Volunteerwork

VOLUNTEER WORK FOR T.E.S.S. UNLIMITED

Project: Educational Center & Cookschool KIDS KITCHEN in Guatemala (open in the afternoons Monday till Friday from 02.00 – 06.00)

Time period: Minimum of 4 weeks, preferably longer.

Description: As a volunteer of T.E.S.S. Unlimited you will work 5 afternoons per week in our Educational Center & Cookschool. You will be responsible for teaching English, special creative classes and cookingclass in the cookschool KIDS KITCHEN. We work with small groups of maximum twelve children per class. For the English classes we have 4 different levels. All children have their own workbook and you will work through this book. Off course you can incorporate your own ideas into the classes and you prepare your classes yourself. You will experience how much the kids will love it!

The Educational Center is open five afternoons a week from 14.00 to 18.00 hours. Besides teaching English 5 times a week, creative classes and cookingclass in the Cookschool KIDS KITCHEN, you are more than welcome to help tutoring mathematics and reading and help with doing homework.
What you do in the special, creative classes is entirely up to you! You can do handicrafts, drawing, painting, acting, dancing, and making music or do sports. If you want to set up your own workshop for children, naturally you are free to do so! You will be a of great assistance to us! We only have two hired Guatemaltecan employees and we work with the most underprivileged children in this area.

Guidance: You will be guided by Carolina, our Guatemalan staff member and by Tom our volunteercoordinator. The founder Tessa and volunteercoordinator Tom speak Dutch, English & Spanish.

Additional projects: If you want to be a volunteer for T.E.S.S., you work every afternoon (Monday till Friday) in our Educational Center & Cookschool. Besides that, you can help prepare a lunch for about 150 homeless people every Wednesday and Friday morning. There is also the possibility to help out at the hospital, but unfortunately you cannot book this in advance. So once arrived in Guatemala, you will have to ask the volunteer coordinator of the hospital yourself. T.E.S.S. can assist you with this.

The Spanish language: If you want to work in one of our projects, you will have to speak Spanish. T.E.S.S. offers those who do not or barely speak Spanish a special volunteer package deal. This deal includes a complete beginner’s course in Spanish: 50 hours of private lessons.

Volunteer Package Deal: We do not ask you for a participation fee, reservation costs, intermediation costs or ‘project costs’. We do make it mandatory to stay in one of T.E.S.S.’ host families if you want to stay with a family during your stay. You can also choose to stay in a hostel, hotel or rent your own apartment, but you will have to arrange this for yourself. If you do not or barely speak Spanish, we want you to book the volunteer package deal. This deal costs $ 495,- and includes:

• 10 hours of Spanish class through Skype, before departure.
• Welcome drink with Tessa, founder & coordinator of T.E.S.S. Unlimited.
• Shuttle service from the airport to your host family.
• Shuttle service from your host family to the airport.
• 40 hours of private lessons Spanish here in Guatemala.
• Study material, a notebook and a pen for your Spanish lessons.
• Tea or coffee and a treat during your lessons.
• A free Cookbook made by our kids
• Use of a mobile phone use during your stay.
• English speaking contact point.
• Certificate for your Spanish course and volunteer work.

For those who already speak sufficient Spanish, we will gladly make up a new formula without the Spanish lessons.

Host families: T.E.S.S. Unlimited personally selected the host families. Here you can put your Spanish into practice and get a taste of the culture and the rich culinary traditions. Your host mother will provide you with three meals a day, except for Sundays. You will have your own room, which will be cleaned.

Santa Catarina/San Gaspar: A small ‘hamlet’ about 3 km. outside of Antigua, counting 600 inhabitants. The majority of the families in this hamlet live in one room apartments, build with sun dried tiles of clay or mud with straw, wood or bamboo. The roofs are usually made of lamina and the floors of clay.The kitchen are not much more than a hot plate outside on the ground.
The women’s main activity is working on their small plots of land, raising chickens, making textiles and handicrafts. Those who do not own their own plots of land, work as day laborer or hired hands on the bigger farms is the area or as maid. Most women are ‘uneducated’ in the western sense of the word and are illiterate (and cannot read or write) Here you will not find any tourists and will get to experience the real Guatemala.

A host family in Santa Catarina/San Gaspar will cost you Q500, – per week (about $ 65,-) which you will pay directly to your family, without interference of T.E.S.S. Unlimited.

Antigua: Surrounded by volcanoes, the old colonial town La Antigua houses about 35.000 people. ‘Parque Central’ is the heart of the city and its fountain is famous for a being a popular date spot. The arc, the little restaurants and the multitude of traditional markets make this town truly precious. Around the market you find nice little local diners. The streets around the park are filled with flavors from all around the world.

A host family in Antigua will cost you Q600, – per week (about $ 75,-) which you will pay directly to your family, without interference of T.E.S.S. Unlimited.