Volunteering in Mexico can be a bit complex, as there are many visible opportunities to help, but people are not always welcoming to volunteers for several reasons. It is important to do your homework before arriving in a place, as some places are not well-organized and may lack the resources to monitor or guide volunteers, especially if they do not speak the language.
Some places, with this new wave of “voluntourism,” are too money-oriented (for super profit, as I call it), and they are benefiting themselves way too much instead of the community they “promote.”
I visited during Christmas time, and some places were not available for volunteers; they were either out on vacations or too busy.
Ways of giving can be done through volunteering, acts of kindness in the spur of a moment, supporting a business, assisting a local community, or helping someone. All help is done voluntarily; nobody forces someone to do it.
TEMPORARY SHELTER FOR THE FAMILIES OF THE SICK- SAN VICENTE DE PAUL
This is one of the largest charity non-profit organizations. Even though it is a Catholic organization they welcome anyone who needs help and wants to help. The organization has a shelter for the families of the sick and those who are sick and need treatment, who live far away and have no means to pay for housing to come to the hospital.
How can we help? From donations of food, blankets, clothing, shoes, hammocks, furniture, antiques, paint, cleaning and medical supplies, etc. All is needed!!!!
Preparing meals is not an easy task for families of the sick. Many ill people have special food requirements, which can make it challenging. Families here come together to use the kitchen and prepare meals collectively.
Besides providing free shelter for the families of the sick, the center also provides meals, medicine, transportation back to their homes many times, and a place of support.
The center provides rooms, and like most folks in Yucatan, they prefer to sleep in a traditional hammock rather than a bed, unless their illness does not allow them to do so.
In addition to all the aid the place provides, the center allows people who have to wait a long time in line outside of the hospital to use their bathrooms. This means that hundreds of people use the bathroom daily, often causing the facilities to require repairs. The facility needs all the necessary items for a public bathroom, including soap, paper towels, sanitizers, cleaning supplies, and construction materials for repairs.
The organization needs volunteers to help in all areas, such as cooking, gardening, organizing the community closet, cleaning, and also providing support, such as entertaining them with games, teaching them something they don’t know, talking to them, playing with the children, and being there to listen.
And since this site is about learning, sharing, and shedding light on the history and mission of a place, it is truly a must. My site aims to provide a platform for individuals who do good things and want to evolve, regardless of their background.
The sisters of St.Vincent du Paul run charity work and live here. They work incessantly to help the poor, as one of the foundations of their faith.
Cleaning Cenotes (large sinkholes or caves)
Cenotes are beautiful natural formations that expose water. They are usually surrounded by beautiful nature. Yucatan is a prime spot for the formation of cenotes, and people from all around the world visit them.
Unfortunately, cenotes are dumping sites for garbage, putting the biodiversity of these natural wonders in danger. Tons of waste have been removed from the cenotes, and this activity shows no signs of stopping.
All of this waste does nothing but harm fish, water, and all its biodiversity, but it also damages the Mayan communities who depend on the cenotes as their water source.
Any usual waste, such as plastic (a major culprit of all degradation), bicycles, tires, and any other item, is disposed of in a cenote, making 80% of the cenotes in the Yucatan region polluted.
HELPING CLEAN UP A CENOTE
This is a task best done with people who know what they are doing and know the cenotes. Speleology is the science that studies caves, and most scientists have the skill to get into those caves. However, you can help at all levels of the cleanups. You can find them online and also at fairs, as I did, where they promote their environmental work and teach (my favorite word) about the cenotes and caving.
CENOTES URBANOS “Urban Cenotes of Playa del Carmen” has taken on the task of registering these sites, in collaboration with society, in order to achieve their rescue, rehabilitation, dignity, and conservation. When I met them, they were pleased to learn of my keen interest in their work and my desire to participate. You can even purchase a t-shirt to support their efforts.
Gracias Roxana for talking to me and offering to take me to the cenotes!! See you soon!
Stay tuned for Culture and Volunteer trips and Register on our main webpage to receive notifications.
You can also find other groups who do cenote and also beach clenups. Cenote cleanup would be better done with a group like this caving crew.
FUNDACION HACIENDAS DEL MUNDO MAYA
This is a foundation that has an address in Mexico City and in Merida. I am focusing on the Merida location in Yucatan. The foundation’s history is quite interesting because it started as a business enterprise where former “haciendas” were restored and turned into boutique hotels (yes, it is a business and it is important to keep that in mind). Later on, the foundation for the Mayan World (thus Mundo Maya title) working with people from the communities created projects destined for social and economic development preserving their culture and their natural environment.
How to Help!! By purchasing products at their stores in Merida, you are supporting the community and their workshops. You are also supporting the communities who produce these products and their sustainability, as well as the preservation of the Mayan Culture.
The foundation’s mission is to offer opportunities to the community. The organization works with different artisan groups. We can help by buying products made by Mayans!!! supporting their sustainable development. It is considered FAIR TRADE-PRODUCTS.
There is a beautiful shop and showroom in Merida!! you can find beautiful jewelry, crafts, kitchenware, pillows, purses, lamps, hammocks, beautiful huipiles (Mayan shirt), and products like organic honey and salt.
It is truly worth visiting the shops. You are not only contributing to the community and its development, but also learning! You learn about, for example, how the Mayans used to collect salt and dry it all by hand!
You can acquire products online and at the stores and you can buy them at this site https://www.tallermaya.org/productos
DO NOT show up in these places to do volunteer work, contact them first to check of their availability. These are examples of working for the local community
