Care Work in Mexico with Projects Abroad

  Mexico

• Guadalajara: 
Guadalajara

Durations of Program: 2-4 weeks, 5-8 weeks, 9-12 weeks, 3-6 months and 7-12 months
Typical Duration of Program: 5-8 weeks
Dates: All year round

Description: Mexico is an exciting destination to spend time volunteering with children and adults in orphanages, care homes, or special education centers. With rich natural resources, a mix of indigenous peoples and stunning coastlines, Mexico is a fascinating Central American country. It has a strong tourist industry and trade agreements with over forty countries with huge potential for economic growth. However, poverty and unemployment still feature heavily and continue to affect many orphanages, kindergartens, day-care centers and special needs centers in both rural and urban areas.

The thing that all the care placements in Mexico have in common is that volunteers are engaged in helping children who have precious few other people to whom they can turn to, and, for this reason, volunteering in Mexico should be considered a challenging but also an incredibly rewarding pursuit.

We do not require you to have previous experience, provided you have passion and commitment to the job and the people you are trying to help. Whether you are on a gap year or coming to development work as an older volunteer on a career break or even during your retirement, you will have a role to play and your contribution will be valued.

Volunteering with Special Needs Education and Orphanage work with Projects Abroad

Projects Abroad has a variety of care placements in Guadalajara, Mexicos second largest city, and in Ciudad Guzman, a smaller town in the volcanic region a couple of hours to the south. Volunteering in Mexico could see you working in an orphanage, a kindergarten, a school for the blind or a center for children with mental and physical disabilities. Our partner organizations include the Red Cross, who operate care centers in the region.

The range of skills that you may require throughout the duration of your placement may be as varied as the problems encountered by the children you are helping. Many of the children are desperate for attention and there will undoubtedly be children present who have health problems and who need special attention due to both mental and physical disabilities.

Volunteering Abroad on a Care Project with Children in Mexico

One of the organizations we place volunteers in is for children whose parents are in prison. At times it must seem to these children that, apart from the nuns who run the center, they have very little stability in their lives. Volunteers can help to break the monotony of everyday life by taking children out on trips, playing sports with them or introducing them to music - why not bring your guitar or clarinet with you! These are the sorts of things that the children will remember for a long time.

We also place volunteers at a school for blind girls aged from 6 to 15 in Guadalajara. You are needed to assist the dedicated staff there, teaching the children about textures, materials and generally how to survive in a world they are eager to explore.

The vast majority of the children we work with seem to have limitless energy and you are sure to get tired out before they do! Help the children with everything from brushing their teeth to learning the words to the latest pop song. Any encouragement you can offer goes a long way towards building a child's self-esteem and confidence. However exhausted you feel at the end of the day you will always feel that it has been well worth it.

Highlights: For your accommodation, you'll live with a Spanish speaking host-family, which is a great environment for developing and improving your language skills. All the families involved are extremely supportive of the projects carried out by Projects Abroad and are eager to experience an inter-cultural exchange and learn about the lives of volunteers.

Guadalajara and Ciudad Guzman, where we are based, is part of the West Central Highlands and has one of the most pleasant climates the country offers. The winters are moderately warm and the summers hot although not unbearably. With this wonderful climate, you will be able to explore all the beauty Mexico has to offer anytime of the year!

In addition, this project offers the opportunity to become fully immersed in the culture in a manner which even the most hardened of backpackers could never hope to do.

Qualifications: No qualifications, experience or languages required.

Cost in US$: From US$2,695 up

Experience Required: no

Typical Volunteer: Open-minded with a desire to travel.

Age Range: 16-70

This Program is open to World Wide Participants. This Program is also open to Couples and Individuals

Participants Travel to Mexico Independently Or in Groups

Typically Participants Work Independently Or in Groups

Application Process Involves:

• Letters of Reference
• Written Application

Post Services Include:

• Exit DebriefingAbroad
• Re-Entry Debriefing at Home

Projects Abroad's Mission Statement: As part of the global economy, Projects Abroad helps create local employment wherever we send volunteers. Employing local staff overseas and using their talents and knowledge is important to us. This local knowledge and support enables the organization to channel the skills of the volunteers from more affluent countries to regions around the world where they are needed. Volunteers also learn from their placements and the people they meet, and they gain experience in a chosen field. In the 21st century, we believe this mutual respect is what cultural exchange is all about.

Year Founded: 1992