Reviews of Volunteer Programs in Mexico

Volunteering in Mexico, one of the most diverse countries in the world – biologically, ethnically, linguistically, and culturally – means you'll never be bored. Mexico is home to one of the new seven wonders of the world (Chichén Itza), dozens of biosphere reserves (monarch butterflies, coral reefs, volcanoes, and more), spectacular beaches, world-renowned cuisine, and the second-largest city in the world (Mexico City). There really is something for everyone!

Maintaining this diversity while growing economically has been one of Mexico's foremost challenges. Popular volunteer projects in Mexico include environmental initiatives and work with poor communities. Unfortunately, the country also continues to struggle with providing basic services, particularly in rural areas, which means that health and education volunteers in Mexico are regularly needed. Many volunteer opportunities are only available to volunteers with some Spanish.

Types of Volunteer Opportunities in Mexico

• Environmental: Mexico is one of a few "mega-diverse" countries in which most of the world's biological diversity is found. A number of different projects work to maintain this diversity, and volunteers might conduct flora and fauna censuses or provide community education about conservation. Experience in biology and botany is a plus.
• Work with Children and Youth: Social services in Mexico are chronically underfunded, particularly those that work with orphans, children in poor communities, and children of single mothers. Volunteers in this realm nurture these children, and their work is truly an investment in Mexico's future.
• Education: Schools in Mexico can't keep up with growing numbers of students. Poor students rarely have access to English and computer classes, which provide economic mobility, and volunteers can help create these opportunities for underserved youth.
• Health: Volunteers, particularly those with a medical background, can work in clinics throughout Mexico or help with outreach projects. These positions typically require the highest level of Spanish.
• Gender equality: Violence against women in Mexico puts them at an extreme economic and social disadvantage. Women make significantly less money than men and many times they need to travel for work. Volunteers can help change the long history of discrimination and sexist attitudes.

View of the Mexico City skyline

Health and Safety of Volunteers in Mexico

The diversity of Mexico makes it difficult to make country-wide recommendations, although typhoid and hepatitis A and B vaccinations are recommended for all travelers. Anti-malarials are recommended for a small number of rural areas, and insect protection measures are advised due to the prevalence of dengue fever. Long-term volunteers might consider travel insurance.

Although the U.S. media paint Mexico as dangerous, the truth is that drug-war-related violence is limited to the border region and the states of Sinaloa, Michoacán, and Guerrero, particularly Acapulco. General street smarts are all that's required for most of Mexico: the traffic is usually the single biggest hazard to your safety.

Background of Mexico

Mexico is the 11th largest country – and the largest Spanish-speaking country – in the world. By the time of the Conquest in 1521, Mexico was the home of a number of advanced civilizations whose diversity is still reflected today. Mexico won its independence from Spain in 1821, and the 1910 revolution resulted in the political system that is still in place today. Since Felipe Calderón's election in 2006, the Mexican government has been engaged in an increasingly militarized drug war that has cost thousands of lives. The U.S. has condemned the cartels and corruption that have received growing media coverage without acknowledging its role as the largest consumer.

Visas for Volunteering in Mexico

Citizens of the U.S., E.U., and many other countries do not require visas to enter Mexico as tourists, and can stay for up to 180 days. More information on visas for volunteers in Mexico can be found at VISA HQ.

Life, Culture, and Customs

Pyramid of the Sun, Teotihuacan

In Mexico, as in much of Latin America, lunch is the main meal of the day. Breakfast is a close second, and many people do not eat dinner at all, or have a small evening snack. Food changes a lot from region to region, and it's much more varied than you might expect from Mexican restaurants in the US: corn and beans are staples almost everywhere, supplemented by fruit, vegetables, cheese, and meat.

Mexicans are incredibly warm and loving, and the family is important, with mothers and grandmothers commanding the highest respect. This emphasis on the family – combined with a tough economy – means that few young adults live alone until they are married. While there has been significant progress in gender equality in the workplace, strongly differentiated gender roles remain the norm in most of the country, particularly among the older generations.

One major difference you will notice while volunteering in Mexico stems from this family-centric culture: offering to help out when you're a guest in someone's house is never appropriate, and will be interpreted as an insult to their hospitality!

