Free International Volunteer Work Abroad Programs
SPANISH AND SERVICE OPPORTUNITES IN CHIAPAS, MEXICO
Combine Spanish study with cultural immersion by working alongside Mexican University students completing their community service requirement in fields such as: Agriculture, Anthropology, Bio-Medics, Business, Computer, Development, Education, Energy, Engineering, English, Enviro-Tech, Graphics Design, Language & Culture, Marketing, Tourism and more…
www.ChiapasCoService.org
ChiapasCoService.gmail.com
CASA DE LOS AMIGOS FULL-TIME & PART-TIME VOLUNTEER DESCRIPTION,
Casa de los Amigos is looking for new full-time and part-time volunteers to start in January 2012. Please read below and send an email to voluntarios@casadelosamigos.org for more information and for an application.
ABOUT THE CASA:
The Casa de los Amigos is a Center for Peace and International Understanding in Mexico City. Established as a non-profit organization in 1956 by the Quaker community in Mexico, the Casa’s work continues to be rooted in Quaker values. The Casa de los Amigos is many things: a peace organization, a social justice-oriented guest house, a community center, the meetinghouse for Mexico City Friends (Quakers), and a home. The practice of sincere hospitality, rooted in recognizing the human dignity of each person, is at the core of the Casa de los Amigos. The Casa’s Hospitality Program runs the Casa`s well-known guest house and community center.
The Hospitality Program also forms the foundation for the Casa’s Peace Programs in the fields of Migration and Economic Justice. The Migration Program works with migration and asylum-related issues, and includes the Casa’s Solidarity Hospitality project which offers temporary housing to migrants and refugees. The Economic Justice Program is focused on projects, networks and activities supporting economic justice and economies of solidarity in Central Mexico. Finally, the Casa’s Environmental Concerns Committee acts to diminish the Casa’s environmental footprint, and offers community-wide workshops and events.
FULL TIME VOLUNTEERS:
Volunteers are the heart and soul of the Casa, and the Casa’s programs are largely volunteer run. Full-Time Volunteers work between 40 to 45 hours a week, live in the Casa, are fluent in Spanish, and are able to commit to between nine months to one year of service. Full-time volunteers help run the Hospitality Program (including the guest house, maintaining community spaces, and planning and running events), work with the Economic Justice and Migration Programs, participate in Casa life, and share in the many other tasks and projects needed to keep our house and community healthy, safe and vibrant. Visit http://www.casadelosamigos.org/en/volunteer/volunteer-program-description/ to get a better sense of what your time at the Casa would look like.
PART-TIME VOLUNTEERS:
Part-time volunteers work between 20 to 25 hours a week, live in the Casa, are fluent in Spanish, and are able to commit to between nine months to one year of service. Part-time volunteers generally focus their Casa time on helping run the Hospitality Program, participating in Casa life, and doing all the other things necessary to maintain our house, community, and friendly atmosphere. They also have a strong interest in peace, social justice, and the programs of the Casa de los Amigos and may become, to varying degrees, involved in that work.
Casa part-time and full time volunteers receive:
1. Private or shared room with shared bathroom.
2. Kitchen facilities (shared with other volunteers & staff).
3. Washing machine use.
4. Use of the volunteer work office.
5. Wireless internet and access to a computer with Skype.
6. Use of a telephone for local calls.
7. Monthly shared food fund for basic staples (rice, beans, oil, salt, etc).
8. Use of the Casa space and facilities.
9. Free breakfast.
WHAT WE’RE LOOKING FOR:
Full-time Casa volunteers work 40-45 hours per week, divided between work in hospitality and other programs and projects. Due to the nature of Casa work and the volunteer commitment, Casa volunteers should not expect to pursue outside employment.
Casa volunteers must speak fluent Spanish and be at least 18 years old.
They must be able to commit from six months to one year of service.
They must commit to refrain from drinking, smoking and using illegal drugs inside the Casa.
Casa volunteers, like Casa guests and visitors, are a diverse group of people with a variety of skills, experiences and interests. All Casa volunteers, however, share some specific abilities and qualities required to work and thrive in this environment:
They have a commitment to peace and social justice, including issues around migration and economic solidarity, and a commitment to the values of simplicity, equality, community, and integrity. They come here prepared to work hard on social justice issues, and to study those issues in order to do that work.
Casa volunteers genuinely enjoy working with and meeting lots of people. They are sincerely interested in connecting with and participating in the house community. While here, volunteers’ commitment to the Casa is their full time, first priority.
Living and working in community in the same, shared place with the same people can be very challenging. Casa volunteers have to be conscientious about the ways that their actions (even the small ones) can have an effect on everyone else in the community. They are willing to work patiently with each other to maintain productive relationships and work out problems and differences.
Casa volunteers work independently and in teams. They are interested in working in consensus. Because much of their work is self-supervised, they are responsible and take initiative to carry out the work of the house and organization. They are flexible and ready to problem-solve new situations every day.
Casa volunteers are eager to learn new things, have a sense of humor, enthusiastic, and hopeful.
To apply, please send an email of inquiry to voluntarios@casadelosamigos.org. We’ll then send you an application and request that you fill it out and send it back along with your resumé or CV.
