Volunteer in schools with Niños de Guatemala

Niños de Guatemala is a Dutch-Guatemalan nonprofit working to break the cycle of poverty in Guatemala by providing quality education to those who need it most. Since our founding in 2006, we have opened two primary schools and one middle schools which now serve more than 500 Guatemalan children from low-income families in the towns of Ciudad Vieja and San Lorenzo el Cubo. Join our community of short- or long-term international volunteers or travel to Guatemala as part of a Volunteer Group. There are many options you can choose from, international, short-term, long-term, volunteer groups, volunteer from home and Volunteer for a Day. Short term: the short-term international volunteer program at Niños de Guatemala will be of at least 4 weeks of time, and up to 3 months. Long term: the long-term international volunteer program at Niños de Guatemala will be of at least 6 months, and up to 1 year. Volunteer Groups: NDG hosts volunteer groups on a short-term basis, 1 week up to 3 weeks. The groups are of a minimum of 6 volunteers who come to volunteer, learn from the Guatemalan culture and goes on wonderful adventures. Volunteer from home: extra hands to be able to accomplish our mission are always needed, so we offer online volunteer positions, as well as the invite to be part of our Ambassador program. Volunteer for a Day: volunteer for an entire day at one of our schools from Monday to Friday. Volunteer Work options 1. Classroom Assistance [Level of Spanish: basic] Monday to Friday: 7:30 am - 12:00 pm The most active and accessible program and one that needs the most support from volunteers. The highest priority goes to our youngest classes so depending on how many volunteers there are, expect to be working with students aged between 4 -6 years old. Volunteers will be paired with a class and aid one of our teachers in any way that is useful whether it is to cut and glue paper into notebooks, handing out soap or toothpaste, helping kids with in-class worksheets, or homework. 2. English Classroom Assistance [Level of Spanish: basic] Personalised schedule within the english lessons (8am-12:30pm) and some afternoons (2pm-4pm) The most active and accessible program and one that needs the most support from volunteers. We are looking to support our english teachers in the classroom and also in the afternoons. You will probably be assisting the elementary students but also our middle school students, this is a very interesting program as you will get to know must of our students. 3. Artistic Expression Workshops [Level of Spanish: advanced] Monday to Friday: 2:00 pm - 4:30 pm This program is for volunteers who have a good level of Spanish and who feel comfortable independently leading workshops with an entire class. We ask volunteers to come prepared with extra-curricular lesson plans in an area of their interest such as Art, Theatre etc. We are open to new ideas so our children are exposed to new and enriching experiences. 4. Sports Workshops [Level of Spanish: intermediate] Monday to Friday: 2:00 pm - 4:30 pm This program is for volunteers who have a good level of Spanish and who feel comfortable independently leading workshops with an entire class. We ask volunteers to come prepared with extra-curricular lesson plans in some sport or many sports, our kids love soccer, but it will be nice if they can learn new things. We are open to new ideas so our children are exposed to new and enriching experiences. 5. Reinforcement [Level of Spanish: advanced] 3 x a week (Afternoons 2pm -4pm) “Refuerzos” is an after school program that is very hands on and interactive with smaller groups of students. It is focused on reinforcing certain topics with students that are struggling during regular classes. Volunteers involved in this program find it extremely rewarding as they build strong relationships with a small amount of students and can see them progressing right in front of their eyes. There is a little more flexibility with this program as the volunteer can choose which days in the afternoon they would like to come in however it is recommended to do this program simultaneously with the Morning Teacher’s Assistant Program. 6. Tutorías [Level of Spanish: advanced] Personalised schedule and a minimum of 8 week commitment Tutorías Program is one of the most involving programs on offer as you develop a close relationship with 2 -3 children. Volunteers are matched with students who experience learning disabilities and due to your long time commitment, is an extremely rewarding experience for both child and volunteer. You will meet several times a week to work on personalized material given by the Academic Coordinator and will help them to grasp concepts from class that they need extra assistance with. 7. Summer School [Level of Spanish: all spanish levels] NOVEMBER ONLY and a personalized schedule. During November, students return to school to participate in extra-curricular workshops. There are 2 options for our volunteers: Workshops: Volunteers get to lead a workshop of their choice, whose focus is up to you! Workshops have in the past focused on for example English, sport, science, art and much more! Volunteers can also team up and carry out workshops together. The workshops requires planning beforehand, so if you would like to participate, please contact the volunteer coordinator who shall assist you in making a personalised schedule based on the summer school plans and objective for the year, and of course your interests. Classroom Assistance: Morning classes take place as normal with the established teacher and volunteers are welcome to assist in these classes. For more information on how you can volunteer with us please contact: volunteer@ninosdeguatemala.org