Guatemala

The experience overall was amazing and really life changing. I feel a lot more aware of how much certain projects need donations and volunteers.


The host family was truly amazing! Very friendly and relaxed atmosphere. Sandra and Sergio treated me as if I was one of their own!


This trip to Guatemala has truly been one of the most amazing and eye opening experiences. The ABV staff is wonderful and guiding you through the process, and making you feel comfortable while you are here as well. I feel blessed to have met so many kind people and am very grateful to A Broader View for affording me this chance to see and work in Guatemala.
My host family was wonderful! The meals were great as well as accommodation. Felt very safe here. The family truly treated me like one of their family members and welcomed me to all family gatherings and events.
It was hard to see some of the extreme poverty. While Xela is beautiful, it also has a huge disparity between rich and poor. Seeing people on the streets was difficult. Also going to the orphanage was extremely hard. It was very hard for me to leave.
Bring warm clothes!!! Also bring donations for the clinic and orphanage. Not just work clothes, but also things to go out in.
Go visit tour places (the coordinators can recommend agencies) right when you arrive, so that you can start planning cool excursions, Go to the hot springs, Go zip lining on a coffee farm

These videos sum up the experience.

1. Feedback for the clients I brought to Guatemala https://vimeo.com/80848612

2. Me trying to put words to the volunteer experience and the rest of the week we had https://vimeo.com/80918953

IFRE Guatemala was one of the best decisions I have made in my life. I received consistent support both before and after I arrived in my placement country. Once I arrived in Guatemala my in-field support was always available to help me navigate and understand my new surroundings. My time spent volunteering at the local school taught me a lot about myself, it also allowed me to learn from each of my amazing students. I had the experience to grow with my students in the 11weeks we spent together. I also grew in close relationship with my host family, and by the end of my time with IFRE they truly were family. I will never forget the extensive lessons in Guatemalan slang and jokes that I received from my students, or the deeply moving conversations I had with my host mother. I have come out of this experience deeply moved and my first thanks is to IFRE.

IFRE Guatemala was one of the best decisions I have made in my life. I received consistent support both before and after I arrived in my placement country. Once I arrived in Guatemala my in-field support was always available to help me navigate and understand my new surroundings. My time spent volunteering at the local school taught me a lot about myself, it also allowed me to learn from each of my amazing students. I had the experience to grow with my students in the 11weeks we spent together. I also grew in close relationship with my host family, and by the end of my time with IFRE they truly were family. I will never forget the extensive lessons in Guatemalan slang and jokes that I received from my students, or the deeply moving conversations I had with my host mother. I have come out of this experience deeply moved and my first thanks is to IFRE.

My time in Guatemala was an amazing experience. We volunteered at an orphanage for 4 days. We had lots of fun with the kids doing activities, playing soccer, teaching English while picking up a bit of Spanish.

The support team from Global Crossroads that helped us in Guatemala were awesome. Oscar and Kyle went above and beyond to make our experience top notch. Thanks so much to you both. Having Kyle with us at the orphanage for all the time we were there helped greatly as our group didn't speak much Spanish at all. One day we were unable to get in to the orphanage for whatever reason, and they coordinated us to visit another daycamp for kids.

I highly recommend this experience to everyone.

Layers!! Layers are the bread and butter of this town. Temperatures change fast so layers are useful. Beautiful climate however. Also maybe bring granola bars if you really like that stuff, because that is pretty expensive here. Also bringing donations on the flight is much cheaper and totally easy to do. You´ll always wish you brought more to give!

The first day with the kids and enjoying their welcoming attitudes. So refreshing. I also really enjoyed all weekend trips. Tikal, Rio Dulce, Antigua, Chichicastenango, all so great!

a.- Be open!
b.- Stay positive
c.- Don’t compare
d.- Take it in strides
e.- SMILE! It always lifts your mood and those around you!

Overall I had a fantastic time here. The work was rewarding, I met amazing people I´ll be friends with for a long while, and the host family experience is invaluable!