Oaxaca Street Children Grassroots
I visited this organization in Oaxaca, Mexico. Had a tour around from the volunteer coordinator Loretta. Really nice people, place and a great organization. There are a variety of different opportunities to volunteer including in the kitchen, computer room, preschool class, medical center and the office. They are always looking for volunteers with the requirment of basic spanish and a one month time commitment. If you are interested in going to Mexico and specifically volunteering in Oaxaca, this is definitely an organization to check out.
What We Do
Oaxaca’s poorest families cannot afford education, basic health care, or a nutritious meal for their children. Government services are minimal and difficult to access. Education is not “free” in Mexico as it is in the US, so the poorest often must choose between feeding their children or sending them to school.
Oaxaca Street Children Grassroots is working to help these families. Dedicated volunteers from Mexico and abroad have fostered the education, health, and well-being of Oaxaca’s street children since 1996. We have 501(c)(3) tax-exempt status in the United States; we have no religious or political affiliations. The services we offer include a school sponsorship program, a food and medical program, and a community center.
Who We Serve
Seventy-five percent of the children in our program are Triqui Indians. The remaining 25% are other destitute indigenous and meztizo families in the area. There are more indigenous tribes in Oaxaca than in any other state. Each tribe has its own language with Spanish spoken as a second. Many people, particularly women, live their entire lives without ever learning to speak Spanish, much less read or write it. This cripples the individual’s ability to function in the Spanish-speaking society around them.
No one knows exactly how many street children there are but at almost any hour of the day thirty or forty Triqui children will be in the Zócalo (the city’s central plaza). Many of the children are the sole support of their families. There are also dozens more non-Triqui children shining shoes, singing songs, or selling chiclets. Recently small gangs of children have appeared and intimidated others, making life even rougher.
Mexico Address
Centro de Esperanza Infantil A.C.
Crespo # 308 Colonia Centro
Oaxaca, Oax.
C.P. 68000 Mexico
E-mail: oaxacastreetchildren at prodigy.net.mx
Local phone: 50 1 10 69
From the USA: 011 52 951 50 1 10 69
USA Address
Oaxaca Street Children Grassroots Inc.
P.O. Box 29226
Brooklyn Center
MN. 55429
E-mail Addresses
Volunteering questions or to request information:
If you have questions or would like to request/plan volunteer service with Centro de Esperanza Infantil:
oaxacastreetchildren at prodigy.net.mx
http://www.oaxacastreetchildrengrassroots.org/
Program information:
To request program information, brochures, pictures, etcera of Centro de Esperanza Infantil:
oaxacastreetchildren at prodigy.net.mx
This is a travel opportunity for students in two of the four veterinary colleges in Canada (Atlantic Veterinary College, and The University of Montreal). The North American Mobility program is a program set up between the these two vet colleges in Canada, Iowa State Univ. and Tuskeegee Univ.in the US, and the University of Mexico and the University of Guadalajara in Mexico.
It is a school exchange that allows students the opportunity to experience veterinary medicine in a different country. The main information page can be found at:
http://people.upei.ca/lopez/mobility_Project/main_page/main_page.html
I just completed a 4 week exchange with the University of Guadalajara. I was able to work on poultry farms, on ranches in rural Mexico, and at a specialized equine clinic. I also took a week to volunteer with a conservation group off the west coast of Mexico that works to protect several species of sea turtles. All in all, it was a great exchange. I felt that it was much more of a cultural exchange than anything. I id learn a little bit of vet medicine, but overall I came away with a greater understanding of the Mexican culture, the food and the drink. I was able to work along side Mexican veterinarians and farm works, live with Mexican families, and see the side of Mexico that isn’t painted with a glossy tourist coat. I give this experience 10 out of 10 backpacks.
Organization:
Nuestros Pequeños Hermanos International
Location:
Latin America
Mission Statement:
Caring for orphaned and abandoned children in Latin America and the Caribbean since 1954. Since then, more than 15,000 children have found a new home and future.
Volunteer Opportunities:
“The volunteer program at NPH is full of opportunities. We invite people of all backgrounds to participate in the endeavor to create a life of dignity for orphaned and abandoned children in the countries we serve. We open this invitation to people who have the desire to be of service to the NPH community and who have an open heart and mind.
For the volunteers, our program offers a wide range of experiences from unique friendships and life enriching cross-cultural encounters to work experience rarely available in the outside world. The idea of having volunteers here at NPH is to support our staff members and to give additional attention to our children.
Our volunteers have the opportunity to share their talents and knowledge while serving others. Often our volunteers are highly trained and skilled individuals whom NPH otherwise could not afford or find in the countries where our homes are located. Volunteers always bring fresh ideas and perspectives that help meet the challenges of our daily operations.
Please remember, we accept volunteers only if we are convinced that they will be good for the children. We are not judging them as people, only as models for children who need to be prepared for their lives beyond NPH.
We have numerous openings for long-term volunteers throughout the year. We are sometimes able to accomodate volunteer groups such as school and church or youth organizations for short-term volunteering as well. See our Volunteer Opportunities or proceed directly to our Volunteer Application.”
Contact Information:
