Volunteer in Guatemala

Language Immersion classes are available in Antigua and also in Xela. Volunteer in Antigua or Xela and you can take half day of Spanish language lessons. Language Immersion gives you the opportunity to expand and focus your Spanish knowledge, while participating in one of volunteer projects. Lessons are provided by tutors on a one-on-one(two) basis. Lesson plans are created with your input so they can be most effective. Language Immersion lessons can be combined with the children's, teaching or medical projects we offer.

*Volunteers need to arrive in Guatemala in the morning. Last bus to Xela departs at 3:00pm. Overnight in Guatemala city is not included in cost of program. Departure flights from Guatemala City need to be scheduled after 2:00PM.

Program Schedule

• Program starts and ends in Guatemala City
• Airport meet and greet in Guatemala City.  
• City tour and orientation in Antigua / Xela
• Morning Volunteer work, 5 days a week for 20 hours
• Afternoon Spanish lessons, 5 days a week for 20 hours (45min each)
• Certificate of completion from ABV
• Support: Local ABV Director support 24/7 during placement
• Departure: ABV Staff Escorted Airport Transfer

As a pre-medical or pre-nursing undergradute this is an excellent opportunity to assist in a medical center. Gain universal knowledge and experience in your future career path. Volunteer with a local foundation that believes in the physical recovery of all individuals, offering rehabilitation to all people from the Guatemalan community. They offer physiotherapy, occupational therapy, speech therapy, hydrotherapy and special education to children and adults. Patients are disabled from for example car accidents, but also from birth with Down-syndrome, autism, or birth related brain damage.

Volunteers can support in the different areas of therapy. If you´re a specialist in physiotherapy, you can do that, but also volunteers without experience are welcome to assist any of the other therapists (also the psychologist). Proficiency in Spanish is required.  We also recommend our Language and Cultural Immersion projects where you can learn Spanish while working in a health program.

*Volunteers need to arrive in Guatemala in the morning. Last bus to Xela departs at 3:00pm. Overnight in Guatemala city is not included in cost of program.  Departure flights from Guatemala City need to be scheduled after 2:00PM.

Program Schedule

• Program starts and ends in Guatemala City
• Airport meet and greet in Guatemala City.
• Monday to Friday volunteering. 35-40 hours per week
• Weekends free to sightseeing
• Typical shift work can be: 8:00am - 3:00pm
• Support: Local ABV Director support 24/7 during placement
• Departure: Transfer to Guatemala City airport

Quetzaltenango, as second biggest city of Guatemala, relies 100% on volunteer firefighters. These firefighters are responsible to attend emergencies and fires in the city. Volunteer with prior training would participate in the ambulance activities. This can include attend car accidents, injured people, general sickness.  On a daily basis, the local firefighters attend approximately 6-10 emergencies, in the area of Quetzaltenango and surrounding villages. In case of big accidents, they also provide assistance further into the country.

Volunteers are welcome to support the ambulances of the firefighters. This involves being present at the station, and when an emergency comes in, volunteers can assist with all of them.

When there are no emergencies, there is help needed with cleaning of the units, check equipment and general tasks. Spanish speaking volunteers are needed.

Program Schedule

• Accommodation: Host Families
• Meals: 3 per day Monday to Saturday, Sunday only breakfast
• Arrival: Airport meet and greet pickup, transport to bus station
• Bus Ticket: Included and pick up at Quetzaltenango bus station.
• Orientation: Project Overview and Orientation
• Support: Pre-trip written guide, In-country ABV staff available 24/7
• Departure: ABV Staff Escorted Airport Transfer

for children in western countries it is normal to attend school every day. Unfortunately in Guatemala the reality is different. Children often don't go to school, and their rights to education  is not a household priority. Spanish speaking volunteers work with a local school and help with English lessons and personal coaching with life skills to improve the children's outlook in life. Volunteer teachers and assistance needed for primary school age children. *Schools are closed in December to mid January.

Activities / Requirements: You will help teach English, also teaching sports classes, creative lessons like painting, drawing, crafts and dance. Volunteers encouraged to interact with the kids with cooking lessons, singing, lessons on the environment and nature. This program can be combined with Spanish Immersion lessons.