Our coordinator was extremely kind and helpful from the moment we landed in Guatemala. Both her and Juan made themselves extremely available to us at all times. They provided us with advice and tips for Quetzaltenango and answered all questions we had.
It was surprising to me that all the services offered at the clinic are free to the people. It´s really great because many people are able to be helped, that otherwise most likely would be able to get it. Also, there was an interesting American influence in some of the food that I was not expecting.. I liked the traditional foods.
The climate in Quetzaltenango changes significantly during the day. I would suggest packing for warm weather and plenty of sweatshirts/sweatpants and a light jacket for the evenings. Also bring allergy medications, or other medications for headaches and stomach. For donations, try to get a list of what the program needs well in advance to try and get the items, or fundraise for them.
If you are looking to spend some time off helping others, diving head first into a new culture and adapting as you go, volunteering with ABV is definitely an opportunity for you. The people here are welcoming and genuine and you have every opportunity to learn about the customs and daily life. It is a great way to practice Spanish and to really help where it is needed. You also get the opportunity to explore yourself and step out of your comfort zone. My most important piece of advice is you control your experience: so get involved from day one.
My friend and I who did the program shared a room together. It was comfortable, clean and quiet. I felt safe in the house and never doubted the safety of my personal items or myself. Everything we needed in our home was made available to us. Each meal was different and filling. Our señora was very nice and we liked to talk to her after each meal. At the clinic everyone was nice, it was clean and I had no problems.
My favorite memory of the trip was talking to the different people I met and hearing all their stories. Each person, whether it was a member of my host family, employees at the clinic, patients, my professor or someone I met, had great stories that were all unique.

This summer I attended the Teens Volunteer Program in Tecpan, Guatemala. At first I was very hesitant to choose this country. Guatemala wasn't a very well known country like Thailand or Costa Rica. However , I have to say my two weeks at Guatemala made me fell in love the country. It is an absolutely gorgeous country , minus the spooky airport. During my two weeks here , I lived on home base in a town called Tecpan. Home base was absolutely wonderful and I shared a room with another volunteer. The girls and boys lived in separate halls. There was also a basketball/soccer court available for us to use. The other volunteers and I opened up to each other fairly fast. We also had some crazy dance offs. There was also many soccer tournaments between the boys in our group and the teachers from this local school that we volunteer in. Our job at this program is to go to a local school and teach kids English. It was a struggle for me because of my lack of knowledge in Spanish. If you decide to join this program , be sure to start perfecting your Spanish as soon as possible! We got to choose the grades that we want to teach. The kids are all absolutely adorable and they love you to death. Every day that I was there I was able to have a great time because they make me smile. Despite our language barriers , the kids and I still made a special connection. However , CCS doesn't make you volunteer everyday ! We took frequent visits to Italian restaurants and we also took trips to Lake Atitlan , Antigua and Mayan Ruins. It was absolutely beautiful. We also had classes that helps us better understand the lifestyle and culture of the Guatemalan people. The experiences that you will gain in Guatemala is priceless and it will change your perspective on this world. If you are struggling in choosing a site , consider Guatemala! Trust me , you will not be disappointed !

This experience was incredible. Everything from the planning months before, to the arrival, to the workers, to the host family, and finally to the orphanage was more than we could have hoped for. I did the volunteering with my cousin and we both thoroughly enjoyed our week in Xela. Our host family was caring, loving, helpful, fun, and interested in us, our trip, and our safety. Oscar at the office was very friendly and helpful, answering all of my nervous questions. The orphanage staff clearly loved what they do, working with the kids and warmly welcomed us. The work with the kids was life-changing, eye-opening, emotional, and heart-breaking. I worry about the kids getting attached to volunteers time and time again just to part with them after a week or 2 of spending so much time together. I definitely got attached to them and miss them dearly. We worked about 4.5 hours each morning in the baby/toddler room. We changed diapers, changed clothes, gave bottles, fed lunches, and played a lot with them. We held, hugged, kissed, bounced, tickled, and loved on them. Thank you so much for allowing us to come in and get to know those little angels. I hope to stay connected with what goes on in the orphanage. It will forever be a part of who I am.