Sustainability Internship in the Amazon Rainforest
Program Overview
Learn from and in the Amazon Rainforest—all while helping conserve and teach about sustainability!
Join Manna Project International in this opportunity to preserve and grow sustainability and ecotourism in indigenous Kichwa communities in Ecuador's Amazon Rainforest. As an intern, you'll collaborate with local tourism entrepreneurs to grow their businesses, maintain and build trails, learn about local flora and fauna, conduct needs assessments, and develop educational materials for youth with the long-term goal of protecting and preserving the Amazon.
This immersive experience enhances your language skills, builds your resume, and develops valuable project management and cross-cultural communication skills. Throughout the internship, you'll gain hands-on experience, make a real impact, and broaden your global perspective in a stunning environment.
Example tasks:
Collaborate with a Kichwa community to design and implement sustainability projects
Conduct needs assessments
Develop educational materials and conduct workshops
Assist and support local farms, educational projects, trails, and beekeeping
Assist in monitoring and evaluating ongoing programs
Ready to dive deeper into this program?
Jump to the full breakdown of dates, costs, eligibility, and more.
Program Highlights
What's Included
Exclusions
Quick Details
- Summer
- Winter
- Short Term
- Spring
- 1-3 Months
- 3-6 Months
- 1 Year
- Fall
- Agriculture
- Biology
- Development
- Ecology
- Education
- Environmental Management
- Environmental Studies
- Health Sciences
- Horticulture
- Social Sciences
- Sociology
- Spanish
- Sustainable Development
- Tourism
- Women's Studies
- Algerian
- American
- Andorran
- Antarctica
- Antiguan & Barbudan
- Argentinian
- Armenian
- Aruban
- Asian
- Australian
- Austrian
- Azerbaijani
- Bahamian
- Bahraini
- Barbadian
- Basotho
- Belarusian
- Belgian
- Belizean
- Beninese
- Bermudian
- Bhutanese
- Bissau-Guinean
- Bolivian
- Bonaire
- Bosnian
- Botswana
- Brazilian
- British
- British Virgin Islander
- Bruneian
- Bulgarian
- Burkinabe
- Burundian
- Cambodian
- Canadian
- Cape Verdean
- Caymanian
- Central African
- Channel Islander
- Chilean
- Colombian
- Comoran
- Cook Islander
- Costa Rican
- Creole
- Croatian
- Curacao
- Cypriot
- Czech
- Danish
- Djibouti
- Dominican
- Dutch
- Ecuadorian
- Emirati
- English
- Equatorial Guinean
- Estonian
- European
- Fijian
- Finnish
- French
- Georgian
- German
- Gibraltarian
- Greek
- Greenlandic
- Grenadian
- Guadeloupian
- Guatemalan
- Guyanese
- Hawaiian
- Honduran
- Hungarian
- I-Kiribati
- Icelandic
- Indonesian
- Irish
- Israeli
- Italian
- Ivorian
- Jamaican
- Japanese
- Jordanian
- Kazakhstani
- Kittitian, Nevisian
- Kiwi
- Korean
- Kuwaiti
- Lao or Laotian
- Latvian
- Lebanese
- Liberian
- Liechtenstein
- Lithuanian
- Luxembourg
- Macedonian
- Malagasy
- Malaysian
- Maldivian
- Maltese
- Manx
- Marshallese
- Martiniquais
- Mauritian
- Mexican
- Micronesian
- Moldovan
- Monegasque
- Mongolian
- Montenegrin
- Montserratian
- Moroccan
- Mozambican
- multi
- Namibian
- Nauruan
- New Caledonian
- Ni-Vanuatu
- Nicaraguan
- Nigerien
- Niuean
- Norwegian
- Omani
- Palauan
- Palestinian
- Panamanian
- Papua New Guinean
- Paraguayan
- Peruvian
- Polish
- Polynesian
- Portuguese
- Puerto Rican
- Qatari
- Reunionese
- Romanian
- Russian
- Saban
- Sahrawian, Sahraouian
- Saint Helenian
- Saint Lucian
- Saint Vincentian or Vincentian
- Salvadoran
- Sammarinese
- Samoan
- Sao Tomean
- Saudi Arabian
- Scottish
- Serbian
- Serbian; Montenegrin
- Seychelles
- Singaporean
- Slovak
- Slovenian
- Solomon Islander
- South African
- South Sudanese
- Spanish
- St. Barts
- Statian
- Surinamese
- Swazi
- Swedish
- Swiss
- Tahiti
- Taiwanese
- Tanzanian
- Thai
- The Vatican
- Tibet
- Timorese
- Togolese
- Tongan
- Trinidadian, Tobagonian
- Tunisian
- Turkish
- Turkmen
- Turks and Caicos
- Tuvaluan
- Ugandan
- Ukrainian
- Uruguayan
- Virgin Islander
- Welsh
- Zambian
- Zimbabwean
- Gabonese
- Malawian
Updated Aug 26, 2026
Program Details
Learn all the nitty gritty details you need to know
Locations
- Tena, Ecuador
Available Terms / Availability
- Years Offered
- Year Round
Eligible Nationalities
- Algerian
- American
- Andorran
- Antarctica
- Antiguan & Barbudan
- Argentinian
- Armenian
- Aruban
- Asian
- Australian
- Austrian
- Azerbaijani
- Bahamian
- Bahraini
- Barbadian
- Basotho
- Belarusian
- Belgian
- Belizean
- Beninese
- Bermudian
- Bhutanese
- Bissau-Guinean
- Bolivian
- Bonaire
- Bosnian
- Botswana
- Brazilian
- British
- British Virgin Islander
- Bruneian
- Bulgarian
- Burkinabe
- Burundian
- Cambodian
- Canadian
- Cape Verdean