Other aspects of volunteer culture in Mexico include:

• Volunteer Support: Many large cities in Mexico have fairly large populations of expats from the U.S., so you can expect to find organizations of foreigners, English-language bookstores and libraries, and stores that will sell comfort food and familiar brands. The U.S. embassies and consulates are also very helpful in case of emergency and the economic dominance of English means that you can almost always find someone to translate in a pinch. (Similarly, many doctors have trained in the U.S. and speak excellent English.)
• NGO/Nonprofit/Volunteer History in Mexico: Since the 1990s, perhaps the most visible role of NGOs has been in preventing violence - and mediating - between the government and indigenous peoples. However, NGOs and nonprofits are currently active in many realms of political, social, and economic life in Mexico.
• Requirements and Things to Know before You Go: Due to the drug war, customs agents are particularly diligent about medication. If you need prescription meds, bring enough for your entire stay, or get the chemical formula and have it filled locally. (The second option is usually cheaper, even without insurance.)
• How Volunteering in Mexico Will Help Your Future: The U.S. and Mexico are so politically and economically intertwined that up-close-and-personal knowledge of Mexico (and Mexican Spanish) is immensely valuable in many fields. If nothing else, your newfound cultural competence will make you a valuable asset in customer relations.
• How to Save Money While Volunteering: If you're interested in learning more Spanish, see if you can arrange an intercambio - a language exchange with someone interested in learning English. Live in a homestay or with local students - either way, you'll live cheaply and really improve your Spanish. Cook meals instead of going out, and learn what's local and in season to eat the most cheaply.
• Best Places to Volunteer: Mexico City, Oaxaca, the Yucatán, anywhere near a beach.
• Questions to Ask: Are you responsible for arranging your own housing? Is there an option to take language classes? How much free time will you have? Are there opportunities to travel within Mexico?

This official volunteer guide was brought to you by Jena Barchas-Lichtenstein

Jena is finishing her Ph.D. in Linguistic Anthropology and lives in Oaxaca, Mexico. In addition to being an activist and scholar, she's also an aficionada of Oaxacan chocolate, chapulines, and calendas.

Photo Credit: Rukhlenko / BigStockPhoto.com and pudding / BigStockPhoto.com

Samantha Ryan, Casa de los Angeles Volunteer Alum in Mexico

Samantha Ryan volunteered with Casa de los Angeles in Mexico from August 6-23, 2010.

Morning: In the morning, you will wake up at the volunteer house, unless you choose to stay somewhere else. You can make your own breakfast in the house's kitchen or wait till you get to Casa and they will feed you the same thing they feed the kids. It's usually super tasty, the cook is awesome! (They also feed you lunch.)

Once arriving at Casa, you will either be assigned a room/age group or you can pick your own. I choose to be with the babies which was perfect for me. The whole morning is spent caring for the little ones, feeding them, playing with them, taking them outside to play in the courtyard/holding them in the sunshine while they nap, again.

Afternoon: Afternoons are usually spent either helping feed all the other children or helping clean up the kitchen or watching the kids while they nap. The ladies that are the paid employees are very friendly although English isn't too easy. So speak Spanish as much as you can, they will love it and you will improve. The kids get picked up around 3 or 4 if I remember correctly and once clean up is done, the rest of the day is yours to explore/relax/shop/cook/eat/drink/dance, etc.

Samantha in the nursery with Casa staff

Evening: In the evenings, I sometimes went back to the volunteer house (bus transportation is easy and cheap!) to shower and get dressed and then went out to dinner or to explore. Because you are probably staying with other volunteers, you can all go out together or even all stay in and cook together. Over the 3 weeks I was there, I did a variety of these things. Cooking with people from all over the world was one of the best parts for me.

Highlights: The highlight of my experience with Casa de los Angeles was being with the babies. Because I was there longer than the average volunteer, I really began to build relationships with the babies and the mothers. The moms would recognize me day after day and I could tell they enjoyed having a familiar faced volunteer to leave their precious baby with.

Another highlight was being there for graduation when the 5 year old partook in a graduation ceremony. They all got very dressed up and did little skits which were adorable. The graduation was wonderful because all the parents were able to express their extreme gratitude for Casa for being there for them for up to 5 years. Because it is free day-care center that feeds, cares for, and supports their children, these mothers were so overwhelmed by emotions and love for this center...it was beautiful to see.

Children's graduation at Casa de los Angeles

Another serious highlight of my trip was visiting La Gruta hot springs for a day. The bus goes right to it, and it's only like 10 or 15 minutes away from the volunteer house. It is a beautiful place to spend a weekend day, a bit pricey but totally worth it. The water is hot and clean, and the tunnel cave is awesome! Definitely shouldn't miss this place!

