Volunteer Programs in Mexico
If you belong to the volunteer program in Mexico you will be able to know the rich history and plurality of the pre-Hispanic cultures of the country, live the experience of Mexican traditions, music and cuisine that its warm and colorful villages offer, as well as the attractions that the big cities in Mexico they offer.
And above all you can approach very interesting local experiences and ways of life.
The volunteering in Mexico is primarily committed to supporting local organizations focused on education, environmental preservation, social and community development and humanitarian aid, considering the multiple needs that are found throughout the country.
HUMANITARIAN ASSISTANCE
Humanitarian assistance and protection of human rights are provided to migrants in transit, foreigners and nationals.
HOME FOR BOYS AND GIRLS LIVING IN POVERTY
This Children’s Home Center seeks to improve the situation of vulnerability of these young people who have found themselves on the streets due to situations that they did not choose, such as abuse by parents, abandonment, exploitation or parents in detoxification centers.
FUNCTIONAL DIVERSITY AND SENSORY STIMULATION
It is sought that children successfully acquire skills such as writing, drawing, learning and communicating effectively and emotionally.
BASIC TEACHING
We seek to enhance the learning of children who have greater difficulty in learning, through collaborative work environments.
SCHOOL ORCHARDS
Holidays among our children and youth about environmental, domestic and community care to ensure healthy eating.
REQUIREMENTS FOR VOLUNTEERING IN MEXICO
Any volunteer who wants to be part of a volunteer program with Adventure Volunteer in Mexico must:
- Be of legal age
- You must be a committed person.
- Have the will and ability to work in a team.
- Be nice.
- Be flexible and have adaptability.
WHERE WILL I BE DURING MY VOLUNTEER WORK IN MEXICO?
All projects of the volunteering in Mexico are located in Tlaxcala and San Cristobal de las Casas.
WHEN CAN YOU COLLABORATE ON VOLUNTEER PROJECTS IN MEXICO?
- Basic and cultural education in school, is open from the last week of August until the last day of June.
- San Cristobal de las casas, Chiapas all year opening
- Functional diversity and sensory stimulation, is open all year according to the school period in Mexico.
- Humanitarian aid is open all year.
- School and community gardens, it is open all year according to the Mexican school period.
See specifications of schedules and arrival dates on each project through its link.
ARRIVAL AT YOUR DESTINATION
The schedule and pick-up point may vary depending on the availability of buses at the airport.
Once, at the Benito Juárez International Airport in Mexico City, you must board a bus that leaves the interior of the airport, through the company “Red Star” or “ADO” bound for Puebla. According to the hourly availability, the terminal of Puebla is chosen which will be reached: CAPU, 4 west or Plaza San Diego.
When taking the bus, the volunteer must notify the coordinator of their arrival point, there you will be received by a local coordinator. This will take you to the volunteer’s house.
You will have an orientation day where we mention the basic rules of the volunteer’s house, its location and environment, we will also explain about the program you have chosen. The orientation of the program, the headquarters of the program, the means of transport, the rules of coexistence in the house of the volunteer will be given on the day of arrival. And the weekend is assigned a day for the tour of the city center.
In the case of San Cristobal de las Casas (Chiapas) you should arrive at the terminal or the airport where you will be greeted with a welcome.
VACCINE
We recommend that you consult your medical advisor about the recommended vaccinations for this region. Also, in most Latin American countries, vaccinations are not mandatory.
VISA TO ENTER MEXICO
Depending on the country of origin, a visa is not required for stays of between 30 and 90 days. In the case of Mexico from Spain, no visa is required for 90 days.
Necessary documentation:
- Passport in order and valid for at least six months.
- Exit ticket from the country.
SECURITY IN MEXICO
Taking into account the insecurity problems experienced in Latin America and particularly in Mexico, we recommend that you take into account the following:
- Let your coordinator know where you are going if you decide to go on an excursion so that he can warn you about the place.
- Always have on hand the phone number of the coordinator and the address where you are staying.
- Avoid giving information about the house, work centers and other volunteers for safety.
- Do not take anyone outside the organization to the volunteer’s house.
- Recognize and avoid risk areas in each city you visit.
- Travel in austerity in your daily transfers and in your excursions.
- Avoid dressing strikingly: very bare or expensive clothes (jewelry).
- Avoid taking out your mobile phone in public.
- Use the «safe taxi» service or services like Uber or Pronto.
- Avoid walking alone or alone on the street at night.
- Never upload strangers to your vehicle.
