Mexico Volunteer Programs from $25/day | Most Affordable & Trusted

My trip in Merida was full of challenges and illness but the friends I made and the program I volunteered in made this experience worth it. The hosts were very helpful in taking me to the doctor and translating for me when I needed help. Both of the homes I stayed in were very nice and I would definitely recommend a host family if you are wanting more comfort and privacy. Merida is a beautiful city with a lot to explore and the volunteers in the program become your friends very quickly. Although challenging, this program was fun and worth the trip!

I volunteered in Mérida for 4 weeks, and I wish I could stay longer. I have grown so close to all of the children and ladies at my volunteer placement and I looked forward to seeing them everyday. Every single person I have met here, whether it be a fellow volunteer, a coordinator, or someone else in charge, it has been a pleasant experience and I have felt extremely cared for. I have grown close to the children and the coordinators of the entire Mexico program and they feel like family. I highly recommend this to anybody who really wants to submerge themselves in a new culture and live like a local. :)

I had a very pleasant and exciting volunteer experience. The staff and community members were extremely friendly and welcoming. The summer camp was fun and I feel the youth really enjoyed it. They took some time to warm up to me, especially considering that I did not speak Spanish.

At times I felt that there were very low expectations of volunteers and the program catered more to the needs of the volunteers than the youth. The resources at the centre are limited, so i definitely encourage volunteers to bring materials with them.

I did the IVHQ Mexico program for one week, and overall it was a good experience. There were a few things that could have been improved, but that's always the case when you go to a foreign country! The local staff were super supportive and always responded to our calls/texts within a few minutes, and they were more than willing to take us to the doctor/regularly check in on us when several volunteers on my program got sick. The volunteering programs were pretty good, too. It felt like you were really doing something to help the community. The other volunteers were all super nice - they were my favorite part of the trip! The accommodation was pretty nice - the pool was definitely very helpful in the hot summertime to cool off in!

Volunteering in Merida Mexico was a great eye-opening experience. First off the volunteer house was a good place to live. Everything was good and the dinners were great. I was placed in two locations to volunteer. The first location was at a school next to the house where they offered many activities for children. The kids all came from troubled families and it was a pleasure bringing some light into their lives. Although they came from rough upbringings they were happy to be alive. The second location was in a Mayan village. These were younger kids. This village was very rural without many resources but once again the kids made the best of their surroundings and had great spirits. All of the kids were happy to have us there and it really made me feel good to be around them. It was a great experience. The IVHQ staff was very friendly. They helped organize tours and resources in and around the city. I would recommend this program.

Although I only volunteered for a week, I still had a great time. I lived in the hostel, and at the time, there were around 25 volunteers. Miguel and Janese were both amazing, and they were always looking after our comfort and health. Additionally, Monica was always willing to help us with whatever we needed.

Groups of volunteers will be at different placements, and I was put in a summer camp program in Xcuyun. There were lots of kids, all very energetic, but they loved seeing us volunteers each day. I played with a group of boys, and we split each day into 3 sections: teaching English, sports, and crafts. The boys loved playing soccer, so we centered activities around this sport, making it easy to keep them engaged.

The UMA San Luis Farm's focus is to develop traditional forms of farming and to conserve biodiversity of the tropical forest on its property. One goal of UMA San Luis is to provide a setting where local Mayan children can learn about sustainable farming. Anastasio and Veronica are the head of the mayan family that lives adjacent to the farm. They look after the volunteers in several aspects. Anastasio provides the knowledge and guidance volunteers need to perform the work and achieve the farm's aims. He is also the guide to several local attractions such as the archeological site Ek Balam and a handful of Cenotes (bodies of fresh water that can be in caves or partly exposed) in the area. He has extensive knowledge about the trees and plants that are common to the area. He speaks Maya and Spanish. His wife Veronica speaks mostly Mayan but can understand some Spanish phrases. She prepares all the meals: breakfast, lunch, and dinner. She is also able to do laundry for a small additional cost.

UMA San Luis has bathroom facilities that include flushing toilets and showers. There is no electricity at UMA San Luis Farm, so volunteers should bring a flashlight for evening hour use. There is electricity at Anastacio's house and cellular reception is also available at Anastacio's. Volunteers have the option of sleeping on hammocks that are under the volunteer pavilion. If you choose the hammocks you may want to bring a mosquito net. The volunteer pavilion also has tents and there are air mattress in the tents.

Days at the farm are guided by sunlight. Most activity starts early in the morning since sunlight begins early. Volunteers are up by 7am and breakfast is ready by 8am. Volunteer head off to work after breakfast. There are several tasks: such as cleaning planting area, collecting rocks to create areas for planting, clearing unwanted shrubbery, planting seeds, building bird boxes, creating paths, and other general farm tasks. Work ends around noon. Volunteers have an hour to clean up and get ready for lunch which starts at 1pm. Volunteers have the afternoon for any activities that are of interest, and Anastasio is happy to guide and lead the expeditions.

The typical food is excellent. There is plenty of fruit at all meals, and tortillas are provided at every meal too. There are excellent vegetarian options. There can be tamales, panuchos, black beans, chicken soup, vegetable soup, lentils, eggs with tomatoes, and Veronica is happy to make dishes based on suggestions. Pan dulce is also available at most meals.

Tony, UMA San Luis' founder is present at the farm several days during the week. He makes trips to town to collect food items and other materials for volunteers and the farm. He is extremely friendly and is always asking what he can do for volunteers.

The farm has some bicycles that can be used to reach destinations. The closest town is X-ush, it's a very small town with only two small stores. There is a cenote close to this town. The next larger town is Hunuku, it's North of the town and a little further to reach. There are taxis here that can be taken to the amazing ruins of Ek-Balam. The town also offers motorcycle taxis that can be taken to several different cenotes that are excellent. Anastasio can take you to a cenote that is currently not open to the public, but its owned by community group be knows. Hunuku can be found on google maps, but X-ush is too small to find on google maps. The road from the farm to both these towns is not named or paved.

On the weekends Tony can drive volunteers to Valladolid. This is an historic town that is worth exploring. I stayed at Hotel Zaci and explored the cenotes in the ares, markets, public squares, restaurants, churches, streets, and the art house of Casa de Los Venados.

My experience was extremely positive and I learned many wonderful things about the farm, mayan day to day life, cenotes, plants and trees, and many things that must be experienced.

I volunteered at a Foundation that adopted children who had been abandoned by their parents. They weren't orphans necessarily, because they technically had parents, but their parents did not want them, hence living at the Foundation. I volunteered for two weeks with a very tiny background in speaking Spanish. As soon as I met the children, I fell hard in love. I've worked with children in Canada for the last 7 years, and working with the children in Mexico was completely different. I had never met such humble and appreciative children. My presence alone was good enough to make them happy! We helped with homework, brought them paper and colouring supplies, and other arts & crafts. They would get so excited at the simplest supplies, which was such a nice feeling. These children were not spoiled, in fact, they had been removed from one of the most important parts of childhood - having parents - yet they were the kindest, most appreciative children I'd ever met.

The most rewarding part of the trip for me was helping a 12 year old boy with a slight learning disability. He was unable to focus on his homework and would often skip numbers when counting to 10. When I helped him finish his addition and subtraction homework - in Spanish - the look on his face was priceless. A boy who struggled to do homework was so excited to have finished his homework, and he was able to play after that! Being a part of a moment that doesn't seem so special, felt incredibly special to both him and I.

I would volunteer a thousand times again if I could. Volunteering with children has been a life-changing experience. I want to help children who don't have what I was fortunate enough to have, I want to give back because I was lucky enough to have a privileged life. I want these children to live happy lives.