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GYC2895 - Santa Esperanza Orphanage Country: Mexico Cost: £2700.00 Please note: £2700 for three months. Each additional month is £475. Cost also includes unlimited health, public liability & baggage insurance, good accommodation, all project related travel, weekend trip, comprehensive in-country support, Spanish CD course, language course on arrival, airport pick up. In the UK we meet you to discuss the project in detail before any commitments are made. Shortly before departure we provide a thorough briefing. Cost Includes: The price includes insurance, accommodation, food, pickup from airport and visas but does not include flight or kit       Duration: 3 months Company Rep Nearby: Various 0845 344 7588 or

 

	This placement would suit... Caring, responsible volunteers who are prepared to work hard to help some of Mexico's neediest children. This Mexican orphanage is a well-organised project in Puerto Vallarta. Some of the poorest and most neglected children of the town have been abandoned. Volunteers are needed to give them much-needed love, care and attention and assist them with their education. The orphanage struggles to offer children that span the ages of two months old to 15 years old a caring home and base for growth and education. The older children go to school each day but return to Santa Esperanza after school. It currently offers a home to 45 children but as and when money becomes available, the numbers will increase. Sister Maria, who co-ordinates the project, tries to offer a well resourced centre to a small number of children rather than taking in more than she can look after properly. Their lack is always financial but they also miss the love, care and attention that most young people are offered by their parents. The orphanage is sited in an old colonial building, perched on the side of a steep hill, approximately 500 metres from the Pacific ocean. Responsibilities / activities Volunteers are needed to assist the few permanent staff at the centre with a wide range of activities, including feeding, cleaning, playing, teaching, supervising activities, facilitating excursions and the visit of outside donors. Volunteers will have very close contact with Mexican staff, other volunteers and Mexican children in this highly rewarding project. As with many volunteer projects, your enthusiasm and interests will be the deciding factor of how much you become involved in its multiple activities. The project supervisors and administrators are all Mexican and do not speak English. However, there are occasionally American volunteers working here. Due to the vulnerable nature of the children, volunteers need to be totally dedicated to Santa Esperanza and take their work at this Mexican orphanage seriously. Accommodation / food / language / time off Volunteers will share a flat or house with other Outreach volunteers. A budget is given to each volunteer for food. The accommodation is comfortable and will be near the centre of town. There would be an opportunity to live with a Mexican family if requested. There will be a schedule to follow in terms of responsibilities, but volunteers should expect to always have a day or more off every week and expect to work 5-7 hours a day on different shifts. The children are demanding and volunteers who work for any longer than this have been known to exhaust themselves after a few weeks. Due to its proximity to other Outreach projects, those at Santa Esperanza will have every opportunity to meet fellow volunteers, socialise with them at weekends and occasionally help out on their projects. 0845 344 7588 Outreach International: if you're thinking of participating in volunteer work abroad, we are a specialist organisation that places committed volunteers in carefully selected meaningful projects. We have a wide variety of opportunities but all of them are small, worthwhile, grassroots initiatives working with communities where volunteer work abroad can make a big difference. They are all regularly visited by the Outreach director. Every volunteer is personally met and briefed about their selected project. Outreach International have a clear mission statement and operate a carbon neutral programme.