*Volunteers need to arrive in Guatemala in the morning. Last bus to Xela departs at 3:00pm. Overnight in Guatemala city is not included in cost of program. Departure flights from Guatemala City need to be scheduled after 2:00PM.

Program Schedule

• Program starts and ends in Guatemala City
• Airport meet and greet in Guatemala City.  Bus tickets to Xela
• Monday to Friday volunteering. 35-40 hours per week
• Weekends free to sightseeing
• Typical shift work can be: 7:00am - 3:00pm with lunch break
• Support: Local ABV Director support 24/7 during placement
• Departure:  Transfer to Guatemala City airport

This program is promoting and enhancing the general wellbeing of children, woman and families living in poverty, and because of this poverty live in very difficult circumstances.

This project is active in the deprived area Las Rosas where they support children who work and live in extreme poverty and/or in risk to get on the streets. The project also supports the women and families in the same area, providing them (financial) self-sustainability. They run a kid’s lunchroom, and an afterschool program. Every afternoon, about 70-80 kids come to the project, all aged between 6 and 14 years old.

Volunteers are helpful in many ways. There is the lunchroom, where they prepare a lunch for 50 children every day. There is also the afternoon program, where they organize educational and recreational activities for an average of 80 children daily. Between lunch and the afterschool program, the children receive homework assistance.

During the afterschool program, volunteers assist the children in the activities planned by the team, so help the children execute their work, supervise them, teach them to behave, and play with them. Volunteers are also more than welcome to plan and execute their own recreational activity in the area or sports, games or handicrafts.

*Volunteers need to arrive on a morning flight to Guatemala City (no later than 13pm). Departure flights from Guatemala City need to be scheduled after 14:00PM.

Program Schedule

• Program starts and ends in Guatemala City
• Airport meet and greet in Guatemala City.  Bus tickets to Xela
• Monday to Friday volunteering. 35-40 hours per week
• Weekends free to sightseeing
• Typical shift work can be: 7:00am - 4:30pm with lunch break
• Support: Local ABV Director support 24/7 during placement
• Departure:  Transfer to Guatemala City airport

Volunteer in Guatemala there are networks of public health centers offering free of charge care. One of these centers is located in the town of Xela. Volunteer in an outpatient environment which caters to poor families living in Xela. Spanish speaking volunteers with a health back ground (medical/nursing students, EMT) are welcome. Patients see vary between 200-300 per day.

Medical volunteering will allow you to give patient checkups, examining babies, taking weights, checking vitals, and shadowing the local medical staff.  We need volunteers with Intermediate Spanish knowledge.*This program can be combined with Language Immersion classes.

*Volunteers need to arrive in Guatemala in the morning. Last bus to Xela departs at 3:00pm. Overnight in Guatemala city is not included in cost of program.  Departure flights from Guatemala City need to be scheduled after 2:00PM.

Program Schedule

• Program starts and ends in Guatemala City
• Airport meet and greet in Guatemala City.
• Monday to Friday volunteering. 35-40 hours per week
• Weekends free to sightseeing
• Typical shift work can be: 7:00am - 4:30pm with lunch break
• Support: Local ABV Director support 24/7 during placement
• Departure: Transfer to Guatemala City airport

Volunteer in Guatemala at a Mother-Child Center. This shelter is a government institution for young mothers and their children. This shelter is home to 60 mothers, girls and young children. The teenage mothers and their young infants can stay here, as well as teenage girls who have suffered from sexual abuse. The girls and mothers are all under 18 years old, and the children are aged approximately 0 to 5 years old. There is a lot of emphasis on psychology, as well as learning how to be a mother.

Volunteers are much needed at this shelter. The volunteers are asked to organize their own activities. So together with the staff and ABV Volunteer's help, the volunteer has to make a plan for the time he/she will spend there. You can think of activities like crafts, music, art, sports, or something that you like or that you ́re good at. You can plan activities for the babies or for the girls, according to your preference. The volunteer foresees in his/her own supplies. Also, the shelter understaffed and always short on (economical and material) resources, you will often be on your own with the girls and children.  This is a year round project.  Volunteer houses are typically 830am-12pm, 230pm-430pm Monday to Friday.