- Caymanian
- Central African
- Channel Islander
- Chilean
- Colombian
- Comoran
- Cook Islander
- Costa Rican
- Creole
- Croatian
- Curacao
- Cypriot
- Czech
- Danish
- Djibouti
- Dominican
- Dutch
- Ecuadorian
- Emirati
- English
- Equatorial Guinean
- Estonian
- European
- Fijian
- Finnish
- French
- Georgian
- German
- Gibraltarian
- Greek
- Greenlandic
- Grenadian
- Guadeloupian
- Guatemalan
- Guyanese
- Hawaiian
- Honduran
- Hungarian
- I-Kiribati
- Icelandic
- Indonesian
- Irish
- Israeli
- Italian
- Ivorian
- Jamaican
- Japanese
- Jordanian
- Kazakhstani
- Kittitian, Nevisian
- Kiwi
- Korean
- Kuwaiti
- Lao or Laotian
- Latvian
- Lebanese
- Liberian
- Liechtenstein
- Lithuanian
- Luxembourg
- Macedonian
- Malagasy
- Malaysian
- Maldivian
- Maltese
- Manx
- Marshallese
- Martiniquais
- Mauritian
- Mexican
- Micronesian
- Moldovan
- Monegasque
- Mongolian
- Montenegrin
- Montserratian
- Moroccan
- Mozambican
- multi
- Namibian
- Nauruan
- New Caledonian
- Ni-Vanuatu
- Nicaraguan
- Nigerien
- Niuean
- Norwegian
- Omani
- Palauan
- Palestinian
- Panamanian
- Papua New Guinean
- Paraguayan
- Peruvian
- Polish
- Polynesian
- Portuguese
- Puerto Rican
- Qatari
- Reunionese
- Romanian
- Russian
- Saban
- Sahrawian, Sahraouian
- Saint Helenian
- Saint Lucian
- Saint Vincentian or Vincentian
- Salvadoran
- Sammarinese
- Samoan
- Sao Tomean
- Saudi Arabian
- Scottish
- Serbian
- Serbian; Montenegrin
- Seychelles
- Singaporean
- Slovak
- Slovenian
- Solomon Islander
- South African
- South Sudanese
- Spanish
- St. Barts
- Statian
- Surinamese
- Swazi
- Swedish
- Swiss
- Tahiti
- Taiwanese
- Tanzanian
- Thai
- The Vatican
- Tibet
- Timorese
- Togolese
- Tongan
- Trinidadian, Tobagonian
- Tunisian
- Turkish
- Turkmen
- Turks and Caicos
- Tuvaluan
- Ugandan
- Ukrainian
- Uruguayan
- Virgin Islander
- Welsh
- Zambian
- Zimbabwean
- Gabonese
- Malawian
- This Program is also open to Solo
Education Levels & Language
- Education
- High school graduate, diploma or the equivalent (for example: GED)
- Some college credit, no degree
Accommodation Options
- Group living
- Home-stays
Application Procedures
- Resume
- Online Application
- Written Application
- Other
- Phone/Video Interview
Age Requirement
18-35
Duration
- Summer
- Winter
- Short Term
- Spring
- 1-3 Months
- 3-6 Months
- 1 Year
- Fall
Starts At
Payment Terms
- Payment Plan
- Changes Allowed
- Upfront Deposit
- Scholarships
Program Reviews
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FAQs
Frequently Asked Questions
Get answers to all the most common questions about Manna Project International.
Do I need to speak Spanish?
No! The more Spanish you speak, the more you will be able to give to and benefit the community. For this reason, we encourage anyone who doesn't speak Spanish comfortably to take lessons in the community to improve their language skills. However, there is still a lot that you can do without Spanish.
What will my day look like?
Every day in the Amazon is different! You will be responsible for creating and growing sustainability. You will spend about 2-4 hours daily on trail maintenance, workshops, and environmental needs assessments. For the rest of the time, you will handle organizational tasks, cook team meals, support other programs (including youth mentorship, gender equality, and public health), and join relationship-building and team meetings.
Where will I live?
All interns live in a dedicated MPI house in the community. It is a 10-minute walk away from Manna's centro. The house has 4 spacious bedrooms generally shared by 2-3 people. It has 1.5 bathrooms shared among the volunteers and interns. An outdoor shower is also available. There is a fully equipped kitchen to cook meals, with staples provided by Manna. There is a large communal area and a rooftop to read and relax.
Is Ecuador safe?
Ecuador is currently listed by the US State Department as a level 2 country (same as Europe), meaning that increased caution is recommended. However, in the local community of Shandia and Tena, safety is rarely a concern. In general, the crime rate in Napo Province is much lower than in the rest of Ecuador, and visitors often notice how safe these communities are. Shandia specifically is a community built on trust and relationships.
How many people typically intern or volunteer in MPI?
Generally, we have an intern/volunteer team of about 5-10 people alongside a local staff team of 2-3. Neighbors from the community surround us. Our participants tend to make relationships, which last long beyond their service with Manna, within the international community and the local Kichwa communities.
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