- Do not ingest any beverage of which you do not know the origin.
ACCOMMODATION IN HOUSES
- The distance of the project with the volunteer’s house is 20-30 minutes by public transport.
- The house is located in Acuitlapilco, Tlaxcala. CP 90740.
WHAT DOES THE ACCOMMODATION INCLUDE?
- Bed, in a room shared with other volunteers.
- Self service breakfast.
- Use of common areas.
- Use washing machine
- Key for access (to be returned on deposit).
- WIFI (Internet).
WHAT IS INCLUDED IN THE BEACH ACCOMMODATION?
The participation of the 3-week program as a reward will provide you with a 7-day apartment in the Caribbean of the Riviera Maya.
To be able to enjoy the apartment you will only be asked for a deposit (for the loss of keys or any breakage) that will be returned at the end.
Therefore, if you want to enjoy the gift of the local association, your volunteering should be 3 weeks but your stay in the country will be 4 weeks, using the 7 days of the means to enjoy.
- 11 days in Tlaxcala volunteering + 7 days in the Cancun area + 10 days in your volunteering in Tlaxcala).
TO TAKE INTO ACCOUNT THE ACCOMMODATION IN RIVIERA MAYA:
- Deposit of 1000 Mexican pesos (46 euros), there is no washing machine, nor Wifi.
- Cost of the flight (not included) indicative of CDMX to Cancun 2000 pesos (90 euros).
The contribution in the volunteering projects in Mexico are:
| WEEKS | TLAXCALA | CHIAPAS |
|---|---|---|
| 2 | – | 395€ |
| 3 | 330€ | 460€ |
| 4 | 440€ | 525€ |
| Additional Week | 110€ | 65€ |
WHAT ARE YOU PAYING?
- Welcome at the bus station and transfer to the volunteer’s house.
- Accommodation during your volunteering.
- 24/7 support of the Adventure Volunteer team.
- Monitoring and evaluation of the program.
- Orientation and induction to the program.
- Certificate of weeks spent in your volunteering.
- I receive NGOs about your program fee.
- Guide, advice and management in the choice of the program.
WHAT IS NOT INCLUDED?
- Flight and airport transportation to Puebla (bus price € 15).
- Visa if necessary.
- Vaccines if necessary.
- Travel insurance (mandatory).
- Internal transport
- Drinks or diets or special meals.
- Bottled water.
- Trips or excursions inside or outside the Country.
We remind you that the value of the donation can be deducted from your full income tax liability, up to a limit of 10% of the taxable base.
HOW TO BOOK MY VOLUNTEERING IN MEXICO?
The volunteering in Mexico is surprising venture into a country full of ethnic, cultural and environmental diversity. It is a territory with several climates and landscapes within its great extension, you can enjoy natural paradises such as:
- The wonderful beaches of the Caribbean.
- The green mountains, wooded mountains, lakes and rivers.
CLIMATE
Mexico has a climatic diversity. In Tlaxcala the weather is semi dry.
- June and September, it is the rainy season.
- October and February is the dry and cold season.
- March to May is the warmest season.
CURRENCY
The local currency of Mexico is the Mexican Peso. Convert it
Currency exchange example: 20 pesos = € 1.
- One coffee 15 pesos (€ 0.70)
- Local menu 80 pesos (€ 3.64)
- Bus ticket from 7 to 20 pesos (€ 0.94)
- 1 liter of water 10 pesos (€ 0.47)
FLIGHT
To reach your volunteer destination in Mexico, you must take a plane to Mexico City, Benito Juárez International Airport.
- Flights range from € 600 to € 800.
- You can find good deals on flights on google flights or skyscanner.
PLACES TOURIST
CIUDAD DE MÉXICO
In Mexico City you will have the possibility to visit the following museums of:
- Anthropology
- Modern art
- Soumaya
Also the archaeological zones such as:
- Teotihuacán
- El Zócalo
- The Mexican folklore building in Xochimilco or Garibaldi and its crowded colonies such as Coyoacán.
You can also explore the cinematic offer offered by the National Cineteca or walk through the largest parks in the city.
TLAXCALA Y ALREDEDORES
Tlaxcala is the smallest state of the 32 that make up the Mexican Republic. It has a population of more than one million inhabitants and is surrounded by some of the most important cities in the country such as Mexico City (CDMX) and Puebla.
In Tlaxcala you will find a very important Nahua ethnic presence, which makes it a must-see tourist attraction.
It has archaeological sites, beautiful haciendas, nature reserves such as:
- La Malinche.
