We need people to teach English to children in a rural village in the Lacandona jungle, Guatemala

Details

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  Description

  We are a village inside the Sierra del Lacandón National Park, in Petén, Guatemala. Its primary school has nearly 80 adorable kids that are looking for English lessons and games. You can also work with the community and help them on their activities (agriculture, environment, apiculture). The village is quiet and beautiful, the people is very nice and the children are awesome :)

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  Types of help and learning opportunities

  Language practice

  Help with Eco Projects

  Teaching

  Gardening

  Babysitting and creative play
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  Cultural exchange and learning opportunities

  Around one third of the population is indigenous; the Q'eqchi' people. You can try to learn their language and get to know their Maya culture. The mestizo people are the majority and they are also very friendly and interesting. You can learn about cooking, farming and beekeeping from all the villagers. You will meet many of the students' parents, as you will eat the 3 daily meals with a different family every day! People are curious and love to meet volunteers, so get ready to talk about your culture too :D (take into account that parents and teachers don't speak any English, so an intermediate level of Spanish is a requirement) - Tu español debe ser muy bueno para poder comunicarte con l@s niñ@s, las madres, los padres y los profesores.

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  Projects involving children

  This project could involve children. For more information see our guidelines and tips here.

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  Help

  We need volunteers to teach English to children aged 4-13, in groups of 15-20 children, from 7:30 AM to 12:30. There are English books and some games that you can use for your lessons. The level is very basic, so if your English is intermediate, that would do it. You have to be an energetic and patient teacher for the children. You will love them for sure :) Applicants must speak at least intermediate Spanish, in order to translate and explain in the local language, and for talking with the community members (by the way: the communication with us via whatsapp will be in Spanish, so please don't apply if your level is not good enough to have a basic conversation). Children like to play in the afternoons, so you can do so if you want, but is not mandatory. The afternoons and the weekends are free, so you can go for a hike in the woods, play football, visit a local farm and help if you want (mango, bees, corn, sesame, beans, banana, etc.), swim in the river, go see the howler monkeys, try to reach the Mayan ruins of Yaxchilan (around 12 kms away) or just relax in your room.
  IMPORTANT:
  - please check our calendar before applying.
  - as we prefer to have new volunteers from time to time, the maximun length of stay is 4 months.
  - we need loveful people that really want to help the community, like children and are not looking for any benefit from this. So please don't apply if you only want to use this experience as an item for your CV, as it's not the spirit of the project and we don't provide any certifications. Thanks.

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  Languages spoken

  English: Fluent
  Spanish: Fluent

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  Accommodation

  You will have your own room in the same school were the children receive their English lessons. There is a small room next to the main one, so you may share your little house with another volunteer. There are 2 toilets and 2 showers on the back of the school that are used only by the volunteers. The room has electricity and the beds have mosquito nets. The area is quite hot, and there are small grocery stores nearby. Every day, a different children will pick you up around 7 and he/she will take you to his/her house to meet the family and have breakfast. Later you will have also lunch and dinner there.

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  What else ...

  To reach the village you must get a bus in Santa Elena bus station, near Flores and San Benito. It takes around 4 hours to get to the village, and you will see the hills and the jungle as you arrive. You will sleep hearing the monkeys (owler monkeys), the village gets really calmed when the sun sets. You may walk in the jungle in the afternoons or on weekends and if you're lucky you will see monkeys, big spiders, tucans and other birds, snakes and more, as it's a quite wild environment. If you love nature, indigenous cultures, animals and children, this is the perfect place for you! However, The village is a quiet and traditional place, so it's better if you don't smoke nor drink in front of the people.

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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

  This host has indicated that they love having digital nomads stay.

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  Space for parking camper vans

  This host can provide space for campervans.

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  Can possibly accept pets

  This host has said they are willing to accept those travelling with a pet.

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  How many Workawayers can stay?

  Two

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  Hours expected

  Maximum 4-5 hours a day, 5 days a week

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