Guatemala Sports Development Project

Sport, especially football, is a passion and favourite past time in Guatemala; however, it has often been more of a privilege than a right for a child to take part in any form of games. The poorer communities especially have limited or no facilities to teach academic subjects, let alone sports in schools, meaning children have to make do with playing in the street or unkempt fields and having no formal exercise.

This is an excellent sports development project if you are looking to help develop a school in a small community in Guatemala. By volunteering on this programme, you have the opportunity to help establish and manage a sports training programme in a school that currently has very limited facilities for the children to take part in physical education.

Project Age Limit
Minimum age 18, maximum decided upon potential participant’s health Project Requirements: Basic to intermediate Spanish (Spanish school add-on for those wanting/needing to learn)

Programme Outline
The Sports Development Volunteer Project is based in a small town called Alotenango (about 14Km’s from Antigua) and is part of a wider project called “Benedicion de Dios.” Benedicion de Dios is a foundation and was established in order to provide a poor community with a school and health programme, amongst a number of other important social institutions.

Volunteer Placement
The school is attended by about 70 children aged 5 to 18. The children of Alotenango previously did not have a school to attend, as their families could not afford to pay for their transport. Benedicion de Dios have started to rectify this by financing a school, however, facilities are basic and the school relies heavily upon volunteer support and donations.

As a volunteer on this programme, you will have a lot of freedom to use your own initiative. Sport has not been a priority part of the children’s education in the past, so you will have the challenge of implementing your own sports coaching programme, as well as perform a number of other tasks:

Volunteers are also encouraged to get involved in the teaching side of things too. Your education is the most valuable asset to the children and the project and sharing this would benefit them more than you could imagine.

A lot of the work on this project is ongoing, so part of the work will change each time volunteers visit. However, the education and training of the children for different sports will not change and will always be a large part of the volunteer’s role.

Non-Sports Projects
At this project there are a large number of other volunteer initiatives, each of which you can get involved. These include:

Education
There are a number of activities and projects that need volunteer assistance. One of the main roles is helping educate and support the children in classes such as mathematics, physical education, handicraft, English and computing. Your role as a volunteer varies according to your interests and is very flexible when you are on the project.

Carpentry
There is also a carpentry workshop; here school children get the opportunity to learn how to work timber. They are taught to handle tools, use a hammer and saw, to measure, to sandpaper, to paint and other related skills. There are ten children per class and volunteers are needed to keep this class running.

The lessons are lead by Sam Madjus, a Canadian long-time resident of Alotenango. Sam is assisted by volunteers, to ensure extra individual help for all the children. This way they can learn how to use tools safely. The children make handicrafts that can be sold to raise extra funds for the project.

Health
The project is also very concerned with health of the children and families, and helps with dental care, vitamins and food. Every day the children get nutritious food and drinks, such as carrot juice, a banana, an orange or a ham sandwich. Each morning and afternoon the children brush their teeth under our guidance and they are provided with vitamin supplements.

Building projects
The project has three rented buildings, and is looking to expand with the help of volunteers to build new classrooms. No building experience is necessary as there are often experienced professionals at the project.

At present there is a sports area with good possibilities for ballgames and other sports activities, but volunteers are also required to help build new goals and make the area safer.

In addition, the project does social work with the families of the children. The centre tries to create an awareness of how important education is for the youth of Guatemala.

Typical day
Volunteers will depart Antigua at 8.30am and return around 4.30pm each day. It is possible to work just mornings or afternoons, with the bus making regular trips from Alotenango to Antigua throughout the day.

Project Support
Throughout your stay in Guatemala you will have the support and guidance of our local project coordinators. They will provide you with competent assistance and help you with any questions or advice you may need during your stay. The school staff will be on hand throughout your placement and the sports coordinator will be with you to offer any other assistance.

In addition, we will provide you with a 24 hour emergency contact number before you depart, so that you can contact one of our UK staff at any time should you need to.

Project Orientation
At the start of your programme you will be given a comprehensive orientation by the project coordinators.

The orientation will include:

Accommodation and Meals
All volunteers on this project are housed in home-stay accommodation in Antigua. Staying with a host family lets you make local friends and to experience the Guatemalan culture from a unique perspective. The families also offer you support, advice and a safe environment to live in during your programme.

The host family will provide you with 2 meals a day, breakfast and dinner. Volunteers will need to purchase their own lunch locally, but this is extremely cheap in Guatemala.

Equipment Donations
This sports volunteer project is like many other charitable organizations and therefore needs donations each year to purchase equipment. However, all volunteers are encouraged to bring with them any suitable equipment as a donation. This can include:

Spanish Lessons
Our school is a small and friendly place close to the centre of town. Students get to know each other very quickly and there is a good community spirit, both with students, staff and the locals in the town. Classes run for 4 hours per day and are held from 8am to 12pm or in the afternoon from 2pm to 4pm and you can choose which classes you’d prefer when you arrive. You will be taught one on one with a native Guatemalan trained to a high standard to teach Spanish as a second language.

The School has a small courtyard where students can learn outside in the invariably good weather. There is a library with computers and Internet access and a small common room where students can relax.

Vilma is our onsite coordinator in Jocotenango and will be available throughout your stay at the language school should you have any questions or need any advise about any aspect of your plans in Guatemala.

Each week there are a variety of recreational and cultural activities that are organized by the school, these include salsa and meringue classes (Guatemala’s most popular pastime), Guatemalan cooking classes, fiestas, happy hours, local craft making sessions, Latin American films and trips to local areas of interest including active volcanoes, indigenous villages and some stunning views of the country.

If you have any further enquiries, please do not hesitate to contact Real Sport Experience at the office on 01892 516 164.