Another option is to volunteer with woman in a residential care center for the elderly.

Most of the residents have no other living options. Some have been abandoned by their own family. The home provides these ladies, free of charge, a place to live, meals, clothing, medical treatment and therapy needs. Since most woman in Latin American culture are the back bone of the family, they deserve to live their life with dignity and in a happy environment. *This program can be combined with the medical projects, as volunteers are needed to provide health checks like checking blood pressures, sugar levels, administering medication and physical therapy needs.

You will help with recreational and cultural activities, help to prepare food, and feed some of the ladies, some ladies simply need people to talk to them, or read to them for a few hours. We need volunteers with strong Spanish knowledge. 

*Volunteers need to arrive in Guatemala in the morning. Last bus to Xela departs at 3:00pm. Overnight in Guatemala city is not included in cost of program.  Departure flights from Guatemala City need to be scheduled after 2:00PM.

Program Schedule

• Program starts and ends in Guatemala City
• Airport meet and greet in Guatemala City.  Bus tickets to Xela
• Monday to Friday volunteering. 35-40 hours per week
• Weekends free to sightseeing
• Typical shift work can be: 7:00am - 4:30pm with lunch break
• Support: Local ABV Director support 24/7 during placement
• Departure:  Transfer to Guatemala City airport

Help support both single parents and their children. This project is for parents of limited resources. This is a daycare center where the (single) parent can bring their child while they work. The kids receive pre-kinder lessons, behavior training and recreational time. The project foresees in breakfast, snack, lunch and snack. The center has capacity for between 15-25 kids. The center has babies, toddlers and pre-school age children between 3 months and 5 years old.

Volunteers are needed to take care of the kids, as they are very young and active. It ́s simply playing, or doing some creative activities like arts and crafts, dancing, or teach them some English. You can also help in the kitchen to prepare the food, and help the kids eat. Or accompany the kids when they have an excursion.

Due to the lack of adequate number of staff onsite volunteers for this project need to be pro-active, willing to work with limited direction, and come with a can-do, enthusiastic attitude. ABV Coordinators will help with direction and suggestions, but this program needs enthused participants.

*Volunteers need to arrive on a morning flight to Guatemala City (no later than 1pm). Departure flights from Guatemala City need to be scheduled after 2:00PM.

Program Schedule

• Program starts and ends in Guatemala City
• Airport meet and greet in Guatemala City.  Bus tickets to Xela
• Monday to Friday volunteering. 35-40 hours per week
• Weekends free to sightseeing
• Typical shift work can be: 7:00am - 4:30pm with lunch break
• Support: Local ABV Director support 24/7 during placement
• Departure:  Transfer to Guatemala City airport

The program is a municipal institution where they receive about 500.000 visitors yearly. The center has 200 animals of 41 species. Many of the visitors are school children coming on a school trip to learn about the animals, but also regular visitors come to the park. The program is currently going through renovations, improving and increasing the animal spaces.

The volunteer can involve in different areas of the park:

• Work directly with the veterinarian, making daily rounds, administer medication and vitamins and create a healthy environment for the animals.
• Feed the animals and prepare the food
• Assist with the tours and conferences for groups (mostly school children in Spanish)
• Assist with the tours and conferences for groups for English speaking visitors
• Help in the maintenance of the park, building, painting and also cleaning- for people with experience in the health sector, they can learn how to apply injected and oral vaccinations to the animals.
• We need veterinarians, pre-veterinarians, and general volunteers.

*Volunteers need to arrive in Guatemala in the morning. Last bus to Xela departs at 3:00pm. Overnight in Guatemala city is not included in cost of program.  Departure flights from Guatemala City need to be scheduled after 2:00PM.

This educational center provides education to people with a visual and hearing handicap. The center offers pre-primary and primary education in classrooms until 6th grade. There is also a special education classroom. The center accommodates a total of 140 children.

The deaf children come to school every day, and the blind children come as much as they need. They have a specific program that´s different from the deaf children.

