Long Way Home

Description of the partner

Long Way Home is located in San Juan Comalapa, a municipality inhabited by Mayan communities in west-central Guatemala. This is a very poor region, with no formal recycling or waste management system. Waste is often dumped in lakes or ravines – contaminating the water supply – or used to fuel cookers – contributing to the respiratory problems from which many inhabitants suffer.

Against this backdrop, Long Way Home is working to raise local awareness of these environmental issues and encourage them to become involved in a democratic process of sustainable development in their community.

Long Way Home has built an autonomous school in Comalapa using sustainable and eco-compatible materials, with the aim of promoting education, employment and environmental protection.

The mission is exclusively a Civic Service mission. One volunteer will support the team from January to November (date not flexible) and three people will support the eco-construction site (6 to 12 months).

The mission

Two types of assignment are on offer:

Education department (1 volunteer):

• Taking part in the life of the school (3 days/week): support for English lessons, administrative support for the teaching team, French lessons for secondary school students, etc.
• Taking part in eco-construction activities (2 days/week): volunteers support the local team in carrying out eco-construction projects: collecting materials for reuse, building cob walls (a mixture of earth and straw), building dry toilets, making eco-bricks from plastic bottles and other construction-related activities carried out in conjunction with the other volunteers.

Construction department (3 volunteers):

• Taking part in eco-construction activities (5 days a week): the volunteers support the local team in carrying out eco-construction projects: collecting materials for reuse, building cob walls (a mixture of earth and straw), building dry toilets, making eco-bricks from plastic bottles and other construction-related activities.

Candidate profile

Training:

No training, specific skills or previous professional or voluntary experience can be required. Motivation is the only criterion that should really be taken into account in the context of Civic Service.

Languages :

For the volunteer on the education pole, a good level of Spanish (B2/C1) is required.

Required qualities :

• Prepared to live in rustic conditions (power cuts, water cuts, etc.)
• Initiative
• Good physical condition
• A liking for manual work
• Cheerful, dynamic, inspirational
• Taste for discovering other cultures

Accommodation

Shared room in an eco-built house (solar electricity). Rustic living conditions (no hot water! Dry toilets). Accommodation is made available to volunteers, who contribute $40/month.