- Magnificent forests in which places such as the Sare preservedantuary of the fireflies.
- Magic towns.
- Tourist centers such as Va´Quirico, Trinidad and a colorful center in the state capital that offers a variety of cafes, restaurants and recreation areas that capture the traditional cuisine of Tlaxcala.
You can also find expressions of their tradition with the carnival, the great Tlaxcala Fair, the Day of the Dead celebration and the festivities.
PUEBLA
Puebla offers several tourist points to visit such as:
- The Zocalo with its colonial architecture
- Cholula, a small town with attractions for the most adolescent people, with its organic, and urban touch.
- You will find a wide and modern proposal in cafes, bars and music.
- Activities for those who like a more alternative life.
Further north is the Northeast Sierra of Puebla, where towns such as Cuetzalan stand out, where you will enter a more natural, rural and indigenous way of life.
CANCÚN Y RIVIERA MAYA (PLAYAS DEL CARIBE)
The Riviera Maya is one of the areas that you can not miss during your volunteering in Mexico. Once you reach Puerto Morelos, a strategic point in the area to move around the different places, you will find an apartment a few km from the Caribbean beach.
The best points that we recommend according to the route we make is:
- Holbox, a hippie island and with beautiful beaches where you can spend a night and see the bright plankton.
- Playa del Carmen, incredible Caribbean beach, bathed in its streets, squares and bars where the fun never ends.
- Isla Mujeres, considered its beaches as one of the best in the world, will be a magical day that you can go from Cancun in a Ferry.
- Cenotes, are lakes between the mountains an incalculable beauty, some are even among rocks.
- Cancun, point of arrival, airport, beach center and where most hotels are.
WHERE IS THE VOLUNTEERING PROGRAM EXACTLY?
The program is in Tlaxcala, the city-town is about two hours from Mexico City.
CAN I GO FOR MY ACCOUNT TO MEXICO AND DO THE VOLUNTEERING?
Mexico is a very large country where we advise you for security to be within an organization, you can find yourself in situations of corruption, there is also violence, and our projects and volunteers are in safe and organized areas in a way where we ensure your integrity.
WHY IS IT CHEAPER THAN OTHER VOLUNTEER PROGRAMS WE HAVE SEEN?
We are an NGO therefore we try to make the minimum possible price and that the prices are transparent, you are paying for your accommodation, coordination, breakfast, orientation, verification of programs and everything you need to do to carry out the whole process of your incorporation
ARE TRANSPORTS INCLUDED?
The pick-up transport is not included, you will only have included the transport from Puebla to the Volunteer’s house the day you arrive, and also the first day you go to the project to give you the orientation from there you can go on the transport you want, We recommend the local bus that is very very cheap.
WHAT PROFILE DO I NEED TO DO A VOLUNTEER IN MEXICO?
Volunteering in Mexico we will ask you to have a proactive and positive attitude profile, regarding culture, teamwork, flexibility.
In the case of works of functional diversity, there you are going to request an interview on Skype, to see if you have any type of social work or experience.
WILL THERE BE MORE VOLUNTEERS DURING MY VOLUNTEER IN MEXICO?
Our desire at all times is that the project has a continuity, unfortunately not at all times of the year there are volunteers, where there are usually more volunteers between May and October, also the number of volunteers is not guaranteed at any time, although you do not go to be alone since you will be with the coordination and teaching staff, the ones that will make you feel in a local environment, and you will take advantage and learn the culture better by interacting with everyone.
HOW CAN I MAKE A VOLUNTEER RESERVE?
To make the reservation of the volunteer, you will have to write to [email protected] where we will send you the confirmation of place, from there you will have to fill out a form and your place will be guaranteed with the payment of € 150, the rest of the payment You must pay it one month before going, the € 150 fee is non-refundable.
HOW LONG DO I NEED TO MAKE MY VOLUNTEER RESERVATION IN MEXICO?
From experience we will advise you to do it when you are convinced, about six or eight months is the ideal to secure the place and especially to get cheap flights.
DO I NEED VACCINES TO GO TO MEXICO?
To enter Mexico, you will not be asked, neither for vaccinations nor for a visa, at least if you come from the country of Spain, in case of being a different country it is important to consult with the embassy of your country of Mexico.
HOW IS THE VOLUNTEER’S HOUSE, WILL I BE COMFORTABLE?
The volunteer house is located on a residential side, protected by a fence, and each volunteer has a large bed, kitchen, common areas and garden.