Why’s it so hard to give?

I finally worked on a better logo for the site. I like it much better, although it still needs some more work.

So I’m going to Mexico for spring break, and I want to do something meaningful while I’m there. Sure, I know that one week is hardly enough for anything, and I don’t really have much money for most of the available volunteering programs => meaning I probably won’t be able to find ANYTHING online, nor organize any of this in advance. Most of the information that I did find, was quite expensive, had minimum time of at least a week (which is understandable) and started on specific dates. Anything I can do, will have to be ad-hoc, and happen while I’m in Mexico. I’ve really been searching on and off for a couple of days, and for a good 6 hours today. By posting a question in the lonely planet (ThornTree) forum, I got some great links to look at. I wrote this long summary of the different information that I’ve found (none of which suited my needs):

planeta is a fantastic website, centered on eco-tourism, specifically in latin america. Lots of information regarding tourism in Mexico.

from unaexchange.org I found some great leads on volunteer work, which doesn’t cost as much as the other options, but still costs quite a lot (for my budget):

1) Protection of Marine Turtles, the Negra and Golfina Turtle. Volunteers will work with the people of Colola in a beautiful unspoiled area close to nature, to collect eggs on the beach, bury them in a safe area, and make sure the baby turtles reach the sea in safety after they hatch at night. Also opportunities to work with local people to improve play areas for children, facilities in the village, etc. Volunteers’ ideas are very welcome. Colola is a small rural village on the coast of Michoacan State, between the towns of Maruata and La Placita with internet access. Closest city, Tecoman 200k. A: Wooden and palm beach hut with beds, kitchen, basic bathroom facilities. Without electricity. Bring sleeping bag. 10 mins from Colola village and facilities. 210 Euros, which includes some leisure activities.

2) Our organization is aimed at helping deprived children and orphans from indigenous communities in the south of Oaxaca (South east of Mexico). The volunteers will be sent to Los Aguajes land where we are building our organizations facilities. On the land we are building dormitories, kitchens, dining rooms, classrooms, bathrooms, and a chapel. There will be several kinds of activities such as: building huts and other structures with wood, fertilizing fruit trees, planting orchards, carrying stones for buildings and clearing paths and trees. It is a hot and humid area (25ºC in May, 12ºC in January and February). The ranch is a beautiful place, a kind of paradise quite isolated from any town or city. The Los Aguajes land is five hours away by bus from Oaxaca city. Living conditions are very basic but fun. You will be living in huts without electricity but with lots of clean water, a bathroom and wooden stoves. Food will be provided for the volunteers to cook with. No special ability is required for the volunteers. However knowledge on architecture, carpentry or construction would be really useful. Also English is the official language of the project although a little Spanish would enrich the experience. 160 EUROS.

3) The volunteers will work closely with the local community to help produce fair trade goods based on the millions of Monarch Butterflies which arrive in the forests every year, by the production of graphic designs on clothing and other items for the many visitors to the area. The project has improved the lives of this poor community, but they need advice on marketing, and the volunteers will organise workshops to help them increase their effectiveness. The volunteers will also take part in organic cultivation and reforestation in the area. L: The small town of ‘El Calabozo’ is in the Senguio district in the north of Michoacan. A: In a community house, with all facilities, but you will need to bring a sleeping bag and an inflatable mattress. R: Volunteers need to be motivated, and appreciative of fair trade solutions in poor communities. +F: 190 Euros, which includes some leisure activities.

WWOOFING - is an information service linking travellers with organic farms in Mexico. WWOOF Mexico is not a volunteer work or work-exchange programme: It is an information service linking travellers with organic farms which promote sustainable farming by hosting travellers for free. Daily chores at member farms may include harvesting, preparing soil for planting, milking, cleaning pens, digging trenches, maintaining fences and such; and generally involve about 5 to 7 hours per day, 5 to 6 days per week. Each farm has its own chores, rules and schedules. Membership fee is 20 USD. A list of available farms in mexico here.

myproworld.org offers the following volunteering activities:

• Patronato Estancia Fraternidad – Provide care and support for patients and their family members at Estancia Fraternidad, which provides low-cost housing for family members of patients at the near-by general hospital, care for patients waiting to be admitted, and continuing care for patients who have been released from the hospital but are too ill to return home.
  
