Mission Volunteer Opportunities: Latin America and the Caribbean

Location: Universidad Biblica Latinoamericana (Latin American Biblical University) in San Jose
Position: Assistant to Librarian
Duration: Two to three months
Estimated monthly living expense: $350. Housing is provided.
Work description: A library background is needed, as the volunteer will be using library software, cataloging, and some shelving and restocking duties. The volunteer is invited to attend general community gatherings and activities of the university, especially weekly community chapel services. Some Spanish is helpful.

Location: House of Hope, Puerto Lempira, Honduras
Position: School or Medical Assistant or Assistant to the Directors
Duration: Two months and up
Estimated monthly living expenses: $300, which includes housing, meals, and ground transportation.
Work description: House of Hope is a home for physically disabled children, housing 30-35 children who are often malnourished, abused, neglected, abandoned, or orphaned. The work day of an assistant at House of Hope could include helping prepare the children for school, tutoring, helping with trips to the hospital or doctor’s offices, and generally just loving on the children.

Location #1: Manos Juntas Mexico, Rio Bravo, Tamaulipas, Mexico
Position: Education Specialist
Duration: Three months and up
Estimated monthly living expenses: $337, which includes housing, meals, and in-country transportation
Work description: Manos Juntas has a broad ministry to those families with low income or lack of resources, including two community centers and a Family Clinic. The volunteer will visit the two community centers and clinic to assist teachers with educational techniques at all levels of school and assist with children who have learning difficulties. Some Spanish is helpful.

Location #2: House of Hope Children’s Home, Mexico
Position: Care and Teaching Assistant
Duration: Three months and up
Estimated monthly living expenses: $480, which includes housing, meals, and in-country transportation.
Work description: House of Hope Children’s Home seeks to alleviate the suffering of orphans and their guardians, by taking care of children without parents or whose parents are unable to care for them. The Care & Teaching Assistant will provide care and mentoring to the children under the supervision of the house staff. Responsibilities will include teaching English and assisting the Director. Some Spanish is helpful.

Location #3: Casa de Misericordia (House of Mercy)
Position: Center Assistant
Duration: Two months and up
Estimated monthly living expenses: $650, which includes housing, meals, and in-country transportation.
Work description: House of Mercy is an orphanage outside the Mexican city of Piedras Negras, near the Texas border. Their mission is to provide a Christ-centered home for children whose parents are unable or unwilling to care for them. Some of the ways the Center Assistant will help will be to care for the children are teaching English lessons, helping with homework, and coordinating groups from the United States. Some Spanish is helpful.

Location #1: Cienaguita Community Center
Position #1: Youth and Family Program Assistant
Duration: Two months and up
Estimated monthly living expenses: $620, which includes housing, meals, and ground transportation.
Work description: The Cienaguita Community Center focuses on building the capacity of the local community to better their own quality of life. The volunteer would work directly with the community center coordinator to lead creative workshops, teach English language, and organize recreational activities for children and youth. Some Spanish is required.

Position #2: Community Development Assistant
Duration: Two months and up
Estimated monthly living expenses: $620, which includes housing, meals, and ground transportation.
Work description: The Cienaguita Community Center focuses on building the capacity of the local community to better their own qualify of life. The volunteer would work directly with the community on renovation, construction, and community gardening projects. Some Spanish is required.

Location #3: Las Sabanas. San Miguelito Youth Outreach
Position: Youth Outreach Volunteer
Duration: Two months and up
Estimated monthly living expenses: $650, which includes housing, meals, and ground transportation.
Work description: The San Miguelito Youth Outreach Program focuses on at-risk youth in the neighborhood surrounding the El Redentor Methodist Church. The volunteer would work directly with the young people in the activities at the schools as well as at the center. Some Spanish is helpful.

Location #4: Walter Reitz Child Development Center
Position: Teacher’s Aide
Duration: Three months and up
Estimated monthly living expenses: $700, which includes housing, meals, and ground transportation.
Work description: The Walter Reitz Child Development Center strives to be an innovative education center promoting Christian values. The volunteer would work directly with children in the day and after-school programs. Some Spanish is helpful.

Location: Bahamas Methodist Habitat (BMH), Eleuthera, Bahamas

Position #1: Disaster Relief Program Coordinator
Duration: 6 months
Living Expenses: $300.00 Monthly (estimated amount) – Housing and some meals provided. Transport, insurance, and visa costs not included.
Work Description: BMH is a disaster relief and substandard housing repair outreach of the
Bahamas Conference of the Methodist Church. The volunteer will coordinate planning and implementation of the BMH Disaster Relief Program, help train staff and community members, assist in the development of disaster relief satellite sites, and coordinate relief efforts. Disaster Relief Certification is requested but not required.

