Gain a valuable experience while being a part of our dog shelter in Tzununa, Guatemala

Infos

• 

  Description

  We operate a non-profit focusing on rescuing, rehabilitating and rehoming street dogs around Lake Atitlan, Guatemala. Our mission is to improve the lives of these dogs and we work closely with other individuals and organisations in the area to ensure all our dogs are vaccinated, sterilized and are ready to go to new homes.
  
  Our staff includes Aaron (founder), Pablo & Sonny (dog-site managers), and Maria (local dog-food chef).
  
  Volunteers are an essential part of our operation. If you volunteer with us, you can expect to be part of a team of up to 10 people living amongst the dogs on one of our sites in Tzununa. While there's always plenty to do and some days can be tough, you can work happily in the knowledge that you're improving the lives of our greatest animal companions.

• 

  Types d'aide et opportunités d'apprendre

  Projets artistiques

  Pratique d’une langue

  Aide avec des éco-projets

  Jardinage

  Bricolage et construction

  S’occuper des animaux

  Cuisine/repas pour la famille

  Entretien général
• 

  Centres d’intérêt

  

  Dev. personnel

  

  Végétarien ou végan

  

  Événements/vie sociale

  

  Bénévolat

  

  Ferme

  

  Musique

  

  Soin des plantes

  

  Langues

  

  Dessin et peinture

  

  Architecture

  

  Livres

  

  Randonnée

  

  Yoga / bien-être

  

  Nature

  

  Fitness

  

  Camping

  

  Vidéographie

  

  Dev. durable

  

  Animaux de compagnie

  

  Bricolage / artisanat

  

  Cuisine et alimentation

  

  Jardinage

  

  Menuiserie

  

  Animaux
• 

  Objectifs de développement durable de l’ONU que cet hôte essaie d'atteindre

  ...

  ...

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

  Qu'est-ce que c'est ?
• 

  Echange culturel et opportunités d'apprendre

  We live in Tzununa, a small Mayan town in a steep valley on Lake Atitlan. Unlike many other towns in the area, it is relatively undeveloped for tourism (besides a few foreign-owned businesses) and therefore provides a close-up look into modern Mayan culture. There are several indigenous languages and dialects still spoken around Lake Atitlan. The local language in Tzununa is Kaq'chikel, which our local employee, Maria, is always happy to share with volunteers. Spanish is also spoken as the common tongue between locals and foreigners. English is rarely spoken by locals but much more prevalent in the larger towns. There are several language schools around the lake where you can take Spanish classes.
  
  Staff and volunteers at the shelter tend to be from all over the world. We learn a lot from each other through conversation, music, cooking and working. Come with an open mind - not everyone will share the same views!
  
  We're hoping to eventually expand our activities to include education of local children on appropriate animal care - we'd love any ideas you have about this!

• 

  Aide

  The shelter has a plethora of tasks to be done on a daily basis. These range from the mundane (picking up poo, washing dishes, cleaning common areas) to the fun and exciting (building/designing new spaces, walking dogs, adoption fairs, sterilisation clinics). We are open to suggestions and will happily work with your strengths, but nobody is exempt from the less appealing aspects of running the shelter.
  
  The schedule is flexible and we can work around your preferences (as long as the work gets done). The dogs do not respect our working hours - they need constant care and attention. Some of our permanent staff work around the clock but we don't expect this from everyone. Please communicate clearly your needs so there is no confusion. We are happy to spread your working hours throughout the day, or if you want to work only in the morning/evening, this can be arranged.
  
  An ideal volunteer will use their initiative to complete tasks, often without oversight. The managers here are busy, so organising your own work is an essential part of keeping things running smoothly. This means you have a lot of freedom - if you're a passionate cook, we'll be thrilled to let you focus on the kitchen while the exercise fanatics walk all the dogs! All volunteers are entitled to 2 days off per week. As the shelter needs to be constantly staffed, please bear in mind it may not be possible for volunteers to take all days off together.
  
  The most important aspect of volunteering here is having a love of animals and wanting to improve their lives. This is not a free holiday - many volunteers in the past have struggled with the noise, cleanliness and workload. If you come here expecting to work hard and make a positive impact in the world, you'll thrive and we will love you for it.

