Communications

MAIL

Until I have my own address, I can receive mail at Peace Corps/Ecuador’s post office box: 

Jennifer Covington PCT 

Cuerpo de Paz 

Casilla 17-08-8624

Quito, Ecuador 

South America 

It takes a week to 10 days for a letter from the United States to reach the Peace Corps office by international mail. 

Packages have to go through customs and can be opened and searched therefore, it's recommend that families and friends send only small items and try to keep the weight of any packages under two kilos (4.4 pounds), clearly marking the contents. They should not send anything via couriers such as DHL and Federal Express, which are more expensive than the U.S. Postal Service. 

Packages over 4.4 lbs are expensive to retrieve from customs, and it is a long process that can involve visiting several different cities. They charge just for notifying you, in addition to a daily storage fee. Letters and packages under this weight usually arrive in less than two weeks, but it is not uncommon to receive them opened and sifted through. Using packing envelopes that would be difficult to rip open is highly recommended. 

Telephones 

Peace Corps/Ecuador’s office is located at the following address: 

Av. Granda Centeno # OE 4-250, y Baron de Carondelet, Quito, Ecuador. 

The telephone numbers of the office are 227.6300, 227.2824, 245.5007, or 800.723.282 (toll-free only within Ecuador); the fax number is 227.3763. 

To use these numbers from the United States, you must first dial 011 for access to the international network, 593 for Ecuador (country code), and 2 for Quito. Note that after regular business hours and on weekends and holidays, the person answering the phone is not likely to speak English. 

To reach you in an emergency, your family should call the Office of Special Services at Peace Corps headquarters in Washington, D.C., at 800.424.8580, extension 1470 (or 202.638.2574 during non-business hours). The Office of Special Services will then contact Peace Corps/Ecuador.