Cross-Cultural Solutions - Volunteer Programs in Guatemala
Guatemala is as varied in local culture and ecosystems as it is in neighboring countries. Once you begin to explore this heart of Mayan civilization, you'll quickly understand why so many people have a special place in their heart for Guatemala. With an opportunity to visit idyllic beach towns, wander Mayan ruins, and climb active volcanoes, you can spend plenty of time in this Central American country and never run out of new adventures.
Since the end of its civil war in 1995, Guatemala has made incredible strides as a nation, however, the continuous influx of new residents combined with a high birth-rate has depleted resources and city planning cannot keep pace. As a volunteer in Guatemala City, you will work alongside an incredibly diverse population whose stories have significantly evolved over the course of a generation.
Reviews
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I was 17 when I volunteered for two months in CCS's Guatemala City placement. It was the best thing I have chosen to do. I met amazing people from all over the world, worked with children in an orphanage that stole my heart, and was able to see different parts of the country that I wouldn't have even known about without the CCS team. Sonia and Virginia were great supports with great personalities. I enjoyed all of the in home staff, the activities, and especially my placement in the orphanage. I am hoping to return some day and do this experience over again!
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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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A close friend and I went to Guatemala with CCS in the summer of 2009 as health interns in the four week program. At the time I was a Pre-Nursing major (now I am in nursing school) and I wanted to get experience in health care outside of the United States. As soon as your register, CCS is constantly preparing you for the trip with online tutorials and preparation packages. I understand safety is a concern, but CCS and the Guatemalan home base staff make sure that you are taken care off. Off the plane you are met with the home base driver with a large CCS sign and other people in the program are most likely arriving when you are. Arriving at the home base, which is completely walled and gated off from the street, you immediately feel at home with an open arm welcome from the Guatemalan director, Virginia. During my stay she was like a second mother. She actually lives right next door to the home base so whatever happens she'll be there. According to your interest you indicated while registering, you get placed in an in city location for the weekday mornings as a volunteer. I was a health intern so I was placed in a public health clinic in the center of Guatemala City. My weekday schedule consisted of everyone getting into the van and getting dropped of at their placement, getting picked up before lunch, and after lunch at the home base, we would have some program that would further expose us to Guatemalan culture. These after lunch programs consist of field trips to museums, salsa lessons at the house, Spanish lessons, etc.
What I appreciated most about volunteering with CCS is that you get an equal balance of volunteer work and play time. I loved my volunteer placement. I was able to do things, give injections, perform papsmears, and so many other medical tasks, that my education would not allow me to do yet in the States. It gave me such confidence and experience that upon entering nursing school, I knew what I was doing. Aside from placement, the whole weekend is for you to plan. You can decide to go anywhere and Virginia can help you get there. During my stay, I went to Tikal and saw the famous temples, went ziplining through the jungles, spent a few nights in Antigua, went to the beaches of Montevideo, climbed an active volcano, and saw many other places in Guatemala. You get the opportunity to do the tourist attractions as well as give back to their community. Of course when you travel as a tourist, certain precautions need to be taken but they are no different than traveling in any other country. Volunteering with CCS has made such a lasting impression on my life. Three years later, I find myself still reflecting on my experiences and thinking of a time when I can go back.
90%Overall
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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.
Alumni Interviews
Meet Sarah Nakamura, CCS - Guatemala alum
Sarah Nakamura is from Toronto, Canada and currently works in the Customer Care Department for a Condominium developer. She graduated with a BA honours in Sociology from York University in 2010. On her spare time, Sarah enjoys spending time with her family and friends, and going to the gym. She has recently fell in love with bungee jumping and white water rafting and would love to go to Costa Rica to white water raft. In March of 2012, she traveled to Guatemala City with CCS for 1 week and hasn't stopped thinking about traveling since!
GO: Why did you decide to volunteer with CCS in Guatemala?
Sarah: I've always wanted to travel abroad and I felt that volunteering with an organization might be the most rewarding/safest way to accomplish this. CCS offered a unique opportunity where I could learn and be a part of the culture as well as give back by help make a difference in the lives of others.
GO: Describe your day to day activities as a volunteer.
Sarah: My volunteer placement was at a school for children ages 3-6yrs. I had signed up for a one week program with CCS, and the assignment that was given to me was to help complete a mural to brighten up the school's appearance. This was a great project as I was able to see the project through.