Most volunteers involve in the special education department. But also the classrooms for the smaller grades are open for volunteers. Sign language will help you in the program.

Volunteers work as classroom assistants, taking care of the children, make class material, help with the classes and homework. A 10 min bus ride and a 10 min walk is required (each day US$1 a day  transportation).

Program closed:
Holy week
Summer vacation: End of October to 2nd week of January)
Last week of June

Program Schedule

• Accommodation: Middle Class Host Families
• Meals: 3 per day M-F, 2 meals Saturday, no meals Sunday
• Arrival: Airport meet and greet pickup
• Orientation: Project Overview and Orientation
• Support: Pre-trip written guide, In-country ABV staff available 24/7
• Departure: ABV Staff Escorted Airport Transfer

Language Immersion classes are available in Antigua. Volunteer in Antigua and you can take half day of Spanish language lessons (3 hours a day). Language Immersion gives you the opportunity to expand and focus your Spanish knowledge, while participating in one of volunteer projects. Lessons are provided by tutors on a one-on-one(or two) basis. Lesson plans are created with your input so they can be most effective. Language Immersion lessons can be combined with all the programs we offe rin Antigua.

*Volunteers need to arrive in Guatemala City no later than 3pm. Stay in Guatemala city is not included in cost of program. Departure flights from Guatemala City need to be scheduled after 2:00PM.

Program Schedule

• Program starts and ends in Guatemala City
• Airport meet and greet in Guatemala City.
• City tour and orientation in Antigua
• Morning Volunteer work, 4 days a week for 20 hours
• Afternoon Spanish lessons, 5 days a week total 15 hours (45min each)
• Certificate of completion from ABV
• Support: Local ABV Director support 24/7 during placement
• Departure: ABV Staff Escorted Airport Transfer

Guatemala’s young women experience some of the highest levels of sexual abuse, with one out of three woman experiencing abuse before the age of 18. Volunteers interested in working with teen mothers and victims of abuse are welcome at this center. This shelter is a residential home and haven to 85 females. The residents include adolescent mothers and their small children who are provided ambulatory care and a temporary shelter escaping a life of abuse. By spending your time supporting women and girls in need, you can help them towards a better future.

Specific Objectives of the Project
- Provide psychological care and support to those suffering from violence.
- Introduce topics of encouragement and building self-esteem
- Develop training, awareness and prevention activities on health and hygiene

With over 85 residents, focus is stressed on intervention, prevention, education and empowerment. The center provides educational creche and day care services for the small children. We encourage volunteers to introduce workshops in dance, exercise, meditation, and cooking workshops.

Donations needed: children’s vitamins, sanitary products, body wash, personal hygiene products, diapers, lightly used clothing for woman/adolescents, powered milk and medications for cold/cough.

Elderly family members are most often held in high regard and well respected in Latin American culture, Hispanic culture emphasizes strong family ties and most households have traditional structure of three generations. Rising living standards and better access to quality health care have increased the life expectancy of Latin Americans to close to 75 years.

For those without family means to support them, elderly care homes are becoming more predominant in many societies. While most of the elderly residents have disabilities, which do not allow them to live with their own family, some of the patients have been abandoned, or have mental illness such as Alzheimer’s. Our volunteers help with the day to day activities including personal interactions, stimulation with the residents, including feeding, and physical therapy need. Most residents range between the ages of 67 – 111 years old. There are approximately 185 residents and the center needs help to distribute food, clothing and medicine to those in need whilst trying to keep an adequate standard of living for the elderly. Schedule: 8:00am to 12pm and 14:30 to 18:00.

The ways in which you can help like volunteer are:
- Meals times – most residents will need to be hand-fed.
- Specialized therapeutic care. Physical therapy techniques.
- Reading books, talking together, playing cards
- Laundry and kitchen needs, running errands for the staff
- Nursing care available 24/7.

Donations needed: adult vitamins, Spanish music and books to share with the residents, cognitive games and puzzles for mental stimulations.

A Broader View partners with local hospital and centro de salud centers throughout Antigua. We have built a partnership-based model in Antigua Guatemala to provide support with community outreach programs and preventative health education. ABV makes responsible contributions year-round to our local partners and supports the local communities by using homestay accommodations.