Position #2: Volunteer Coordinator
Duration: 6 months
Living Expenses: $300.00 Monthly (estimated amount) – Housing and some meals provided. Transport, insurance, and visa costs not included.
Work Description: The Volunteer Coordinator will assist volunteer groups with the preparation for their trip to BMH, coordinate activities, transportation and housing needs, and special concerns of groups, recruit teams, and prepare and lead excursions with visiting teams.

Position #3: Vocational Training Program Coordinator
Duration: 6 months
Living Expenses: $300.00 Monthly (estimated amount) – Housing and some meals provided. Transport, insurance, and visa costs not included.
Work Description: In this position, the volunteer will coordinate planning and implementation of the
BMH Vocational Training Program, including training for staff, promotion of the program, fundraising, and development of reports and promotional materials.

Position #4: Marketing and Community Outreach, Eleuthera
Duration: 6 months
Living Expenses: $300.00 Monthly (estimated amount) – Housing and some meals provided. Transport, insurance, and visa costs not included.
Work Description: In this capacity, the volunteer will maintain the BMH social marketing tools, including their website, Facebook page, and newsletters. They will also help with the volunteer database, network with the community, share stories and events, and plan fund raising events.

Location: La Hoya and Bombita
Position:  Assistant to the Director
Duration: 3 months or more
Living Expenses: $180.00 Monthly (estimated amount) – Housing and some meals provided. Transport, insurance, and visa costs not included.
Work Description: The southwest side of the Dominican Republic is a developing area. Community Partners Association (COPA)
concentrates their work in education and health, with two primary schools and a clinic in both locations. COPA works alongside
Dominican workers offering guidance and oversight. The volunteer would assist the Director with basic office management,
supervision of maintenance needs, correspondence, and providing guidance to local workers, university students, school staff, and clinics.

Location #1: El Vergel Agricultural School
Position: Gardner and groundskeeper 
Duration: Six months to a year
Estimated monthly living expenses: $150. An apartment is provided.
Work description: The volunteer will maintain the garden as well as manage a garden club within the school. The volunteer will teach the students ecological practices and how to be good stewards of God’s earth.

Location #2: Colegio Ingles in Iquique
Position: English teacher assistant
Duration: Two months and up
Estimated monthly living expenses: $200 which includes housing, meals and ground transportation.
Work description: To support the English learning process of the students, assist the English teachers, and reinforcement of the English workshop.

Location #3: Colegio Metodista de Santiago
Position: School and Day Care Assistant
Duration: Three months or more
Estimated monthly living expenses: $250 which includes housing and some
meals, plus visa expenses
Work description: The School and Day Care Assistant will teach English to
primary students while supporting the Christian education committee. The
assistant will also participate in extra-curricular activities and language
reinforcement lessons with the children outside of the classroom. Functional
Spanish is required.

Location #1: Quito, The Evangelical United Methodist Church of Ecuador

Position: Mission Support / Communications
Duration: Three months
Estimated monthly living expenses: $1180. Some meals provided by local churches.
Work description: The volunteer will help the church in the development of a web page and other communication resources, the promotion of projects and assistance in mission fund raising, the development of contacts and partners in mission, and the assistance with translation of documents and other information. The volunteer will also visit local churches and projects in rural and urban areas in order to include specific information on the web page, visit and help with children’s projects, visit and support the national Methodist women’s and youth organizations. Participating in worship and the sharing one’s faith journey are expectations.

Location #2: Pastocalle – Pichincha, The Evangelical United Methodist Church of Ecuador

Position: English Teacher
Duration: At least six months to a year
Estimated monthly living expenses: $1,100, which includes housing, meals, and ground transportation.
Work description: The volunteer will be helping the Church in the following areas: help with the school’s English language program, teach English classes, help with Christian Education in the local church and the school, help the school in their community programs, promotion of projects and help with mission fund raising, and the development of contracts and partners in mission, such as volunteers-in-mission teams. The volunteer will participate in worship and help with other church activities.

Location #3: Quito. The Evangelical United Methodist Church of Ecuador

Position: Construction supervisor
Duration: At least six months to a year
Estimated monthly living expenses: $1,100, which includes housing, meals, ground transportation, and furniture.
Work Description: The volunteer will help the Church in the following areas: visit local churches and projects in rural and urban areas in order to include their needs in a national plan of construction for mission, help specific projects to carry out their construction plans, assist with the translation of documents and other information for the construction projects, promotion of projects and help with mission fund raising, development of contracts and partners in mission, such as volunteers-in-mission teams, and maintain contacts with current EUMCE partners. Spanish proficiency is required.