Guatemala

I just got back from 4 weeks in Quetzaltenango, Guatemala. I was working in an orphanage and absolutely loved it. I decided to do the program on fairly short notice but both the US staff and the staff in Guatemala were extremely helpful and returned my emails/phone calls immediately. I lived with a great family and fit very will with them, went out with them, etc. Quetzaltenango was a great city to live in and I can't wait to go back!

IFRE is an extremely reputable and reliant organization. Every and all needs are met when it comes to questions, concerns, and support. It was very last minute that I decided to go to Guatemala and the only reason I was able to make it happen was because of the quick replies I received from IFRE. I suggested to them the date that I wanted to leave less than a month ahead of time! They responded to my emails in less than an hour sometimes. Every single part of the application process and how to continue with payment and forms was explained step by step. Also, what would happen the minute I landed in Guatemala to get to my destination was also explained in perfect detail. I am so happy with the IFRE employees in Xela, Guatemala. They called me a week before I left and answered all of my silly questions along with the serious concerns too. The employee met me at the bus station, showed me around the city, helped me get a cell phone while I was there, and also made me laugh and feel comfortable the entire time. I could call her at anytime during my 3 weeks there and she would meet me somewhere if I needed her as well. My volunteer project was an orphanage and she walked me there the first day and introduced me to the head of the orphanage. Throughout my 3 weeks she would always check up on me and make sure I was enjoying myself. This experience was life-changing and unforgettable. It was because of IFRE that it happened as smoothly as it did. In the orphanage there were many sick children as you would expect. Some of the children had lice. It is very possible that the program was not aware of this but the whole first week there I was uninformed of this. I did not get lice because I took precautions for the next 2 weeks but I would have liked to know some of the viruses and conditions they had ahead of time just so I could take precautions. Things like that, your vaccines are obviously not going to help with. Other than that, I have not one complaint about this program. Xela is a beautiful city with a lot to do. There are wonderful people there and the host families that they set you up with are wonderful and accommodating. My only other advise is to wait till dry season to go to Xela, Guatemala. The rainy seasons makes it hard to do certain activities because it gets cool in the evening and rains everyday. I hope that this helps and I absolutely recommend this program!

It was my first experience volunteering, so I was unsure of what to expect; however, my experience exceeded my expectations. I worked in a street kids program (teaching young children basic education, in Spanish) as well as in a day care (doing arts and crafts, class lessons, etc.). The kids in Guatemala were eager to learn and communicate, which made participating as much as possible easy and fun. I was pleased with the support staff as well. Before leaving I received many e-mails regarding everything I needed to be prepared for my experience. I was surprised and pleased with the fast response from staff, considering I applied very late - about a month before leaving to volunteer. The cost is very low compared to many other volunteering organizations I considered, and it's nice because a large sum of the money you pay goes to the host family you stay with and the program you choose to work in. The only thing I was a bit disappointed with was that I was the only volunteer in both my programs. However, that's partly due to the lack of popularity of the programs I chose as well as the time of year. The organization also offers language lessons (the language depends on what country you're in, for me it was Spanish) for a fee (a reasonable fee!). I would strongly recommend RCDP to anyone, and Guatemala was a fantastic place to travel to.

This program was absolutly amazing. I an 19 years old and was going on my first trip abroad. I am very nervous myself not to mention my family. thanks to the great staff at rustic i felt more assured before leaving on my trip. once in guatemala i have a fantastic ground support staff that helped not only with my program but also help-ed me find other activities during my free time such as visiting san pedro and the hot springs -good fun time. this trip would not have been the same without rustic's amazing ground support! Thanks to Oscar and Jillian i felt comfortable, safe, and still had a great time volunteering and finding other things to do in Xela!

I spent a week in Xela, Guatemala, along with another instructor and five Information Technology students, working at a small school, configuring and repairing computers and teaching MS Office classes. This program was organized through IRFE Volunteers and was tailored to our areas of competency. Our volunteer experience was extremely beneficial to the students and we were very pleased with the program. Details such as hotel stay, travel to the school, connections with host families, type of work and hours at the school, and travel suggestions were all handled by IFRE. Our in-country assistant coordinator was so very helpful in that she gave us a complete orientation when we arrived, came with us every day as a translator, showed us how to use the local bus system, and gave us many tips on things to see and do locally. The US program coordinator and the Guatemala program coordinator did a superb job in working out all the preparation details for the trip and answering all the questions that we had.