Some of the most common health complications are preventable diseases like diabetes, hypertension, and cervical cancer. Misconceptions about healthcare and lack of access to culturally appropriate services result in high rates of these preventable diseases. To maximize your contribution, ABV will tailor your experience based on current needs, your interests, Spanish levels, training, and amount of time that you spend with us on-site in Antigua Guatemala. This program is only for trained/licensed medical and nurse providers (license/CV and Spanish knowledge a requirement).

Clinical Activities/Health Education/Special Initiatives in Antigua Guatemala

• Rounds with hospital staff
• Attending and assisting with surgeries
• Nutrition Area, Dermatology, Laboratory
• Health screenings during community outreach days
• Post Surgery support and nutricional recovery.

In Guatemala, ABV organizes individual placements, as group medical missions. Spanish proficiency is highly recommended, but not required by ABV Volunteers. However, volunteers may find that any level of Spanish comprehension will enhance interactions with medical staff, patients, and community members. This program is suitable for licensed physicians, registered nurses, physician assistants and physical therapists.

Supplies/donations required: exam gloves, masks, stethoscope, oximeter, medical scrubs, Scissors, Thermometer, Otoscope & Ophthalmoscope Set, blue & red pens

Volunteers in Guatemala are needed at a special needs center located in the city of Antigua. There are about 250 residents which reside in several homes. All residents suffer from various physical and mental ailments. The center provides care to small children and adolescents. Volunteers work in the therapy rooms and engage them in the outdoor areas for sitting, reading and talking with the residents. As a residential facility bedding and food are provided for all residents, and most of the home's funding comes from donations and international support.

Hours for volunteers are: 8am to 5pm. The mornings are spent with the children who are unable to attend school doing physical therapy, playing, feeding, move the residents to their activity areas and changing. In the afternoon, volunteers help the children with schoolwork, feeding, getting children ready for bed by 5pm and cleaning up after the meal.

Donations needed: adult & children’s vitamins, cognitive games and puzzles for mental stimulations. 

Professional dental providers and licensed dental hygienist are welcome in this program. Assist the local staff with dental health care, oral health maintenance and care. Preventative oral health is extremely important. Volunteers will do check-ups, extractions, treating cavities, cleanings and minor surgery.

• Set up and preparing an examination area.
• Providing prophylaxis and fluoride treatments
• Giving oral health: educating patients on proper cleaning and flossing
• Pain management procedures, oral cancer screenings, fillings, sealants and extractions..

Non-Spanish speaking volunteers: Language immersion is highly recommended, and lessons are given 5 days of afternoon lessons.

Requirement: Volunteers must supply their own scrubs, gloves, masks, syringes, local anesthesia, head lamp, basic hand tools/instruments. Box of toothbrushes and tooth paste to donate to the local patients.

Volunteer in Guatemala. If you are an undergraduate studying biology, chemistry or any of the sciences and are considering a career in medicine this is the ideal program for you. This program is as much about learning about universal health care, as it is to offer hands on assistance to the local medical staff who you will be working with in Antigua. This type of experience is a great way to strengthen your resume and application to medical/nursing/PA school.

This center provides specialized care to babies in medical need. Currently the center provides care for about 20 children. Babies are monitored 24/7 by pediatricians and nurses and nutritionists who provide care to babies struggling with malnutrition. Once the baby recovers the hospital provides the families with medication, food, vitamins, and items to keep the baby healthy. Volunteer tasks include:

Feeding babies
Providing mental stimulation
Changing diapers and clothing
Providing support for health education

Donations needed: baby diapers, children’s vitamins, baby clothing, powered milk

Overview

• Project length: From 1 week to 12 weeks
• Program starts and ends in Guatemala City
• Airport meet and greet in Guatemala City.  Bus tickets to Antigua
• Monday to Friday volunteering. 35-40 hours per week
• Weekends free to sightseeing
• Typical shift work can be: 7:00am - 4:30pm with lunch break
• Support: Local ABV Director support 24/7 during placement
• Departure:  Transfer to Guatemala City airport