used at full capacity. For that I began exploratory research which sought to define how fish commerce in Lobitos works as well as the whole process of artisanal fishing. I did interviews with owners of hotels, restaurants, several fishermen, traders and people related to the fishing industry, and I found it amazing how open they are all to hear ideas and give their opinion, there was not a single person with who refused to do so, much of this thanks to the EcoSwell team who have made strong ties with the community and have earned the confidence of all. With these interviews came up proposals that now need to be analyzed for viability. I also had the opportunity to support other projects of EcoSwell as “Lobitos Verde” helping to plant, check the plants of families that were involved in the project and delivering fertilizer so they can develop well. Another project was the “Wilipipes” which are the tide tables used by fishermen to determine which days are best to go fishing or make tours for visitors. These tide tables are placed in three points in Lobitos, the Community Hall, the fishing pier and the docks. Apart from the projects I also had time to enjoy the beach, climate and people. The Lobitos beach is very good for surfing, most of the tourists visit for that reason, the water is a little cold but it complements well with the Piuran sun. On one of the weekends we went to the beach “El Ñuro” which is 40 minutes north from Lobitos, it’s a popular beach because you can swim with turtles that go there to eat next to the pier, there’s also good waves and few people go there, so it’s a perfect place to relax and have a good time. The last day at Lobitos we went fishing with Tullio, an artisanal fisherman, his son Antonio and Selcuk, another volunteer from EcoSwell. We arrived at the pier at 5:45am and sailed out for an hour out to sea, where we fished for about two and a half hours. On the way back Tullio made Ceviche with the fish we had caught, then we stopped to watch the sea lions at the oil platforms, and when we were returning to the dock we saw two whales very close to us, an amazing experience! People at the EcoSwell house treated me unbelievably well, they have an incredible positive attitude, a passion for helping the community of Lobitos and have supported me in all stages of my project. It’s amazing what they have accomplished in Lobitos despite all the adversity at the community, like the little support they have from the Government and the problems that exist between some residents and the Municipality. It has been a very good experience and I hope to return soon!

I packaged my Master's learning and travelled to Lobitos to carry out my thesis research, which created a comparative tool to analyse the extent and nature of opportunity identification within multidisciplinary teams. Outside of this purpose I identified an opportunity to help Ecoswell after listening to the hopes and frustrations of the team. The opportunity was to incorporate design and innovation processes into their sustainable development projects to achieve their 2021 vision. So, I created a bespoke design sprint which I found to be the most appropriate method to guide the team in unfamiliar processes; which aimed to co-create with their core team to envision alternative strategies framed by particular constraints and future scenarios; capitalise on the knowledge and networks established in visualising their strategy; and deploying my design capabilities as a creator of compelling narratives to deliver the knowledge and assets required to drive new innovation within EcoSwell. The experience was incredible.The natural beauty of Lobitos was a highlight as well as the food, culture and the surfing. The accommodation was exactly as described with all the amenities and comforts one can expect. I was well looked after with food being provided 3 times a day. The healthy diet provided was a great aspect of the overall stay. The health and safety procedures were thorough. I was also given these procedures well in advance, ensuring I understood the risks and how to mitigate them. I felt safe for the entirety of my time there. I was in constant contact with the EcoSwell team. as mentioned I was given detailed health and safety information prior to arriving. I was also given detailed information on how to get to the location. the team were well organised and we Skyped regularly before and after my time there. I felt that the work I needed to do in terms of my thesis was well provisioned. I was also given plenty of leeway when initiating the design sprint, where the team gave up 3 days of their week towards this project. I felt fully utilised and needed.

In August 2016 I spent three weeks volunteering with EcoSwell in Lobitos conducting my Geography dissertation research. As part of my qualitative research, I investigated aspects of Lobitos Verde, EcoSwell's reforestation project. The project works with women and their families in the local community by generating an exchange of knowledge based upon sustainable permaculture and the reuse of greywater and household resources. We went around doing house to house visits of the participants, monitoring the plants and public green space created and helping them to maintain and grow their plants. During my stay in Lobitos, we also held a drip irrigation workshop at the EcoSwell house. It was so insightful to see how EcoSwell and the community learn from each other on such a personal and direct level, and this workshop really reflected the great extent to which the local community are engaged with the project. I was also fortunate enough to begin working on structuring and planning a grant proposal for a project aiming to promote the conservation of the Peruvian Plantcutter. This endangered bird species is endemic to the desert region of the Peruvian coastline and there are estimated to be only 500 to 1000 individuals left in the wild due to threats such as deforestation and climate change. EcoSwell's concept is to use native plant species to expand their fragmented habitat. Here is yet another example of how the Lobitos Verde project is increasing in capacity by branching out even further into specific wildlife conservation techniques while empowering women to take such issues into their own hands. During my time in Lobitos I also had surfing lessons, went fishing, swam with turtles, cooked and ate lots of local food and visited other parts of the region so there are many opportunities to explore and try out even more activities while you are out there. EcoSwell's glocalised approach is all about contributing knowledge and adapting it to the socio-economic and environmental context of Lobitos and that's exactly what the volunteer programme the hardworking multi-disciplinary team allow to happen. As a volunteer, the team at EcoSwell and the local people of Lobitos have been so helpful with the whole process of my research, and they have taught me so much about what it means to establish and run a sustainable development NGO. The Lobitos Verde project started with such a simple idea, but it is continuously expanding and growing like the seedlings that the team at EcoSwell and the families have planted together. Through the bottom-up approach, they have successfully created a dialogue for entrepreneurship, sparking ideas and a collaborative passion to care for the environment and people. EcoSwell have an exciting future ahead of them and I feel proud to be a part of their sustainable vision.