Location
  • Mexico
    • Oaxaca
Length
1 to 4 weeks
Project Types
Childcare Street Children Health Medical

Program Details

Language
English
Age Min.
17
Timeframe
Year Round
Housing
Host Family
Groups
Small Group (1-15) Medium Group (16-30) Large Group (31+)

Pricing

Starting Price
259
Price Details
Love Volunteers registration fee, plus program fees from just $259 for 1 week!
Program fees cover airport pickup, orientation, accommodation and meals, program coordination and support.
The Love Volunteers registration fee covers lifetime alumni membership
What's Included
Accommodation Airport Transfers Some Meals
What's Not Included
Transportation Travel Insurance Visa
Sep 20, 2023
Jan 16, 2015
12 travelers are looking at this program

About Program

Join Love Volunteers in Mexico for the volunteer experience of a lifetime! Love Volunteers offers several volunteer projects in Oaxaca through a trusted local partner.

While volunteering in Mexico may be challenging, it's also very rewarding. Visit the Love Volunteers website for more details!

Current Love Volunteers Programs in Mexico:
Medical Internship
Childcare & Development

Consider your impact: Volunteering abroad can be a rewarding experience for both volunteers and local communities, and at Go Overseas, we believe all volunteers should have the resources to make informed decisions about the type of volunteer project they want to partake in. However, despite best intentions, some organizations offering placements in orphanages may unknowingly place children in danger. You can read about the potential dangers of orphanage volunteering here. Learn more about how Love Volunteers is promoting ethical volunteering.

Video and Photos

Program Highlights

  • Volunteer anywhere from 1 week to 3 months
  • Make a noticeable impact in the communities you serve by working with local NGOs and Love Volunteers

Program Reviews

5.00 Rating
based on 3 reviews
  • 5 rating 100%
  • 4 rating 0%
  • 3 rating 0%
  • 2 rating 0%
  • 1 rating 0%
  • Impact 5
  • Support 5
  • Fun 5
  • Value 3.7
  • Safety 5
Showing 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
Default avatar
Regina
5/5
Yes, I recommend this program

Teaching English in beautiful and colourful Mexico

I was teaching English in a small town, called Temixco, in the state of Morelos, Mexico for four weeks during which I enriched with lots of new experiences that will last for a lifetime.
I had previous knowledge about Mexico as one of my majors at the university was Spanish but learning about a country and being actually there are two completely different things.
Unfortunately what Europeans know or hear about Mexico is mostly the dark side of things, the negative news that spreads across the media, little known about the other side of Mexico that I was fortunate enough to get acquainted with.
The school I volunteered at was a private school, the owner and headmaster lives next door with his family. Maybe this is why the whole atmosphere was so friendly and inviting. There were three preschool classes and six primary classes. I was mainly helping out the teacher of the primary students as I could help more there with my pronunciation. Every day I had lunch with the students at the canteen, I tried all kinds of traditional Mexican dishes. The children were very interested in me and my country, my British pronunciation, the weather there. I joined in the preparation of the performances for the Mexican Revolution Day and also did some pre-Christmas preparation, such as decorating the school. The children are very active here as I noticed, they needed to exercise a bit, so we often took them out in the schoolyard for some fun activities and games to practice pronunciation for example. After these games they could concentrate more on their learning.
During my voluntary work, I stayed at a local woman's resort, named Estela. She is a real Mexican woman, knows a lot about her country and cooks delicious, mostly vegetarian food. In her home, I got to know some members of her family, her sisters, brothers and mother as they have a very close relationship. A few years ago Estela invited the local children in need in her home, cooked them healthy food, taught them English. Although nowadays she's focusing on other projects, she still cares about the community she lives in, helps the local women and children, educates them and organizes interesting activities or outings.
Temixco is a little town, there is not much to do there but Cuernavaca, the capital of the state is just half an hour away. I used both the local buses and taxis without any problem. Although I tried to get back to my accommodation before sunset as it is not safe for a single woman to be on the street late night.
Whoever is thinking about going to Mexico should consider the fact that there are not many volunteers here. My goal was to make friend with local people and stuff at the school. This is why I chose to come here in the first place, to polish my Spanish knowledge and to get to know the Mexican people.
With the accommodation do not expect too much, Estela's house is a bit chaotic but welcoming. There are constantly some kids of work on it. Not all the windows are glazed for example, And when the temperature goes below 15 at night, it can be chilly inside so bring some warm trousers and jumpers. She has two big dogs that are mostly outside in the garden and several cats that come and go in the house. I like pets so I had no problems with this situations, I just want to warn future volunteers who might have allergies.
On the weekends I was free so I tried to explore and see as much as possible. Estela organized trips to some famous places and sights, such as pyramids, natural springs, caves. She very keen to show me how much treasure this country has. I was impressed by the richness of this land.
To put it in a nutshell, Mexico is a very colourful and fascinating country with diverse landscape and amazing culture. I found wonderful friends here, visited many places but one should always has to be cautious, especially in big cities.
Just one more thing to finish, I have to go back there!

