Proyecto Mosaico - Volunteer Opportunities

Proyecto Mosaico start in October 1998 after Hurricane Mitch hit Central America. A group of people around the world came together to found the non-profit organization Project Mitch Guatemala (PGM) and help the Hurricane Victims.

After immediate-aid measures were achieved following Hurricane Mitch, PMG decided to continue arranging volunteer work placements for willing international volunteers in numerous organizations throughout Guatemala.

With the evolution of PMG, it was decided to change the name of the organization to Project Mosaic Guatemala. The pieces of this mosaic are the various Guatemalan partner organizations that PMG is associated with. Together these comprise the overall pattern or design, which is present day PMG, a diverse mosaic that creates a broad unity in Guatemala.

Here an overview over the services PMG has to offer

1. Volunteer Work Placements
2. Travel Arrangements
3. Spanish Classes
4. Home Stays with Guatemalan Families
5. Letters for social service, internships and scholarship programs
6. Contact with your family

Why does PMG ask volunteers for a contribution in return for their services?
PMG is a non-profit organization. Your contribution will help to offset the costs of the PMG Volunteer Resource Center. This ensures that PMG can continue to provide benefits to both international volunteers and Guatemalan organizations in need. By collaborating with us, you help to direct human, financial and material resources to more than 100 PMG partner organizations in Guatemala. Here an overview what we have to offer:

1. Servicio Completo, 120€ - $170 – Q1200
2. Servicio Economico, 100€ - $140 – Q1000
3. Servicio Basico, 40€ - $55 – Q400 (free for Guatemalan nationals)
4. Servicio Publico, free information

Everybody can work as a volunteer through PMG. The choice of which organizations to work with depends on certain things:

Types of Volunteer Work - PMG links potential volunteers to work placements in over 100 Guatemalan organizations that are involved in: childcare, agriculture, community development, environmental/wildlife conservation, rehabilitation, health care, human rights, housing, education, women's issues, responsible tourism, culture, research, coordination/administration.

Work Experience - Most volunteer work placements do not demand prior work experience. This means that just about anyone can do volunteer work. There are a few exceptions, as some organizations are specifically looking for doctors, lawyers, etc.

Compensation - Most of our Guatemalan partner organizations do not possess sufficient resources to offer food, accommodation, or other forms of compensation to foreign volunteers. If these resources were available it would only make sense to give them to a Guatemalan, thus creating a job. A few organizations may be able to offer basics, such as food and/or accommodation, but only for long-term volunteer work placements (i.e. one year minimum).

Motivation - The most important factor for volunteer work with a Guatemalan organization is a strong desire to make a contribution. With the right attitude the volunteer will also gain valuable experience and knowledge.

Current needs of PMG partner organizations - Many of our Guatemalan partner organizations have access to only very scarce resources. As a result, contributions from international volunteers can often help to fill the void. From PMG's standpoint, we try to ask the volunteer to not only consider their own preferences for work placements, but also the level of need of our partner organizations at the time. Therefore, we ask you to not be offended if we suggest volunteer work placements that may not be in line with your criteria. The reason why we would do such a thing is that these organizations may simply be in desperate need of help.

Choice of Location of Volunteer Placements - PMG can help to arrange volunteer work placements in most regions of Guatemala. If you have a strong preference regarding the geographical location of your volunteer work placement, it is important to make this clear to the PMG staff so that they can take this information into consideration when helping you to choose a placement. Some do not like the idea of being in a large urban area, while others may not want to work in a rural, isolated area. Guatemala also possesses climactic extremes, so if you have an aversion for either extreme heat or cold, please make this clear as well.

Language - Prior knowledge of Spanish, the official language of Guatemala, is very helpful but not vital for volunteer work. Even if you speak little or no Spanish you can learn in country through classes, living with a local family, and while volunteering. PMG provides advice to potential volunteers about Spanish classes and home stays with Guatemalan families. Note that some projects do require volunteers to be highly functional in Spanish in order to do such specialized tasks as translation.

Time Commitment - Minimum time requirements for volunteer work placements vary depending on the organization and, sometimes, the skills of the volunteer. It is possible to do volunteer work for as little as one day and as much as many years. Our partner organizations determine minimum requirements and these may only be flexible if the volunteer has exceptional skills and qualifications (i.e. doctors, lawyers, engineers).

More information at: www.promosaico.org