Guatemala
Our 2009 Volunteer Trip to Guatemala
The purpose of the Guatemala volunteer trip was three-fold:
To support the development of the impoverished, disadvantaged village community of Vuelta Grande with a focus on education and small business development for women.
To expose our volunteers to the country and people of Guatemala and give them an opportunity to engage in a cultural exchange with the people.
To initiate a long-term relationship with the people of Vuelta Grande so that the scholarship and micro-lending programs have the opportunity to flourish over many years.
This trip was inspired by the desire to bring our mission of inspiring and equipping people to discover and pursue their dreams to the developing world. While these people are typically in survival mode, they very much have dreams and those are achievable. For many, their dreams are to send all of their children to school and put shoes on their family’s feet. We saw an opportunity to help them realize these dreams and acted on it.
Highlights of the trip included:
Volunteer Projects
Creating a library for the school of Vuelta Grande, building a retaining wall and painting murals on the school walls; and of course the scholarships and micro-loans with the promise of continued support.
Excursions
We visited beautiful Lake Atitlan, which sits at the base of four volcanoes and offers breathtaking views and exciting boat rides.
Cultural Activities
We danced, ate, and played with hundreds of local Guatemala children and adults.