We enjoyed the students and the staff at the Guatemalan school very much and we hope to come back and work with them another time with their technical needs. We'll need to work on our soccer game as well as our Spanish language skills!

Our host familes were the best and made our stay with them very enjoyable. The food was great and we got to practice our Spanish.

This program deserves a BIG Thank You! -- and definitely a recommendation for anyone to utilize as they consider a volunteer experience.

I loved my experiences here. I genuinely enjoyed the time I was able to aspend with the children in the orphanage. The other volunteers and I were able to travel to amazing places on the weekends, and I formed close relationships with many of them. I found the Spanish classes to be beneficial as well as interesting because we also learned about the culture. My host family was welcoming and so friendly. Also, everything was way cheaper than American prices. I loved it all.

I participated as an IFRE volunteer in Xela, Guatemala as a member of an 11 person group of MSW students. In Xela, I volunteered as a teacher's assistant at one Street Children Project. I had the opportunity to lead stories, crafts, and English learning activities and had the chance to attend an evaluation meeting which highlighted macro components of the organization such as finances aid organizational structure and values.

Both at placement and in the home family enviroment I appreciated the sense of community, solidarity, and affection for children/family that I daily witnessed.

The experience definitely is a wonderful opportunity for learning/devoloping Spanish skills and for learning about daily Xela life and culture.

IFRE staff, both in the US (Alex from Dallas) and in Xela (Oscar) were exceptionally helpful . Oscar assisted our group with planning weekend excursions, learning about the culture, orienting us at placement, arranging meeting places for our group to meet, and coordinated a social worker speaker to educate us about social work in Guatemala.

An amazing experience – Global Crossroads was both very organized and professional. Everyone associated with Global Crossroads and the Orphanage was very kind and accommodating. The other volunteers were great, and my host family was wonderful – especially Maria, who was thoughtful and funny and concerned and warm. Speaking of warm – definitely warn the volunteers there is no heat in the houses and it got quite cold at night! Loved the hostel in Guatemala – those people were amazing and I will go to that hostel again for whatever reason I find myself again in Guatemala city. Just the most decent kindest fascinating most accommodating people – great stories too! I really felt at the orphanage that I was helping and allowed to make a difference. I think volunteers are needed there and I felt needed and appreciated. I especially liked my teacher, who was in charge of the special needs students.

PS Be warned if is cold at night in Xela and there is no heat in the houses of the host families.

I was only working with GVI phoenix in Guatemala for two weeks but I really felt I made a difference. I was volunteering in a school in an indigenous community outside Antigua. We went to the school each morning where we were warmly greeted by community leaders and I helped in a nursery class in the mornings and reinforcing reading and writing skills with some older children in the afternoons. The children and indigenous teachers were great; I worked hard and had great fun.
My Spanish improved a lot; I was using it at school having Spanish lessons in the evening and chatting with my host family in over an evening meal. Antigua, where I stayed, is a beautiful and unique city and I felt really at home there. My host family were lovely and I felt really welcome. All in all a great and really worthwhile experience.
I managed to visit some of Guatemala in my third week in the country: Tikal - a Mayan site with temples peeping through the rainforest canopy; Lago Atitlan - a beautiful lake surrounded by volcanoes, small settlements and rainforest; and I climbed two volcanoes. All in all a great and really worthwhile experience.

I have enjoyed my experience so much here that I wish I could extend my time! I loved working in the orphanage with the kids. They were all so wonderful, as well as all of the staff at the oprhanage. I also loved my host mom, she was great and made the most delicious food everyday. I had volunteers in my house and not in my house that I became good friend with and got to share this awesome experience. I really am grateful for Mario, Oscar, and the rest of the staff here for helping me immerse myself in Guatemalan culture. My first week I was a little nervous, but I quickly got used to life here and I feel am going to miss the children, staff at the orphanage and staff at IFRE. I will take a lot of new knowledge with me and valuable lessons that I've learned from living and being here in Xela. Hopefully in my future I can come back to Xela because I just loved it so much!!