• 

  Langues

  Langues parlées
  Anglais: Courant
  Espagnol: Intermédiaire

  Cet hôte propose un échange linguistique
  English, intermediate Spanish, and beginner Kaq'chikel (the local Mayan Language). Happy to exchange languages.
• 

  Hébergement

  We currently have 6 beds in shared rooms, including 2 double beds (preferably for couples or friends). We also have plenty of camping options on the shelter land (if you can bring your own camping supplies you'll be especially valuable).
  
  Conditions are liveable but rustic. We have running water on all sites, and electricity/WiFi on 2 of our sites. Many of our buildings are open to the air and as it can get rather cold at night it is recommended to bring warm clothes/blankets/sleeping bags to use alongside the bedding provided. We have an indoor toilet and a hot shower.
  
  Volunteers are expected to do their own laundry - either by hand on site or at a laundromat in town. This includes bedding at the end of your stay.
  
  Volunteers are expected to contribute to the food: we buy food together, pool food money, and meal-plan as best as we can as a group. We have two locations so it can prove difficult to eat at consistent times, and in anyway one is able to help by cooking/planning/and helping contribute towards our group meals is a huge plus. However if you’re no good at cooking that’s okay too: we have great cooks on-site but need to plan how we share meals (with two locations and sometimes needing to move food from one to the other) together!
  
  There is a market every Sunday where you can buy cheese, meat, fish, vegetables etc, and also several small stores in town with a decent selection. The Sanctuary provides a small budget for market-days on Sunday so we should always have some ingredients on-hand to make food with daily. How much or how little depends on the group and our ability to acquire the resources to do so.

• 

  Autres infos...

  The lake is a thriving tourism hotspot so there is always plenty to do, such as paddle boarding, cliff jumping, kayaking, volcano hikes, ATV rides, yoga retreats etc...
  
  There is also a lot to do in Tzununa, surprisingly. The local businesses that have been started by foreigners and travellers have beautiful accommodation and interesting spaces like Community Permaculture Gardens, Organic Gardens, an Apothecary, a large Dance Temple that focuses on contact-dance, and a Mushroom Cultivation School and community. Tzununa and neighbouring towns also have lots of businesses run by the local Mayan community, and offers lots to the traveller community. Tuk-tuks can drive you around the lake at very inexpensive prices, and there are boats that can take you from town to town for equivalent prices.
  
  Rules!
  You must be physically fit and mentally resilient - Tzununa has very steep terrain, you will be walking up and down these hills multiple times per day. The work can be stressful and you must be able to cope.
  
  All volunteers must work hard and contribute to all tasks (yes, even washing dishes and cleaning dog poo) - no exceptions.
  
  Absolutely no violence or sexual harassment - you will be immediately kicked out.
  
  You MUST work as a team - dogs can sense negativity and we will not tolerate childish arguments.
  
  You MUST listen to the permanent staff members and obey the shelter rules.
  
  No stays under 2 weeks will be considered free of charge. Daytime visits are an option! Longer stays will be prioritised.
  
  All applicants must complete a video interview via WhatsApp.

• 

  Informations complémentaires

  • 

    Accès Internet

  • 

    Accès Internet limité

  • 

    Nous avons des animaux

  • 

    Nous sommes fumeurs

  • 

    Familles bienvenues

• 

  Possibilité d’accueillir les digital nomads

  Yes! However, not so good for constant visual streaming. Also, it's a dog shelter so it will never be silent!

• 

  Combien de volontaires pouvez-vous accueillir ?

  Plus de 2

• 

  Cet hôte fait payer des frais

  en savoir plus

  Pourquoi Workaway permet-il à certains hôtes de facturer des frais ?

  
  

  Workaway offre des opportunités d'échanges culturels non pécuniaires où les hôtes fournissent le logement et la nourriture en échange de l'aide des workawayers. Dans certains cas exceptionnels, des frais ou une demande de don (généralement pas plus de 5 dollars par jour) peuvent être approuvés pour des hôtes tels que les associations caritatives ayant un historique de feedbacks positifs de la part des bénévoles. Toute somme versée doit aller directement à l'organisation caritative et ne peut être utilisée que pour couvrir les frais de nourriture des bénévoles. Cela sera clairement indiqué sur le profil de l'hôte.
  

  Les annonces provenant d'agents, ou autre type d'intermédiaires, ainsi que les projets qui semblent faire des bénéfices grâce au séjour d'un bénévole sont strictement interdits. Tous les frais doivent être discutés et approuvés au préalable par l'équipe Workaway.

  4$ per day for the meals , excluding weekends

Sécurité du site

Feedback (21)