What would you improve about this program?
The school was a bit unorganized about my role there, which classes I should visit, what teaching materials were at my disposal, etc.
Fortunately, they listened to my suggestions and were open to some new ideas that made my teaching work easier.
41 people found this review helpful.
Response from Love Volunteers

Hi Regina,
Thank-you so much for taking the time, not only to volunteer in Mexico, but to write such an insightful and helpful review!
I particularly liked these comments:
"learning about a country and being actually there are two completely different things."
"they listened to my suggestions and were open to some new ideas that made my teaching work easier."
Thanks for being such an amazing volunteer. We hope you make it back to mesmerizing Mexico again someday soon!
The Team @ Love Volunteers

Default avatar
sibh
5/5
Yes, I recommend this program

mexico january 2011

I went alone to mexico in january 2011 , i had an amazing experience helping out in a local community with estela, being my host . The city was a three hour bus ride from Mexico,cuernavaca. Each day i worked along side Estela in providing health care and learning for the children of the city. I helped teach english during the evenings as well as playing with the children . Each day a task was set out, from painting and making the centre look inviting . Estela used her home as a visiting centre for the children of the locality as well as tours from all over the usa.As well as having a degree in natural medicine Estela would cook for the local children , teach them english , use her home as a safe environment for the children. I was welcomed as one of her own family and on my days off i would get to visit the breautiful scenery , volcnoes, pyramids, natural springs.

During this stay i forgot about all my stress in western europe, and i returned a more relaxed person, i will return in the next year , i had a wonderful experience.

29 people found this review helpful.
Response from Love Volunteers

Hi Sibh,
Thanks for the review, we're so pleased to hear that you immersed yourself into the locale and relaxed into Estela's way of life.
Combining volunteering with sightseeing is a perfect way to truly see the world.
All the best for the future, we'd love to have you back on the team!
The Team @ Love Volunteers

Default avatar
Peter
5/5
Yes, I recommend this program

Great experience in Temixco

We learned a great deal during our time as volunteers and guests in Temixco. Estela seems to be gradually realizing and defining her vision of a center for her community. Her center, which is based in her home and garden, offers a place to play, eat, take classes, and use her temezcal (Mexico traditional sweat lodge) for children and adults of the community, the same community she grew up in. Some of the most admirable things she offers are healthy snacks and meals for children who don't have enough to eat at home, a garden and home in which members of this sometimes struggling neighborhood can relax, and free English classes for the community. She possesses a real sense of the realities of the area, as well as a genuine wish to give and help.
The most satisfying activity for Peter and me was teaching English to a group of wonderful kids from the neighborhood. Other tasks included cleaning, painting, and doing yardwork in her center and in the health center of a colleague. She explained that the local orphanage, understandably, prefers volunteers who can commit a serious amount of time as the children take time to build trust and then get attached. She also explained that when volunteers stay a month or longer, she sets up regular and individualized work for them, such as regular yoga classes that one volunteer, who stayed several months, offered to children. Volunteers who are on shorter visits tend to stick to more basic tasks, and help, generally, with whatever small chores need to be done.
Estela's organization is small and new; she is, it seems, still clarifying its structure and breadth. Volunteers should be able to tolerate ambiguity, able to handle a somewhat unstructured environment.
We stayed in the upstairs of Estela's home and center. This provided an inevitable and very enriching integration with her family, almost all of whom live close by and are constantly stopping by. Her brother, who lives next door and is a professional language teacher, gave us personalized Spanish classes. Her mother, who lives down the road, cooked for us, showed us how to make pinatas, and was always welcoming. Her many siblings and neighbors came by and were extremely nice. Estela and the women in her family cooked us authentic dishes. When we expressed interest in a certain neighboring town or site, Estela often arranged a visit with herself or one of her sisters as a guide. We were taken to extraordinary archeological and natural sites, caves, mountains, ruins, and villages.
Estela maintains some very strong convictions. She is interesting, well-meaning, and well educated. However, volunteers should be prepared to accept her views on health, lifestyle, and community. They should be ready for a mostly vegetarian diet and should be aware that there is no alcohol in her home. Volunteers should be flexible and tolerant.

All in all, the experience offered a glance into the lives of the people in this community. We were made to feel a part of this community. These were a very interesting two weeks and a wonderful way to start the New Year.

28 people found this review helpful.
Response from Love Volunteers

Dear Anna & Peter,
What an amazing review! You put it much better than we could how important it is to be flexible and tolerant and deal with ambiguity and a different environment. Volunteering abroad is all about immersing yourself in a culture and environment completely different from your own; challenging your pre-conceptions of life and taking what's available to make a difference in the lives of those you are there to help.
We are so pleased to have had you on the Love Volunteers team and hope to welcome you back in the future!
All the best,
The Team @ Love Volunteers

Questions & Answers