Our international volunteer program encourages cultural and educational exchange between the children and residents of Camoapa and the larger global community. We currently recruit volunteers for work at our center, on our farm or with other local youth and women’s organizations in town. We are especially looking for people with special skills (e.g. medicine, education, child / adolescent psychology, organic farming, engineering, theater, etc).
However, if traveling to Nicaragua is not an option, there are also a number of opportunities to volunteer in the Western Massachusetts and New York City area. If you are not from either of these areas, but are still interested in getting involved, please contact us and we will be more than happy to work with you on a plan.
Current volunteer positions in Nicaragua include*:
- Intern / Volunteer Coordinator (minimum 1 year) to work with the Executive Director and Board members on publications, grant writing and volunteer recruiting and organizing. A small stipend is available based on experience.
- Farm Coordinator (minimum 1 year) to co-lead farm activity and development, preferably someone with specific experience in organic farming and reforestation. Read about our Farm Project.
- Farm Assistant to assist with farm work, crop production and reforestation projects.
- Teaching Assistant for 1st through 3rd graders to work with our teacher and educators helping children with homework, teaching English, participating in extracurricular activities.
- Community worker to volunteer with other local agencies in the area of women’s interests, sports, preschool programs and children with disabilities.
- Short term engineer (no time or language requirement) to advise and assist with alternative energy options on the farm. Read about our Farm Project.
Current volunteer opportunities in the U.S. include:
- Helping us fundraise by:
- Planning an event
- Helping with an existing event
- Throwing a house party with the help of our documentary video
- Offering us your fundraising or event planning expertise
- Video Editing: We are in the process of creating a series of videos to tell our story. We are looking for video editing experts that can help us do the best job possible!
- Organize a collection of donated items: We send a shipment down from Buffalo NY every 6-12 months. We collect items such as school shoes, school supplies, children’s clothes, furniture, sports equipment and garden/farm equipment.
Please contact us at hogarlda@yahoo.com for more information about these volunteer opportunities.
*All positions in Nicaragua require a minimum commitment of 6 weeks and at least an intermediate level of spoken Spanish, unless otherwise noted. Also, please keep in mind that Camoapa is a rural town, with few amenities. There is not a lot of tourist activity and traveling from Camoapa to see other parts of Nicaragua requires traveling many hours on public transportation. We love having volunteers, but we have to be honest about the conditions of life in Camoapa. We also regret that we are currently not equipped to host large groups of volunteers for extended amounts of time.
