Community Service-Learning Trips

EntreMundos offers personalised, all-inclusive, Community Service-Learning Trips for groups of 5 people or more. The idea behind our programme is a balanced combination of participation in hands-on community service work and educational cultural activities to provide a deeper understanding of Guatemala and its socio-economic and cultural context.

We pride ourselves on our flexibility, and by working closely with group leaders and our networked contacts here in Guatemala, we will tailor the programme to your group’s educational and community service objectives.

As EntreMundos is a Guatemalan non-profit NGO that works with over 150 different NGOs and community projects, by working with us, all of the fees will be directly invested back into the community. As our priority is maximum benefit for the communities at minimal cost to the volunteer, we are committed to running cost-effective Community Service-Learning Trips.

Community Service Work

The Community Service portion of the trip will be designed according to the objectives of your trip. Activities can include, but are not limited to:

Painting community schools and repairing classrooms
Working in a tree-nursery and reforestation project
Running an activity for children at a school or children´s project
Working for an environmentally sustainable permaculture project
Distributing donations of shoes, clothes, toys, or other items to rural communities
Cooking for, and interacting with, the beneficiaries of a food support programme
Constructing projects like chicken coops and Safe Stoves
Cleaning up Guatemalan communities
Installing water-tanks in rural homes
Clearing and cleaning trails for local eco-tourism projects

Depending on the interests and goals of the trip, this programme can involve a variety of activities, or a longer-term, more intensive project for the duration of the trip.

Additionally, the programme can run on a Rural Variation, where group members can spend their trip in a rural area, contributing to and participating in local activities, while learning about the community's cultural and socio-historic context.

Cultural Learning

To enrich the educational perspectives gained through Community Service Work, EntreMundos can arrange cultural activities to allow for greater understanding of the context and challenges in which your group is working. Activities can include, but are not limited to:

A walking tour of a local market to enjoy the busy Guatemalan market life
A short hike to a panoramic viewpoint of Xela
An educational lecture on the Guatemalan theme of your choice
Visit to local thermal hot springs to relax yourself completely
Learn the moves the region is famous with a Salsa dance class
Prepare a traditional Guatemalan meal
Attend conferences on themes such as the history of Guatemala, midwifery, guerrilla radio during the civil war, and migration
Hike to a sacred crater lake, the centre of Maya-Mam Cosmovision.”
Witness a traditional Mayan Ceremony
Visit a coffee finca to learn about the roots of coffee production
Participate in a weaving lesson using a traditional backstrap loom

CSL Trips Include:

Pre-departure support and information on suggested clothes and other items
All of the itinerary´s transportation, including private transport from Aurora International Airport
A group introduction as well as safety and behavioural guidelines.
Suitable accommodation with breakfast.
One or more bilingual guides to accompany and translate for the group throughout all activities.
Participation in all community service work, including a direct donation to each of the projects.
All associated costs and entrance fees to any chosen activities.
Safe, daily prepared lunches (sandwich, fruit and drink).
Evening meals in local restaurants, plus one non-alcoholic drink.
All gratuities for food and transportation services.

**Please note that as EntreMundos is itself a local, non-profit organisation dedicated to building the capacities of other local NGOs, all administrative fees are also an investment in Guatemalan communities.

Not included in the programme:

Flight to and from Guatemala
Health/travel insurance and medical expenses
Any alcoholic drinks
Personal spending money
Fees for bank transfers for payment

NB. All participants in the programme must individually sign and agree the terms of our Volunteer Work Waiver.

For more information about the Community Service-Learning Trips, contact volunteering@entremundos.org.