Program Description

Cross-Cultural Solutions - Volunteer Programs in Guatemala

Description

Volunteering abroad is the opportunity of a lifetime, and our flexible short-term programs let you design your ideal experience in Guatemala. Volunteer from 1 week to 3 months, in meaningful projects that will let you work side-by-side with local people and experience Guatemalan culture like never before.

As a volunteer in Guatemala, you will experience first-hand one of the world's most diverse and historically rich nations. The population includes Ladinos, or people of Spanish heritage, Mayans, and Mestizos, people who are a mix of both Ladino and Mayan.

Interview with Vince Mirrione, CCS volunteer alum

Vincent Mirrione is a 70 year old, retired, serial volunteer. His last trip was from January 21st - March 17th in Guatemala City. He lives in Arnold CA, a small town in the Sierras in northern CA.

GO: Why did you decide to volunteer with CCS in Guatemala?

Vince: I retired from work 15 years ago with an intention to travel. I looked at various vacation magazines and newspapers. Among them was one published by what was then called Elderhostel. I happened to notice a service program run by Global Volunteers. I signed up for a three week program in Poland teaching conversational English at a Polish tax center. I had such a great time that I decided to do a volunteer program every year. For the following four years, I signed up for Global Volunteer programs in Vietnam, China and Romania. I really wanted to stay longer than three weeks and checked the Volunteer Vacation site on the Internet and found that CCS offered 1-12 week programs.

I have now completed nine 8 week programs with CCS. Three in Russia (generally working in an orphanage basically providing day car to toddlers), one in India (working at a Mother Teresa's facility) and five in Guatemala.

Guatemala was chosen because I had taken a tour of the country and found the weather and environs perfect for a winter escape from the snow at my home in the California mountain (I love snow but only for 30 days).

GO: Describe your day to day activities as a volunteer.

Vince: I completed my fifth time in Guatemala City this past March. I worked at Comedor Guadelupe ( a soup kitchen) in the mornings for the first four weeks. I started at 8:00am and usually chopped vegetables, peeled potatoes or shucked peas until noon. Then I would help serve the noon meal until 1:00pm.

The last four weeks I worked at San Vicente (a home for elderly women). I worked with women who were wheel chair bound and brought them to meals or various activities (no elevators, just ramps up or down one floor). Conversation with the women was great fun (bad Spanish from me and bad English from them).

The afternoons are generally spent visiting sites of interest (museums, farms, small cities and the like). Since I have been to most, I choose to work in the afternoons. I worked at Marina Guirola with folks aged 15-25 with serious disabilities like cerebral palsy.

They are unable to Speak, walk or feed themselves. So I acted the village idiot and clowned around with them for the first hour and helped with the evening feeding for the second.

GO: How has this experience helped you grow personally and professionally?

Vince: Personally, I have found that the trips have reinforced my long held belief that nearly everyone simply wants reasonable food, shelter and comfort. Everything else is icing on the cake.

Highlights

The Central American country of Guatemala is a neighbor to Mexico, Belize, Honduras and El Salvador, with coastlines on the Pacific Ocean and Caribbean Sea. A majority of Guatemala is mountainous, with more than 30 volcanoes. From lush, tropical rainforests to rich and fertile plains, the country's rich geography contributes to its variety of climates.

Guatemala is also known for its cultural diversity. The population is a mix between Ladinos, or people of Spanish heritage, Mayans and Mestizos, people that are a mix of both Ladino and Mayan. The Mayan population is made up of 22 different ethnicities all with their own unique dress and language that distinguishes them.

Although present-day Guatemala is known primarily for its Mayan roots and vibrant culture, the country has many layers to its rich political history, from Spanish and Mexican rule to many other forms of government, to a 36-year civil war that ended with the 1996 Peace Accords. Since then, Guatemala has seen an emphasis on legal, linguistic, and educational rights for the indigenous communities and has enjoyed greater stability and tranquility for the country as a whole.

Cross-Cultural Solutions offers a wide variety of programs and experiences, but all of our volunteers come away with the same benefits:

- Personal Growth
- Having a Purpose
- Gaining Independence and Confidence
- Connecting with Others
- Seeing a Country from the Inside-Out

* The CCS Home-Base

CCS offers volunteers unprecedented support, and our entire infrastructure is designed around volunteer safety. Each of our programs is located close to a CCS Home-Base, your "home away from home" while volunteering abroad. Each Home-Base is exclusively for CCS volunteers, and designed for your safety and comfort. Here, you can connect with other volunteers and CCS staff, reflect on your experiences, enjoy meals together, read, and relax.

The CCS experience also includes cultural and learning activities so that you can learn about the local culture. These include an in-depth orientation, language training, guest speakers and more. Volunteers also have plenty of free time to relax, reflect, or explore the community and country.

Further Information
Cost Description: 

What You Get For The Fee
* Personalized Volunteer Placement with our Partner Programs, based on your skills and interests, including all the coordination, in-person visits and communication necessary with each local organization.
* In-country Perspectives Programming that includes excursions to nearby points of interest, special events and discussions with a variety of local cultural, professional, governmental and community agencies and people.

Age Group: 
18-50
Languages Learned/Spoken: 
Spanish
Living Arrangements: 
Volunteer House
Accommodation is included in the program cost
Travel Arrangements: 
Participants travel to the program independently.
Application Requirements: 
Online Application

Ratings and Reviews

0 of 0 people found this review helpful
Fanastic program. Worthwhile work but still feels like a vacation!!

100%

Overall Rating

100%Overall
Rating

I have volunteered five times with CCS in Guatemala. This last time I worked at a soup kitchen, a home for elderly women, an orphanage for wheel bound children and assisted a nun with her English.

Everyone is so appreciative of the little work that we do. You get to meet wonderful people, contribute in a small way to improving the life situation of the people served.

The staff at the home base (cooks, housekeepers, guards and administrative staff) quickly become family. Local sites of cultural interest are visited during the week and on weekends you are free to visit surrounding areas on your own.

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Submitted by vamirr on 05/04/2012
Reviewer's Bio:    Male    |   Age: 51 or older    |   Arnold California    |    Pro Traveler    |    University   
16 of 25 people found this review helpful
A good experience, but a high price

90%

Overall Rating

90%Overall
Rating

I spent 2 weeks volunteering at an orphanage in Guatemala City.
We lived in a house with all the other volunteers, which was nice, but not a great way to improve your Spanish if that's what you're looking for.
The work was challenging, but rewarding, and the staff was very helpful.
However, Cross-Cultural Solutions is very high-priced, and if you look I'm sure you will be able to find an equally satisfying program that is much more affordable. For example, I volunteered for 1 month in Costa Rica with Greenheart Travel, and it cost less than my 2 weeks in Guatemala.

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Submitted by J. Nichole on 08/23/2011
Reviewer's Bio:    Female    |   Age: 19-24    |   Lima, Peru    |    Experienced Traveler    |    University of Nebraska- Lincoln   

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Program Info

Country: 
Guatemala
City(s): 
Guatemala City, Quetzaltenango
Volunteer Type: 
Community Development
Length of Program: 
1-2 weeks
2-4 weeks
1-3 months
Cost: 
See site for details.

Program Photos

Cross-Cultural Solutions - Volunteer Programs in Guatemala