Water & Sanitation Professional Volunteer

Across northern Peru, we are transforming the way vulnerable communities access safe water and sanitation by working hand-in-hand with them from day one. In hyper-arid coastal settings like Lobitos, water is an extremely scarce and valuable resource, and historic underinvestment has led to severe sanitation challenges that directly threaten public health and wellbeing.

Our Water & Sanitation initiatives focus on delivering sustainable, low-cost, and locally appropriate solutions that address wastewater treatment, water reuse, and alternative sanitation systems. Currently, our work includes nature-based wastewater treatment through biodigesters and phytoremediation systems, water-saving dry toilets that produce organic fertilizer, groundwater research for reforestation and community use, and the development of scalable sanitation solutions for public spaces. These initiatives aim not only to improve infrastructure, but also to empower local leaders and strengthen long-term community resilience.

As a Water & Sanitation Professional Volunteer, you will play a key role in supporting and co-developing these initiatives alongside the EcoSwell co-founding Directors, our international team and the local community. Daily tasks will vary depending on the stage of each project, offering hands-on experience across research, design, implementation, monitoring, and improvement of sustainable solutions. 

Responsibilities vary depending on the project stage and potential volunteers could get involved with, but not limited to, the following:

• EcoSwell’s Water & Sanitation Strategy Development 

• Scalable Solution Design & Replication Planning 

• Partnership Scoping and Stakeholder Engagement 

• Wastewater Treatment System Analysis and Improvement

• Site Identification & Risk Prioritisation

• Feasibility Assessments in Low-Resource Contexts

• Technical Design Reviews & Implementation Support

• Development of Practical Implementation Guidelines

• Data collection, Monitoring, and System Optimisation

• Environmental Impact Considerations & Reporting 

• Community Engagement Around Water Use & Sanitation

• Policy, Regulation & Market Research

• Funding Strategy & Technical Input for Proposals

Requirements

This professional programme is designed for participants with a completed university degree and relevant professional experience who are interested in water, sanitation, and environmental infrastructure in international and climate-vulnerable contexts. The programme is particularly suited to Civil or Environmental Engineers; Water Consultants; Sanitation Specialists; Infrastructure Planners; and other professionals with experience in water and sanitation, wastewater management, or related fields.

To be eligible, applicants must:

• Have graduated from a university programme in a relevant discipline, or demonstrate equivalent professional experience in water, sanitation, environmental engineering, infrastructure planning, or related fields.

• Be a minimum of 18 years of age.

• Have the ability and motivation to work collaboratively in multidisciplinary teams, often in remote or resource-constrained environments.

Testimonial

“My time volunteering with EcoSwell’s Water & Sanitation programme exceeded all my expectations. In just two weeks, I was able to experience a real variety of projects and see how EcoSwell’s work impacts the community. The organisation feels like a small family — everyone is so welcoming and friendly — and the social side of living and working alongside other volunteer interns and professionals made it even more special.

Professionally, I learned so much about rural water supply, reforestation, solar energy and nature-based solutions for wastewater treatment. It was invaluable to be able to put theory into practice and to understand projects from both a technical and a social perspective. I also developed teamwork and communication skills that will stay with me in the future.

Overall, it’s been a wonderful and meaningful experience in a beautiful place, and I’d highly recommend EcoSwell to anyone interested in sustainable development.”

— Ellie Russell, Mott McDonald Consultant, UK

“My time at EcoSwell was an extremely rewarding professional and personal experience. From the very beginning, the program was exceptionally well organized, which created a strong sense of trust and allowed me to focus fully on my work. As a Water & Sanitation professional volunteer, I worked on projects related to wastewater treatment and system improvement, gaining first-hand experience in translating engineering concepts into functional solutions on the ground.

A key learning for me was understanding how complex and detailed engineering work actually is — from carefully analyzing technical components to managing uncertainty and adapting to changing conditions in a real-world context. While the impact of the work may not always be immediately visible, improving wastewater treatment systems has a meaningful, long-term effect on the local community and their relationship with the environment.

Beyond the technical experience, living and working alongside the EcoSwell team and other volunteers, all deeply committed to sustainability and community impact, working very professionally and with a very open-mind, greatly shaped my perspective. The combination of hands-on technical work, community engagement, and a strong sustainability ethos made this internship a truly impactful experience that I will carry with me into my future career.”

  - Maik Bittner, RoLAND BERGER senior strategy CONSULTANT, GERMANY