Kaya Community Development Projects in Mexico

  Mexico

• Oaxaca: 
Oaxaca

Durations of Program: 1-2 weeks, 2-4 weeks, 5-8 weeks and 9-12 weeks
Typical Duration of Program: 2-4 weeks
Dates: The first Saturday of every month

Description: A community project will enable you to fully immerse yourself within the community, and by the end you will feel like one of the locals. There are a diverse number of projects you can be involved in from ecotourism in Peru to women empowerment projects in Ecuador for abused women. Projects like these help you contribute in preserving some unique and special ways of life and helping people achieve a common goal.

Cultural Preservation in Mexico

Join 18 indigenous and mestizo communities to create cultural museums celebrating their land and their heritage. The museums are vehicles for unifying the townspeople, for strengthening and revitalizing community involvement, and for preserving their heritage and awareness of their culture. Their artisan gift shops provide a way for skilled local artists and craftspeople to generate income. These museums are places that generate pride, educate people and weave together the old and new generations.

Elder Care in Mexico

Support a unique home that provides quality care to low-income or abandoned seniors. This home for the elderly was built in 1991 on funds donated by the local artist Rufiño Tamayo and his wife Olga Flores. Since its inauguration, the home has been under the support and direction of the National System for Integral Family development.

The home aims to offer quality physical, mental and social services to senior citizens that have been abandoned or cannot support themselves. The home guarantees security to its inhabitants while working to secure for them the highest level of autonomy and auto sufficiency, and the ability to live with dignity in a healthy environment.

Volunteers who are good with people and willing to interact with the community are favored.

Empowering Women in Mexico

Change the lives of rural women in a male-dominated culture, where poverty and lack of education pose extra challenges to girls and women. You'll work in a women's center helping women of Oaxaca to build self-confidence, know their rights, and improve their skills and knowledge. The center offers weekly talks on topics of women's empowerment and independence, provides legal advice and information on women's health, makes scholarships available, and helps women obtain access to midwives.

Highlights: As most of the world knows, Mexico has some of the most amazing white sandy beaches, turquoise waters and marine life on the planet, but it also has so much more to offer. It is making great strides economically. Nonetheless, income inequality between rich and poor, north and south, and between urban and rural is a major problem. As a result around 30%, or 31 million Mexican people are still living in poverty.

Great White Shark Cage Diving :
The iconic great white is one of the most feared ocean dwellers of all time due to its awe-inspiring size, power, and predatory abilities. It is the largest flesh-eating fish in the ocean today. Off the shores of Mexico is the Isla Guaudalupe, considered one of the best places on the entire planet to view great whites in their natural habitat -- from the safety of a sharkproof cage, of course.

Veracruz River Rafting:
Veracruz, located on the central gulf coast of Mexico, is a world-famous location for river rafting. There are 40 rivers in Veracruz with many originating from the volcanic mountains in the area. The best whitewater rivers are Pescados, Actopan, Antigua and Filobobos, with rapids ranging from class 2 to class 5.

Huasteca Canyon:
Located 15 minutes from Monterry City are the renowned limestone cliffs of the Huasteca Canyon. There are endless opportunities for rock climbing for people at all skill levels, with more than 200 bolted routes of varying difficulties. These limestone cliffs are stunning and can provide quite a challenge even for the experienced climber.

The richness of culture and landscape make Oaxaca a great place to explore! The weather is favorable year-round. There are many museums that explain the historical and cultural importance of the city and state in Mexico's history.

With the abundance of activities, Oaxacans generally have an active social life. It's also important to mention the culinary offerings of Oaxaca, which is said to have some of the best food in Mexico.

Qualifications: Experience and passion for working in the community and interacting with the people are needed. Participants must also possess enthusiasm and a willingness to learn about the environment and the place's culture.

Experience Required: no

Typical Volunteer: A Kaya volunteer shows enthusiasm, spirit and life to stimulate and bring something new to the residents; love, patience and a listening ear for the people; and a good motivator with a positive and optimistic attitude.

Age Range: Must be more than 18 years old

This Program is open to Worldwide Participants. This Program is also open to Families, Couples and Individuals

Participants Travel to Mexico Independently or in Groups

Typically Participants Work Independently or in Groups

Application Process Involves:

• Online Application plus Application Assessment

Post-Program Services Include:

• Alumni Network

Kaya Responsible Travel's Mission Statement: Kaya's mission is to promote sustainable social, environmental and economic development, empower communities and cultivate educated, compassionate global citizens through responsible travel.

Year Founded: 2008