Program Reviews

I had a wonderful time volunteering at Xela Aid. The program was a good balance of service learning and cultural activities. The program leaders, staff and community were dedicated, genuine and helpful. This an “intro” trip to Guatemala for 1 week, including 4 service days and 2 tourism days. The Eco-Guest House is very comfortable: great accommodation, showers, and fresh made local gourmet meals. I highly recommend Xela Aid- it is full-service volunteer, cultural, and tourism rolled into one.
As a nursing student, this program contributed to my clinical skills, increased my knowledge of community health strategies and raised awareness of global health issues.

The volunteer trips are incredible, often life-changing experiences for people of all ages…and I’ve had participants from 8 years old to over 80.

I’ve been volunteering with XelaAid/Local Hope since 2007, and have been on and led a number of volunteer trips. It has been a truly rewarding experience, and the progress has been wonderful. I could say a lot more, but to illustrate how credible this organization is, I’ll just describe its relationship with Rotary International (RI). XelaAid/Local Hope has received major back to back grants from RI for sanitation, water, and educational projects in Guatemala, and anyone who has ever been through the process of getting such a grant knows it’s one of the most challenging, thoroughly researched, validated, and audited applications that exist...and if you make it through the process, it shows the world that your organization is highly credible. Getting a second, third and fourth grant just doesn’t happen unless your outcomes from each one are highly successful...it’s truly one of the greatest marks of credibility any nonprofit can hope to achieve.

I prefer giving my time and my philanthropic dollars to organizations who do what they say they will, are highly successful at doing so, and have real impact on making the world a better place. That’s why I am still supporting XelaAid/Local Hope 17 years after my first experience with them.

This was my second trip with Local Hope Guatemala. There were 6 years between the trips and the changes in the facilities and local leadership is amazing. The Eco Lodge was barely started in 2018 on my first trip. Now in 2024, the accommodations are not only first class, but also self sustaining.
The staff has grown up within the leadership program and now lead the organization. Their stories about their efforts to keep people from starving during Covid were heartwarming and heroic.
The daily activities were educational, physically challenging, inspirational, emotional and FUN! The people of Guatemala are so warm and gracious...and their gratitude is overwhelming.
I would highly recommend doing one of the service trips with Local Hope Guatemala. You will leave fulfilled, grateful and humbled.

If making an individual impact in the lives of children, young people and hard-working adults while contributing to a sustainable development approach, all while enjoying beautiful views, authentic food and adventure, then this is the place to travel and serve. From making tortillas with Mam women, to learning to weave, tutoring or doing art projects or building a chicken coop, all of these experiences are opportunities to spend quality time with others who have a whole different perspective on life. The exchange is rich and warm in an environment of understanding and respect. Don´t miss the opportunity to visit this awesome area of Guatemala, you will have great stories to tell for a lifetime and experiences to augment your daily life back home.

This is a wonderful organization that is doing a great amount of good. It is run by an extraordinary group of folks strongly committed to the charity's mission of increasing self-reliance and improving the lives of the local folks. My volunteer trip with Xela was truly a life-changing experience for me. I was able to meet many of the local people and see first-hand the issues and problems to be confronted but also to learn about how Xela is working to remedy them. On the trip I participated in a number of activities which provided direct benefits and it was very rewarding. And as a fringe benefit I got to explore the country a bit, and it is an incredibly beautiful place.

Local Hope is an outstanding of how a nonprofit SHOULD work and grow. I have witnessed several projects they have implemented in their community and have seen the always growing support they recieve from the community as well as an increased international support to fund their projects due to their success. One of the best aspects of this non profit is how they have involved former benficiaries of their projects into the organization at all levels, making them every day more and more self sustaining and better focused and when and how they can best help the community.

I have been involved with Xela Aid since 1995 and have participated in many trips to Guatemala (I have co-directed two trips). These experiences have been amongst the most meaningful in my life and in addition to making friends with people from Guatemala, have gotten to know many new people from the USA and beyond. As a gay man in the Los Angeles area I have been fully embraced by everyone and truly treasure each relationship I have made through Xela Aid.

What sets Xela Aid apart from other programs is that we have decades of experience working in the highlands of Guatemala. In addition, Xela Aid has a comfortable lodge to house individuals with good food and drink to boot!.

I am a retired judge and lay psychoanalyst with years of experience with problems of children and youth in trouble. I volunteered years ago to liaison with the on staff psychologist to help in the development of psychological counseling to children and adults.
It is amazing how the program is able to bring therapeutic interventions to practical daily needs of the local population: whether group counseling to empower the women of the weaving cooperative or establishing a Montessori school for close to 100 Mayan children and preparing them to fully participate in a modern society, Similarly, the program is most creative in addressing core community needs such as providing clean water, education, and
job training in a creative self sustainable model.

Your experience with Local Hope in the highlands of Guatemala will be authentic and unique! The planning and logistics will make you feel safe at all times and you will be in the hands of experts who will take care of you and ensure that you have a good experience. You will have cultural exchanges and you will fall in love with the time you spend with local people. You will love the food and the view of the place from your room. If you are an adventurer, want something different, feel the call to do new things and help people, trips with Local Hope is the opportunity you are looking for!

All of my service trips with Xela Aid/Local Hope have been memorable, impactful, and fulfilling. I have worked on several different projects--from art therapy to women's literacy, to attempting to make tortillas. The staff in Guatemala are outstanding. They are highly knowledgeable and always willing to help. The organization is well organized, established, and well respected in the community and in the U.S. I'm greatly looking forward to my next trip! This time, I'm bringing a group to share the experience.