Creating Solar Heating in Argentina

Help low-income families be healthier, by providing access to hot water; good for the environment too, as it recycles soda bottles!

About this project

Help alongside the locals to create a solar-powered hot water heater to provide hot water day and night to residents of villages in Argentina. 

Evelyn, a 12-year-old girl who helped assemble a panel said, “we’re…going to keep collecting…cartons, cans and Styrofoam, because now we know they have a use.” 
 In 2005, Buenos Aires reflected the shift in recycling habits when it became the first Latin American City to vote for a Zero Waste policy. Most noteworthy, however, is that Sumando Energias is redefining the implications of poverty.– Sophie Nunnally

Main volunteering activities:
  • Helping alongside local experts, mixing cement, constructing the stove walls, installing the chimney, glazing the sides
Key information:
  • This inspiring volunteering project typically lasts 1 day
  • It involves 4-6 hours of helping 
  • November to April is recommended, but you can help anytime
  • This volunteering project blends well with renovating a nearby school, as well as a lot of sightseeing and relaxation activities, such as exploring Buenos Aires
Luxury volunteer vacation Argentina
Successes to date:

Hundreds of solar panels have been installed throughout Argentina, making families healthier by providing hot water, and countless bottles, cans, and styrofoam have been recycled into this eco-friendly solution.

This project is for you if:
  • You are looking for a project that enables you to interact meaningfully with the local people
  • You would like an experience that has a tangible outcome
  • You are happy rolling up your sleeves and getting involved
  • You have limited time available (project lasts just one day)

Nearby activities:

  • Cycle tours through Buenos Aires
  • A football match in Buenos Aires
  • Antique shopping in San Telmo
  • Colorful La Boca
  • Recoleta Cemetery
  • Tours led by disadvantaged youth through lesser-known parts of Buenos Aires

Suggested Itinerary for Argentina

Heating and Happiness in Argentina

Price: US$6,885 per adult, $4,200 per child under 12

This adventure not only enables you to bond as a family by installing eco-friendly solar-heated hot water for families who don’t have access to electricity, you also get to explore the highlights of this exciting country.

Trip Highlights

  • Creating solar heating out of recycled bottles so a family can have hot water – awesome family bonding and meaningful interaction
  • Guided tours led by low-income young people trained as tour guides
  • Cycle tour through Buenos Aires
  • Tango
  • Superb steaks and Malbec wine
  • The awesome Iguassu Falls
  • The enchanting rainforest and jungle

Price Includes

  • Luxury accommodation throughout
  • Private transfers
  • Expert local guides
  • Breakfasts and meals as specified
  • Volunteering costs
Note: Price excludes international flights

Sample Day by Day

    • Day 1: Arrive Buenos Aires. You are met at the airport, private transfer to your hotel, the Four Seasons
    • Day 2: Private guided sightseeing around Buenos Aires, customized for your family (B,L)
    • Day 3: Creating solar heating from soda bottles (B,L)
    • Day 4-6: Renovating a school near Buenos Aires (B,L)
    • Day 7: Fly to Iguassu Falls, stay at Awasi (B,D)
    • Day 8: Private guided tour of the falls from both Argentina and Brazil (B,L,D)
    • Day 9: Explore the rainforest with your private guide. Fly back to Buenos Aires, stay at Four Seasons (B,L)
    • Day 10: Fly home (B)
    Note: This is a sample itinerary only, and we delight in crafting unique itineraries to meet your family’s exact requirements

Note – this is purely a sample itinerary, designed to give you a flavor of Argentina, and we delight in crafting trips to your exact preferences.

You can customize this trip to suit your specific requirements, in fact any aspect of the itinerary can be altered, from excursions to accommodation.

Got a crazy request, or an off-the -radar place you have longed to visit? Just let us know – we delight in delighting you!

Here are some suggestions to customize this itinerary:

  • Don crampons and hike on a glacier in Patagonia
  • Whilst in Patagonia, visit the Perito Merino glacier, where huge pieces of ice crash into the sea
  • Cycle through family-friendly vineyards in Mendoza
  • Ride the breathtaking ‘train into the clouds’ in underrated Salta
  • Lake hop around Bariloche (or ski there in the winter)
  • Combine with Brazil, Bolivia or Chile

Discover more about Argentina >>

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