Best Rated Volunteer Abroad Programs in Latin America

I wanted to do something different since it was my last college spring break and Antigua was the perfect choice.

You wake up every morning to a hearty breakfast before you get on a "chicken bus" to get to your placement. I worked at a day care for kids aged 1-5 years old in the outskirts of Antigua.

The kids are adorable and the best part is you actually have a chance to make a meaningful impact. From helping them brush their teeth to feeding them, you are given a lot of responsibility. On our last day, we even had a splash day with the kids.

The city of Antigua itself is a beautiful place. Good nightlife, everything is cheap and there's a lot to explore. I lived in a volunteer house with about 10 other volunteers so it was nice to have a community of individuals that were from diverse backgrounds.

I participated in a medical campaign, placement in a clinic, and placement in a physical therapy setting. The medical campaign was great to get lots of experience quickly and impact HUNDREDS of patients in a day. The clinics were good for shadowing but I did not feel that my help was needed much. Intermediate-advanced Spanish is probably best in clinics. The physical therapy placement was eye-opening and I definitely felt that my help was both needed and appreciated.

It was Great!!! WE learned a lot while in Peru about the Culture and Spanish. I took a Peruvian culture class and a grammar class. I learned a lot!!! Week end trips are soooo much fun!

These past four weeks with Maximo have been amazing! They are very supportive, friendly and are always ready to help. Their office is open everyday and the computer lab is accessible to all volunteers. I took spanish lessons for 2 weeks and my teacher was great! All spanish teachers (that I know of) are locals and very friendly. I taught english at an elementary school in the mornings, which allowed me to walk around Antigua (where I was staying and volunteering) and explore Guatemala during the afternoons and weekends. There are beautiful things to see in Guatemala, but also a lot to do in Antigua!

A regular day during the week for me was: waking up around 6:45 and eating breakfast with other volunteers I was staying with, walking to school and teaching pre-k and grades 3 to 6, going back home to eat around 12:45, take some time to explore Antigua and go to Spanish class.

I highly recommend Maximo to anyone! Have fun!

Every beautiful morning here in Antigua, Guatemala I wake up around 6:45 to a hearty breakfast made by my volunteer house's cook. Then, off to placement! My placement was my safe haven. A school nestled high in the mountains is where I was an assistant English teacher for grades 1st through 3rd for two months. The kids were so well behaved and taught me so much! I had no idea what I could learn about myself in two months but i can assure you I exceeded all of my expectations. Maximo Nivel was such a help to my self discovery. It was a place to learn spanish, plan excursions, book shuttles, use wifi and make friends. I lived in a volunteer house called Casa Shekina, with anywhere from 10 to 24 other volunteers (depending on the week). Three meals a day were provided for me by our house cook, and beds were changed and made once a week by our house keeper. I never had any complaints when it came to my home stay or placement! Antigua is beautiful! There is so much to do and so much to see. Restaurants, coffee shops, bars, and boutiques line the streets. The town's famous artisan market is a great place to shop for handmade Guatemalan souvenirs and bargain your prices as low as possible! Keeping busy here was not a problem. My experience in Antigua, Guatemala has been unmatched. I can't wait to come back again!

During the mornings I took Spanish at Maximo Nivel. I would suggest taking classes, it makes it easier to communicate with people on your project and in the community. In the afternoons I went to Proyecto Genesis, an after school project. There we taugh english, basic spanish, computers, hygiene, helped with homework, and played games or soccer with the kids. Although it was difficult for me to communicate with the kids and the program director, they make every effort to accomodate you, and you learn to work with one another. The kids and Ricardo (program director) were amazing and it was very difficult to leave them! For me the hardest thing was communication, and feeling like I wasn't make a big enough impact. I came to realize though that it is a process and change doesn't happen over night. Every little bit adds up and is important.

Overall it was a great experience. Each day involved a good mix of fast-paced continuous work and relaxation time. At the school I was able to participate a lot with various significant teaching tasks. The Maximo Nivel staff ensures you are well informed regarding anything you may encounter on your trip and genuinely cares about your time with them. Highlights were the amazing people I met along the way and the numerous excursions. The biggest difficulty was the language barrier not knowing the native language, however there is usually always someone around to translate.

First and foremost, I want to say this:
If you are considering this program, do it. Just do it.

Before my trip to Guatemala, I was in a slight state of confusion. I had just taken a leave of absence from my university with little to no idea of what my next moves would be. I decided I needed a change of scenery, but not just any change of scenery - I wanted to do something where I could both benefit somebody else and myself. I could not be more grateful that I ended up in Antigua, Guatemala volunteering with Maximo Nivel.

I spent two weeks in Guatemala working with the most intelligent, creative, and loving children I've ever come across in my life. I was placed at an after school program called Mi Escuelita in a very poor town just outside of Antigua. I've had several volunteer experiences in the last few years tutoring and mentoring kids in low income areas. All of those experiences combined could not amount to the experience I had at Mi Escuelita in terms of impact; an impact you feel, the people you work with feel, and the results of which you see. It was hands down the most beautiful experience I've ever had in my life.

The education system in Guatemala is, to say the very least, flawed. Education is free up through 6th grade, which is a strong factor in why many kids drop out long before then. Another reason the drop out rate is so high is due to the fact that many of the children's parents are illiterate and therefore there is no academic support in the home. There is no motivation, no stimulation for these young beautiful minds to experience. Additionally, many kids have alcoholic parents (which is often times accompanied by a broad spectrum of abuse) and their immense potentials are even further suppressed.

When I say that the kids I met at Mi Escuelita have immense potential, I mean it with every cell in my being. They are unbelievably intelligent, quick, eager to learn, beautifully creative, and the most loving and warm little human beings I have ever come across. The kids thanked the other volunteers and I over and over before we left, but they have no idea what they did for me: they woke me up.

In a developed country like the US (where I live), materials are so available that we often don't think of what it would be like if they weren't so available. In a less developed place like Guatemala, things as simple as pencils, notebooks, and crayons are scarce. I could write a novel about my experience in Guatemala, but what stayed with me the most was the fact that the kids I encountered have so little, yet are so incredibly happy. If they lost their soccer ball over the fence, they would find a soda bottle on the street to kick around. There were no complaints, no tears, no shouts - nothing but their lovely smiles. In a nutshell, they had the energy and playfulness of children, but the maturity of a full grown adult. Most of these kids have been forced to assume adult-like responsibilities from a young age: working with their parents to earn some money and tending to younger siblings are just a couple of examples.

I know I left an impact on these kids because they would not let me forget it. They were so grateful and so happy that the other volunteers and I were there. The impact they left on me was a million times greater. After getting to know the kids as individuals, as a group, and witnessing their potentials, it is so sad to me that they are not stimulated. They are not given the chance to excel and succeed. Such a simple concept, yet so far from being implemented in the Guatemalan education system. They want to learn, they want to be able to speak English, they want to be something, they want to do good, they want to be happy, and they want to love.

The experience I had in Guatemala was one I will never forget and it was one that left me wanting more. It made me want to continue this journey of improving, both myself and others. I have been back home for one day and cannot get these kids out of my mind. I still feel their warm embraces and can still so vividly see their wide and bright smiles. Although I was only there for 2 weeks, there will forever be a mark embedded in my heart, soul, and mind.