Ochoch Hik’eek school needs volunteers!
Mission
Our mission is to provide Secondary Education to the more deprived rural youngsters in Peten (north of Guatemala).
The school has a personal way to work; the students live and study in the school for two weeks and then they go home to the rural communities for another two weeks.
After that, they come back two more weeks and so on.
Meanwhile, volunteers could visit the children to the communities, prepare classes and rest or travel. Spanish is important because neither students or teachers speak English, although other volunteers usually do.
Volunteers requirements
The volunteers must be energetic, flexible, excellent team-workers, be an optimist, creative, patient and ready to adapt to a new life and a new rhythm. What each one of us can bring in is fundamental, and can sincerely make a difference when it comes to tackling problems and finding solutions. Each contribution should be accompanied by a willingness to teach both professors and students about it.
Volunteering Activities – There are so many tasks to help with:
- Teaching,
- coordinating radio program,
- community manager,
- project manager,
- administration,
- maintenance,
- psychologist or
- prepare workshops, amongst others.
How many volunteers do you usually need?
6 or 7 volunteers needed
When do you usually need volunteers? For how long?
The course starts in January and lasts until November.
We ask for a desirable commitment of three months in order to do a deeper task and get on with youngsters, teachers and the community.
How many hours are the volunteers expected to help?
Around five hours. It will depend on the day or classes. Some days more than 5, other days it will be less.
How many days of help per week?
During the plan of 14 days all the days, then they could rest for another 14.
Accommodation
- Shared Rooms
Benefits
- Cultural exchange, the opportunity to know Mayan communities and the reality of rural Guatemala.
- They also could develop their skills freely and feel useful.
Extra activities during free time?
They are invited to go to visit the families at the rural communities in Peten
Do you charge fees?
No, we consider that the work that volunteer does is enough.
However, we accept donations if volunteers feel they want to help.
Visa – can you provide Visa support/info?
We CANNOT provide Visa but I can offer assistance and information
Which language will be spoken?
Spanish mainly
Information about the place
Poptun Township is located in the southern part of the department of Petรฉn, is one of the most populous of the department, its ethnic composition is mostly Qโeqchiโ, although there are in the same population ethnic groups Poqomchiโ, Kaqchikel, Achi and Mopan and Ladino. The municipality mainly produces corn, beans, among others. Also in are introduced in the ranches region. As natural resources are diverse flora and fauna, which has led to the definition of protected areas.
Infrastructure and services are concentrated in the urban area of the county seat, there is little presence of organizations that can help each other, both communities, state absence is asymmetric in the rural town.
Local authorities have maintained an attitude of neglect towards communities and have even ignored the ethnic groups established in the town. These communities have mostly paths but shabby, education and health services are abandoned, you do not have basic infrastructure and productive projects that generate development and well being of communities.
How to get there?
There are two options to arrive in Poptรบn from Guatemala City, a flight to Flores an option that we do not recommend because flights only leave one day a week and cost between 500 and 700 Quetzales (65-90 dollars)- or by bus.
There are two bus companies that operate between the capital and Poptรบn: Linea Dorada and Fuente del Norte. Both take about 8 hours. You should travel in the direction of Santa Elena and tell the driver to advise you when you arrive in Poptรบn.
Flying to Cancun should be cheaper than flying to Guatemala City (at least from Europe).
However, you should keep in mind that it will take one or two days to arrive at the school and this also implies some additional costs (approximately 130$ in the bus, border rates, accommodations, and food).
It is a good option if you want to take advantage of tourism or go to the Caribbean beaches that are along the route.
From the airport depart several buses that drop you off in the Bus Terminal ADO. Once there you need to take a bus to Chetumal (around 400 pesos = approximately 20 dollars), which takes about 6 hours.
Once in Chetumal, one must take a bus toward Flores (700 pesos=40$).
The company is named San Juan and they depart every day from the station at 7:00 am and arrive in Flores at 5:00 pm.
It is recommended to buy the ticket a day in advance.
From Flores, there are trucks/collectives to Poptรบn for 35 quetzales.
To leave Mexico you need to pay a tax of 500 pesos (25 dollars), and to leave Belize a tax of 35 Belizean dollars (17.5 American dollars).
Is there internet access?
Yes
CONTACT DETAILS
You could check more info on our webpage or FB page.
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/casadeesperanza.ochochhikeek/
You can also write a message to ochochhikeek@gmail.com
Instagram; @ochoch_hikeek
Phone numbers: +34 654320811 (502) 79278294
Web: http://ochochhikeek.org/en/
We will be happy to answer all questions you might have.