As a side note, people talk about San Miguel being unsafe for people traveling alone, but I went as a nineteen year old female by myself and had no trouble at all. I made friends with other volunteers and went out with them, but I still went out to dinner alone at times and never worried about walking or taking the bus alone. Just don't be unsafe, like getting too drunk and wandering off. Honestly, San Miguel is probably 70% gringos, retired white people just making art and stimulating the local economy.

Learn more about volunteering in Mexico with Casa de los Angeles.

Cheryl MacDonald, GVI Volunteer Alum in Mexico

Cheryl getting ready to dive!

Cheryl lives in the Tampa Bay Area of Florida, USA. At 41 years old, she decided to change her life up a bit and travel the world. She spent almost 3 years doing so and while volunteering to learn more about the locations! Now she has 2 websites and a book published about the travel experience, and is ready to hit the road again!

Morning: Mornings started quite early and were pretty busy. We all had morning assignments: cleaning up the area, raking for sand fleas, prepping the boat, or cooking breakfast for the whole lot of us! After all the tasks were complete we heard a yell of "BOAT PUSH!" That let us know it was time to be kitted up in our gear if we were the first days divers, and to head to one of many sites to start our research.

Afternoon: In the afternoon we were also quite busy - so much goes on every day here in Pez Maya! We were either on a dive, adding our data to the computers data base, learning more about the fish and coral we were studying, or on a rare occasion relaxing in a hammock reading a book! For those that really wanted to make the most of the opportunities, you could get additional dive certifications (I received my Rescue Diver and Dive Master!) so I spent many an afternoon studying my dive master books to prepare for tests!

Cheryl and the group of volunteers hard at work

Evening: Winding down the day was wonderful. A nice sunset was always available, watching the sky turn 10 shades of purple and pink reminded us of what an great opportunity this really was. At 6:30 or so, dinner was called and that was when we were allowed to have a beer should we want. Because we were diving everyday, there were limits on how many you could have, but I have to admit shortly after dinner and maybe 1 beer, I hit the racks! Long, busy, and physically active days led to an early bed time for me! Alarm was set to go off at 4:30am after all!

Highlights: The highlights for me was really pushing myself to try something, not only that I never had done before, but also never imagined I would or could ever do! Learning some brand new things: how to to underwater research, measuring techniques, identifying fish and coral species, increasing my dive experience, learning to live in a communal environment.. the list goes on. I felt I was challenging myself in ways that have made an impression on my life ever since. The people were also amazing - everyone from the staff at the GVI main office, to the local GVI staff managing the project, and of course my fellow expedition members all contributed to this amazing experience. I keep up with many of these friends still today.

Read more about volunteering in Pez Maya, Mexico with GVI.

Katie Boyer, ProWorld Volunteer Alum in Oaxaca, Mexico

Katie at the group bike ride

Katie studied public relations at Cal Poly in San Luis Obispo, CA and is now working with Go Overseas in the Bay Area. Katie volunteered in Oaxaca, Mexico through ProWorld in October and November of 2011 on two different projects.

Mundo Ceiba is a nonprofit organization dedicated to protecting the environment through reforestation projects and bicycle promotion and group bike rides. I worked at the Mundo Ceiba office near the center of town 3 days a week. I would ride my bike, loaned to me by Mundo Ceiba, weaving through traffic for about 15 minutes until I got to the office. Some days I would take the bus instead. Both transportation options let me see the city from a more personal point of view. I was there for half the day, then I went home for a break and a family lunch, followed by afternoon Spanish class.

My boss at Mundo Ceiba didn't speak Spanish but we were still able to communicate even though it was hard at first. I was able to help by bringing my own knowledge of English and marketing to the organization. I would work on various research and marketing projects on my laptop. Highlights included actually giving a presentation I prepared on Mundo Ceiba at a high school, visiting a reforestation project at a school to interview students, bicycling on a daily basis, and group night bike rides.

I went to my second project two days a week. The women's group at the Oaxaca Learning Center is a small group of young women who come together to support each other and discuss issues related to rural and urban women's rights, especially violence, education and self-esteem.

Katie and the women's group in Mexico

Fridays I would meet with the group leader about general ideas to promote and improve the group. Sundays the group would go on a trip together. We’d take a bus or taxi together to visit different villages and markets around Oaxaca and talk to local indigenous women about their roles at home, with children, in relationships, etc. Another great part was having individual interviews and evaluations with each girl in the group. I got to get to know them and how gender issues have affected them personally while helping to tailor and improve the group for them. It was more fun than my other project because I got to spend time with girls around my age. I tried to appreciate every day and live to the fullest. I will never forget my time in Oaxaca.

Read more about volunteering in Oaxaca with ProWorld.