After several months of research I have found what I think will be a wonderful volunteer opportunity. Casa Guatemala, also known as "the children's village," is an orphanage for wards of the state of Guatemala, as well as a place for children whose parents are not able to afford schooling or enough food. The village that surrounds the Casa is almost entirely self-sustaining, with organic greenhouses, farming, fisheries, and on-site meat raising and butchering. It is located in the Rio Dulce region of eastern Guatemala, nestled in the jungle and facing the river among a few indigenous villages.
As I looked at different organizations, I narrowed my focus to Central America, as I'm hoping to travel as much as possible. I also realized that the projects I was interested in always included either education or environmental improvement. When I came upon the Casa, I found both. There are no refrigerators in the village, meaning everything is fresh. Most Americans don't connect where their food, especially meat, comes from, or that it used to be a living creature. I'm looking forward to living closer to the land. They also have a nifty "green" gadget called a biodigester: it uses the methane gas contained in pig poop to power the incubators for the baby chicks - how cool is that! Most importantly, I'll be able to help disadvantaged kids get the education that is so often the only way out of poverty. My dad devoted much of his life to this idea, and my mom, as an educator and later a survey director, has also. I believe in the power of education and am thrilled that I have the chance to be a part of it. I'll be adding stories and photos of my experiences and travels here. I'll try to keep the posts "G-rated" but parents should read it through first just to make sure the content is ok for kids. Thanks for reading, and therefore, supporting. peace to you, sarah
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