Guatemala is a developing country where about 60 percent of the population lives in poverty. The number of affected infants and children is particularly alarming. More than one-third of them live in absolute poverty and suffer from hunger and malnutrition. Of 1000 children born, 40 will not survive their first birthday and about 45% of the children under the age of five show growth retardation due to malnutrition.
Even in the health care systems of modern nations, there always seems to be a lack of helping hands. With that in mind, it’s no surprise that the health care situation in a country where the poverty rate reaches about 50% is even more challenging, as is the case in Guatemala. Behind the idyllic holiday façade of the tropical rainforest, ancient ruins, and enchanting landscapes, there is the reality of Guatemala: poverty
Since this animal rescue center was established, it has branched out into a wide variety of important activities, including environmental education, the management of protected areas, marine turtle conservation, sustainable community development, eco-tourism, and reforestation. Its Environmental Education Department reaches out to over 8,000 children per year throughout the country.
As a volunteer for this project, you will support the local nursing staff in a day care center in Antigua by helping them carry out their daily tasks, such as caring for the babies and children who are between the ages of 0-6. This includes feeding and changing the youngest children and supervising and entertaining the older children.
This volunteer project requires volunteers to be in good physical shape. You will help at the construction site, building houses and actively supporting destitute families who have the dream of owning a small house. Depending on the start date of your volunteer work project in Antigua, you will enter into the construction phase in which the home is in.
During the course of this volunteer project, you will support the work of a community development center located on the outskirts of Antigua. Over the past 20 years, this small initiative has grown into a fully operative organization with a wide range of activities. As a volunteer, you will help in one or more of the following areas:…
As a volunteer for this project, you will support the nursing staff with their daily work and try to make patients smile through your love and affection every day. Your tasks will include the direct care of patients. When working with children, you will play with them, feed and bathe them, make their beds, accompany them on daily excursions, and invent educational activities to stimulate their senses and motor skills.
This wildlife sanctuary on the banks of the Beni River has been in operation for more than 25 years. Its primary goal is to rescue endangered animals that suffer from poaching, animal trafficking, deforestation, and other dangers. Additionally, the animal rescue center aims to protect the local flora while pushing towards the preservation of the Bolivian natural environment.
For this project, your volunteer work will take place in a small village located on the Beni River in the Bolivian Amazon rainforest. Its nearest neighbor is the Madidi National Park, which is known to be one of the places with the greatest biodiversity on Earth. You can only reach the village by boat, which takes about 40 minutes upstream from the town of Rurrenabaque.
For those interested in mental health, working in the psychiatry area is an excellent opportunity to make a tangible difference and gain invaluable international work experience. All of our partner institutions are located in and around Sucre.