Volunteer With GHA

Because all the founders of GHA have been volunteers here in Guatemala and know what a meaningful experience it can be, we have made that option available to others. Volunteering can be a life changing experience and a great way to learn and work in another culture.

Volunteers who choose to be a part of our housing projects will be placed on a crew with local builders and a member of the recipient family. By working together on this intensive project, volunteers will form bonds with both the family and our local building staff.

Never had any building experience? Don’t let that deter you! On each housing project, there are plenty of jobs to be done with shovels, machetes, buckets, and wheelbarrows that do not require any previous construction knowledge. If you do happen to know your way around a construction site, there are plenty of skilled jobs to do too! Nothing physical will ever be expected of you that you are uncomfortable with. Each member of our crews is trained to always observe common sense safety precautions, no matter whether they are working with skilled or unskilled volunteers.

We ask our volunteers working on floors to donate $100 per floor, or $75 each if there are multiple volunteers—every penny of which goes to the project. Volunteers who want to build a complete home will need to cover the entire cost of the home, $3000. We can help you design a fundraising campaign, as family and friends of the volunteers are often happy to lend their support and feel themselves a part of the good work. This can be quite successful, especially with groups traveling to enjoy this experience together.

For those not inclined to do construction, we also offer opportunities to volunteer in our vacation school, teaching English or as an intern. Volunteers who participate in this program have the opportunity to work with kids and teach them a range of valuable life skills. While volunteering with these programs does not cost anything, we do ask for a one-month commitment and a intermediate level of Spanish is required. The vacation school is through the month of November, and the other programs are ongoing and can be joined at any time.

Accommodations

GHA can help you to find accommodations that are in line with your budget and what kind of experience you are looking for. While there are no hotels in San Pablo or Pasajquim, San Juan has some lovely hotels and hostels within a varying price range. For anyone wanting to really connect with the people and the culture here in Guatemala, we connect with a community based organization that can arrange homestays for the duration of your time here as a volunteer.

 Internship

For those looking to commit more time to GHA or wanting to kick-start a career in the non-profit sector, we also offer an internship for Development, Fundraising and Marketing, each important parts of GHA’s programs and the growth the organization. This will involve work as a valuable member of a small team to create online fundraising campaigns, to implement SEO, organize fundraising events, identify and apply for relevant grants and/or design alternative fundraising strategies. Marketing is responsible for identifying and connecting with markets for the handicrafts of the women we work with, allowing them to better support their families. This has the possibility of substantially improving the lives of many. The internship can be done remotely or in country.