| Commitments in projects |
Commitments in projects on the building site in Guatemala
No,... we are not really necessary participating in the work on the building site in Guatemala. There are enough local bricklayers who know their job as well as a lot of volunteers of the village. Also the high price paid for the flight to Central America could be saved or rather be donated in a more efficient way to the development of Guatemala. We never would consider ourselves as aid workers. Offering the possibility of participation in one of our projects in Guatemala shall achieve a more profound goal.
Meeting of cultures
Our aim is to create a meeting of cultures by the participation in one of our projects. A meeting that offers a different perspective that crosses national borders, as well as maybe our own small part of international understanding, abolition of prejudices against other cultures and the sensation of our way of living.
No one has to obtain special manual skills to absolve a sensible commitment. We interpret the participation in such a project in Guatemala as a chance for everyone to contribute his or her skills and individuality f.e. planning a lesson, organising a German-Guatemalan 'Jam-Session' as well as working in the fields or helping in the kitchen.As well as the real construction of schools in Guatemala and public relations in Germany, this intercultural exchange is one of our central aims within our organisation to support the development in Central America.
Working, living and celebrating together
Since 1992, we have been offering interested people of 18 years and over the possibility to be involved actively in one of our school constructing projects. Due to this participation in such a project and the living together with the Indígenas of the village it offers the possibility to get to know Guatemala, its people and its culture in a very intense way. Each participant is able to use this time to walk away from the ordinary tourist routes and experience the other side of the 'country of the everlasting spring' by working, living and celebrating together with the locals. Preliminary meeting
In any case, we do not want to take a direction to a kind of foreign aid tourism to secure a satisfying and successful commitment to each party participating. Therefore the following requirements must be fulfilled by the participants:
- basic knowledge of Spanish (that can be acquired in Guatemala, too)
- a stay in the country for the minimum of 4 weeks (3 weeks of it in the project)
- participation in two preliminary meetings and one meeting after the project
- handing in of a personal report on their experiences.
Last but not least, we require a very sensitive, sensible and appreciating way of dealing with the local population.
The commitments are taking part each summer from July until September. The preliminary meetings for the participants of these commitments we are organising together with OYAK, an organisation we have worked with for several years. The purpose of these meetings is to present our organisation, the work we do in Germany and Guatemala, the organisation of the project and the partners working together with us. There are also enough opportunities to get to know the other participants, to learn something about the way of life of the Indígenas, to have questions answered, to gain an insight into global contexts and to discuss own possibilities to fight against social injustice. We are trying to prepare and to sensitise the participants to the problems of foreign aid by showing them slides, mutual interviews, work shops, films, photos, etc.
Continue to read which possibilities for grants exist -> Commitments in Projects - Part 2
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