Guatemalan construction projects are focused on home building, school, and orphanage renovation, and building playground and bathroom facilities for areas that do not have them. Volunteers work with our foreman, who provides guidance and training, along with families and other volunteers. Volunteers should come ready to work and to work hard, as they’ll be laying brick, mixing concrete, doing carpentry, painting, laying tile, hauling materials, and landscaping/gardening. Depending on the phase of the project they participate in, they may also be asked to help prepare or clean up the construction site. Volunteers are not required to have experience with construction work, but a reasonable level of fitness and strong dedication to the work will go a long way in ensuring that they get the most out of their volunteer project.
Construction volunteers are strongly encouraged to bring work gloves, work boots, safety glasses, and clothes that you do not mind getting dirty. It is a good idea to wear a hat and long pants at the project site, and sunscreen is also extremely important.
The majority of our projects are located in and around the city of Antigua. Travel time varies from project to project, but volunteers can expect to spend 15-90 minutes traveling each way, by either walking or using local buses or taxis. For the first visit to the project, volunteers are taken by a Maximo Nivel representative using the local transport and given additional information about how to get to and from your project. Local bus rides are very affordable and a one-way trip will rarely cost more than Q8 (about $1). Taxis & tuk-tuks cost approximately Q10 to Q30 (about US$1.20 to US$3.50) one way within Antigua.