• Teaching Assistant–Trinidad, Zaachila – Improve the quality of education available to school children in the community of Trinidad as a teaching assistant. Volunteers help with general administrative tasks including correcting school work, preparing materials, and instructing small groups. Volunteers will also perform other tasks as assigned, allowing the lead teacher to spend more time on lesson preparation and instruction.
• Grupo de Apoyo a La Educacion de la Mujer – Provide the women of Oaxaca with the tools needed to build a better life: education, confidence, and self-esteem. Through education on various issues, volunteers help GAEM staff support women and their families in their struggle for economic and social justice. Volunteers can participate in educational projects related to many issues that affect women’s lives, including women’s health and roles in society, reforestation, and cultural heritage.
• INEA (Instituto Nacional para la Educacion de los Adultos) – Provide community members of Oaxaca with a vital tool for improving their social and economic circumstances: literacy. INEA estimates that the ability to read and write can be accomplished by three months of individual tutoring or eight months of group lessons. At INEA, volunteers tutor individuals or groups located in communities near Oaxaca. Volunteers are also encouraged to support students’ learning by establishing cultural exchanges with students outside of the learning environment.
• Nueva Vida – Help the women of Teotitlan del Valle fight oppression through their efforts to achieve economic independence. At Nueva Vida, women of Teotitlan del Valle handcraft woolen rugs using the time-consuming, Pre-Hispanic techniques of their ancestors. The rugs are sold to support the women’s economic independence, but they often receive unfair prices. Volunteers will help contribute to the women’s efforts to receive fair prices and achieve economic independence. Opportunities include teaching English language classes, creating a gallery or webpage, publicizing the cooperative, researching market opportunities, designing a tour, leading design workshops, as well as many others.
• DivertiGranja–Selva Magica – The Selva Mágica (Magic Jungle) is a unique project that combines a petting zoo with activities to increase children’s awareness of disabilities. The director, Victor Hugo Sanchez Garcia, has long been an advocate for the disabled since an accident put him in a wheel chair nearly 20 years ago. He has worked to pressure the local government to make the city more accessible to the disabled and also developed a monthly magazine for the disabled population.
  
• La Escuela de Educación Especial #14 – The school – directed by psychologist Odon Martinez – works with children with auditory, visual, motor and mental disabilities up to 6th grade. Many of the children are not capable of learning to read or write. The largest struggle for most of these children is that once they are out of the system they have no developed skills to help them fend for themselves. They often become dependent on their families and never enter the work force. Volunteers will help find innovative ways to better prepare the children for adulthood, start a micro-business program to raise funds for the school and teach the children pracitical skills, and will work with the mothers who travel 2 to 3 hours from surrounding villages to the school. Puente a la Salud Comunitaria – Puente a la Salud Comunitaria promotes the use of amaranth, a traditional grain, through workshops. These workshops explain the nutritional importance of amaranth and provide the fundamentals of how to plant, grow, harvest, and cook with it. Puente also promotes good nutritional practices. Volunteers can do further research on amaranth, volunteers with a high level of Spanish can give talks to the communities about amaranth, those with lower levels of Spanish can assist with the talks. Volunteers will also help out with office work.Union de Museos Comunitarios – The Union is a non-governmental organization of eighteen indigenous and mestizo communities in Oaxaca State, which have created or are in the process of creating community museums. The museums are vehicles for unifying the townspeople and for strengthening and revitalizing community culture. It is a place that generates pride and weaves together the old and new generations. Volunteers may work in the main office; however it is more likely that volunteers will focus on one of the 3-4 community museums that lies within 45 minutes of the city. Responsibilities could include: working with the community on tourism projects; setting up and executing art/craft/health initiatives with community members; carrying out a journalism or photography internship; etc.