Great Aves is a non profit organisation, which works around the globe to help raise educational standards. Based in the UK, creative thinking and continuity is at the heart of the organisations work. Reading and literacy is an important aspect to the work Great Aves does, with the Buy a Book campaign aimed at provided books to children, schools and communities. Our overseas projects provide a more direct approach, working in schools to teach and provide opportunity.

Great Aves was founded in July 2007, initially working with jungle schools in Amazonian Ecuador. The "Arajuno Road Project" opened its doors to volunteers in March 2008, and has currently works with over 500 children, supply school equipment and books, and teaching English, mathematics, sports, music, art, basic sciences and reading and writing. The overseas projects are the backbone of the work done by the organisation, with projects in Colombia, Venezuela, Peru and Bolivia planned in the near future.

In the UK Great Aves is run by a team of volunteers, running all aspects of the organisation from, general administration, website maintenance and marketing, to fundraising, organisation of events and the running of our campaigns. Most of the volunteers work from home, and contribute a few hours a month, to full-time work.

Our overseas projects are run by the overseas volunteering department at Great Aves - You Volunteer. At our maiden project in Ecuador, large amounts of progress have been made. The level of English at the schools has increased dramatically, and our presences at the schools has enabled the local teachers to concentrate on smaller groups of students. With the addition of materials (we double the annual equipment budgets at the schools), educational standards have grown significantly at schools where Great Aves is based. The Arajuno Road Project (our project in Ecuador) recently introduced a new curriculum for English to the schools, which has seen further improvements to the structure and continuity of the lessons.

Great Aves is currently looking to increase the profile of its Buy a Book Campaign, and increase corporate support and funding in the UK. The organisation has applied for charity status in the UK, which it is expecting to expand to South America. Great Aves constantly requires volunteers and interns based in England, but also has roles for people based overseas. The organisation work is focused in Cambridge, but has volunteers from all over the UK. For more in formation visit our, volunteering or internships pages.