Secondary to the mural, we were able to assist the teachers during class time, handing out material, sitting with the children helping them through exercises, etc. After 3-4hrs at our placement every morning, we would come back to site for lunch and CCS would provide an activity such as a field trip around the city, cooking class, Spanish lessons, etc. The great part of joining a program like CCS is that your days are structured but also you are given free time to do what you like.
GO: What made this experience unique and special?
Sarah: This trip has been quite an experience. It was my first time not only volunteering abroad but traveling for a cultural experience rather than relaxing in a resort. This type of vacation is much more rewarding. Not only was I able to be apart of making a difference in the lives of the children who went to this particular school, but I was able to learn and be involved in new cultural experiences that I would not have gotten back home.
Before going to Guatemala, I knew nothing about their history, the people, how they lived, etc. Coming here, CCS provided me with a chance to see the country almost in the eyes of the people who live there. Walking to the markets, getting a tour of the different zones gave me an insight on how Guatemalans live on a daily basis.
GO: How has this experience impacted your future?
Sarah: I feel like this experience has proved to me that I am more open minded and courageous than I give myself credit for. I climbed the Pacaya Volcano, traveled through local markets and Antigua, wander through Mayan ruins, etc. To see that I have set a goal and can achieve it makes me feel accomplished and determined.
This has been the first time I decided to venture out and explore on my own and CCS made me feel welcomed and safe while I was there. Although my volunteering abroad does not have a direct relationship with my current career choice, it has lead me to believe that I can enjoy both. I can definitely say that I look at the world differently now because of this trip and would love to continue volunteering abroad.
Chelsea Wait - Volunteer Alum in Guatemala
Chelsea Wait attended CCS Guatemala in 2007 for two months. She is a Rutgers graduate who enjoys hiking, writing editorials, and going to the beach.
Where: Guatemala
When: 2007
Morning: Morning was laid-back. Breakfast (banana, yogurt, oatmeal, and fresh fruit), reading or chatting with some of the staff that worked at the house. Around 8am the CCS driver would take me and the others to our placement which was an orphanage/primary school.
We helped the kids with potty training, did art projects with them, taught them to read, and I worked on a special project with a little girl who was deaf/mute.
Afternoon: Usually we would be back from placement around 2pm. We'd eat a delicious lunch and Dona Sonia (one of the program managers) would tell us what activity we'd have that afternoon. We did lots of different things--sometimes we'd have a Spanish lesson or a dance lesson, we got cooking lessons, and a few days a week we'd go out to visit a cultural or historical site.
Evening: Activities with the program manager generally lasted into the evening depending on what we were doing. Then there was usually a communal dinner where everyone would eat together and then help clean up.
Highlights: The highlight of my trip was a huge party my friend and I threw for the kids at the orphanage before she left. We rented a bouncy house and brought it to the orphanage and made the kids cookies. They had a blast! Even the Sors (Nuns) were having a good time and enjoying themselves.
Academically, I am really happy about all the Spanish I learned. I was speaking Spanish on the phone to make weekend travel plans, speaking it to Dona Sonia, the cooks, the house staff, and to the kids. It was a great language immersion experience.
Meet 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.
Further Info
About Cross-Cultural Solutions
The Cross-Cultural Solutions Volunteer Abroad experience allows students and travelers to gain valuable experience overseas while working side by side with local individuals and communities to make an impact.
Since 1995, over 30,000 people have volunteered with Cross-Cultural Solutions, providing meaningful and sustainable volunteer services to international communities, and contributing responsibly to local economies.
Volunteers gain valuable experience working in areas such as education, healthcare, and social services. Visit the Cross-Cultural Solutions website to learn more about how we're changing everything.
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I had always thought about volunteering abroad but was never sure where I wanted to go. When i contacted CCS, they suggested Guatemala City. In March of 2012, I went there for just one week. Although the trip was much too short, I think it has been one of the most gratifying, thrilling and inspirational experiences by far. I worked in a school for children 3-6yrs. Our group had painted a mural to brighten up the school's appearance. The best part of my trip was meeting new people and learning more about the Guatemalan culture. Before going, I had very little knowledge about the country, culture, etc. What's really great about CCS's program is that not only do they provide you with a comfortable living environment and volunteer placement, but they give you time to venture out on your own/ with other volunteers to places in the city, ie. climb the Pacaya Volcano, travel to markets, etc. This gave me the chance to see and experience the Guatemalan culture for myself. The staff was amazing, making me feel safe and comfortable at all times. Not only would I love to go back to Guatemala through CCS, this experience has been so great that I would definitely be interested in volunteering elsewhere with this organization.