Come volunteer in our chocolate business in Panajachel, Guatemala

Details

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  Description

  We are a small artisanal chocolate, jewelry, and gluten free baking company in Panajachel. We are currently working to open a retail store and cultural center. We are in the organization and building stage.
  
  PLEASE READ OUR ENTIRE PROFILE BEFORE WRITING US.
  LONG TERM VOLUNTEERS ARE GIVEN FIRST PRIORITY.
  
  
  CURRENT OPPOURTUNITIES:
  
  1) Physical therapist for short term.
  2 week minimum commitment.
  
  2) Gluten free baking help. Pizza, bread, cookies, etc.
  3 to 4 week commitment.
  
  3) Light construction help. Attach wood to floors, walls, etc.
  2 to 4 weeks commitment.
  
  4) Assist with assorted various projects, general cleaning, gluten free baking and chocolate making. Basically just being flexible and helping out with whatever projects we are working on each day.
  3 weeks minimum time commitment.
  
  5) Streaming assistant. Someone who knows the setup, maintenance as well as ins and outs of IRL streaming.
  2 to 4 week commitment.
  
  6) Indoor plant person. We want to put a lot of plants in the store. Someone to help set up and show us how to maintain the indoor garden.
  2 to 4 week commitment.
  
  7) We also have a project in the mountain forest above the lake. We need a couple of people with computer and film expertise.
  3 to 6 week commitment
  
  
  If you love cats and are willing to spend time and play with our cat "Tako" please let us know in your request. We get very busy working here and don't always have enough time available. Anyone who could spend time playing with him each day would be a great asset for us.
  
  
  IF YOU CONTACT US PLEASE INCLUDE ANSWERS TO THE FOLLOWING 5 QUESTIONS SO WE KNOW THAT YOU HAVE CAREFULLY READ OUR PROFILE:
  
  1 What date do you plan to arrive? Without a potential date we cannot know if we can schedule you.
  
  2 Which position or positions you are applying for and what skills do you have that make you a good fit for that position?
  
  3 How long of a time commitment are you are available for?
  
  4 Have you volunteered with other workaway hosts?
  
  5 Do you understand volunteers are responsible for shopping, preparation, and communal sharing of meals?
  
  
  The transitory nature of volunteers makes it exceedingly difficult for us to know when we will have availability. Things tend to change unexpectedly so feel free to check with us anytime. A lot of our volunteers come from last minute requests so don't hesitate to ask. We cannot confirm requests more than a week or 2 in advance as people's plans often change when traveling.
  
  If you write 3 or 4 requests to different hosts and wait to pick the best one, please don't include us in your list. We are very busy, but we do take the time to read every request and answer all of them. Please give us a day or 2 to respond so both of us don't end up wasting our time.
  
  
  
  Thanks for reading all this, we look forward to hearing from you!

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  Types of help and learning opportunities

  Art Projects

  Help with Eco Projects

  Teaching

  Animal Care

  Creating/ Cooking family meals

  Help around the house

  Hospitality/Tourism
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  Cultural exchange and learning opportunities

  Depending on the country a volunteer comes from, they can benefit from language practice, new culinary experiences, and appreciating the different perspectives of similar subjects. Everyone learns something different with us depending on what it is that interests them. We do many things here. From chocolate, jewelry, cooking and making things, to gardening, philosophy, recycling, social responsibility and gender equity. The more a person puts into their time with us, the more they get out of it.

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  Help

  We are offering positions for enthusiastic persons to help us with our new project. Minimum time commitments of 3 to 12 weeks are preferred unless otherwise indicated. We have an exceptional project and like to work with exceptional people. We are building a project with the goal to empower local Mayan men and women to be able to access the tourist industry in a pragmatic way that improves their educational and economic situation. Our place is not for everyone. This is a serious project about service. It requires dedication and is not always fun. If you are truly service oriented in you participation with workaway we could potentially be a great fit for each other.
  
  We are not open to the public yet, we are still building and organizing for the time being. If you come please be prepared for chaos, listening, learning, and paying attention to how we work. It's usual in the beginning that there will be times when you are waiting for something to do so patience is key. If you need to be constantly busy then we are probably not a good fit for you because it always takes time to understand how things operate here. That's the reason we prefer people who can spend a longer time with us.
  
  We offer an unusual opportunity to learn about the history, science, and making of chocolate, recycling, kitchen chemistry, mayan culture, fermentation, gluten free baking, how to make ice cream, flavor balancing, and many many other things. Mornings are free time, we usually start working around 11. Every day around 1 or so we break for a healthy vegetable salad and often take a break. Then continue until it's time to start preparing dinner. After that those who want to participate are able to, and that's when a lot of opportunities to learn specific things happen. We are flexible in our schedule so not every day is the same.
  
  If you are mature, self reliant, result oriented, and want to help move our projects forward, we welcome you to send a request. Volunteers looking for a convenient cheap way to travel and go out at night and party, or if you need to drink EVERY DAY, please do not request a position with us as we are not a good fit. There are often volunteer opportunities at the many hostels in our area that will be much better suited to that lifestyle.
  
  
  IMPORTANT! Food shopping, preparation, cooking, and cleaning is shared by the volunteer/volunteers in a vegetarian, gluten free kitchen. We pay food costs but do not shop, cook for you, or clean up after you. We are not a hostel and prefer to host volunteers that want to be part of our team in both food preparation and living situation. PLEASE LET US KNOW YOU UNDERSTAND AND AGREE TO THIS WHEN APPLYING FOR A POSITION WITH US.
  
  LONG TERM VOLUNTEERS ARE GIVEN FIRST PRIORITY.

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  Languages spoken

  English: Fluent
  Spanish: Intermediate

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  Accommodation

  We have a volunteer room with beds at our house in the center of Panajachel.

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  What else ...

  As a long established chocolate business, sampling is offered from time to time.

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  A little more information

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    Internet access

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    Limited internet access

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    We have pets

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    We are smokers

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    Can host families

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  Can host digital nomads

  We have working internet.

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  How many Workawayers can stay?

  Two

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  Hours expected

  Approximately 5 hours per day, 5 days a week.

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