Thank you for your interest in our program in Guatemala.  You will find  most of our information is posted at www.volunteerpeten.com

We are a small 501c3 non-for profit organization located in San Andres, Peten, in northern Guatemala.  Our goal is to 1) protect and manage a 150 acre reserve in San Andres, 2) provide environmental education to all the schools in San Andres, 3) to aid and assist small community organizations, schools, and families in San Andres, and 4) to provide quality volunteer opportunities for travelers and students.

Volunteer Projects are divided into major two major programs; 1) Ecological Management and 2) Education.
Ecological Management includes maintaining a 150-acre reserve, trail management, gardening, tree nursery management, medicinal plants, reforestation projects, and ecological restoration projects.
Education includes environmental education, general education in local schools, library management and activities, extracurricular activities, and adult education. We also work on various construction projects throughout the year.

All programs offer a variety of activities every day and throughout the year.  Mornings are usually assigned for work and afternoons have scheduled cultural, school, and other various activities. Saturdays are reserved for field trips, and Sundays are a traditional day off.

Volunteers who can dedicate 1 month or more are given preference for selection to our program.  During any given time, we can only accommodate up to 15 volunteers. 

  To apply, volunteers must send us a brief resume, expected dates of volunteering, and the program in which they wish to participate.  Volunteers contribute financially toward the maintenance of the organization.  This is what makes it possible for Volunteer Peten to exist.  Cost to participate per week is $120USD. If you can commit to a 4-12 week stay, costs will go down. For a four-week program, volunteers must contribute $450, an etight week program $800 and a twelve week program $1150 and  program includes room and board, training, all activities, and use of all of our resources to work on a project.  Volunteers can also take private Spanish lessons for an additional $3 per hour.  Once a volunteer can commit to the financial contribution, and send 1/2 of their contribution (www.volunteerpeten.com/Donations.htm) we will then reserve their place in San Andres and prepare for their arrival.

Volunteers looking for financial aid will be more likely to find it from their own school or community. Apply for a small grant or corporate backing, and fund raise. You have a worthy cause and there are organizations and businesses willing to support you. All contributions are tax-deductible to the full extent of the law.

We can train volunteers in all aspects of small sustainable projects ranging from chicken projects, to reforestation, to rain forest products, to small garden plots, to stoves, and education.  Volunteers need to focus and become proficient in one or more areas. Our staff has years of experience working with volunteers to make a difference. Once a volunteers feels comfortable teaching or working in a certain area and has completed a small project for the ecological park, we can then connect that volunteer with a family, a school, or a community in which to work and replicate one of the projects that we maintain in the ecological park.

Thank you for your interest and we hope to hear back from you soon,

Mateo (cel: 5711-0040)