Project Leaders
Short-Term Volunteer Community Building Projects in Guatemala

Dom Williams - Latin America Projects Director

After gaining a degree from the University of Northumbria, United Kingdom, Dom spent 4 years investigating, researching and travelling South America, finally settling for Guatemala where he has lived since 2000. Dom says “Central America, and Guatemala in particular is one of the last really unexplored, exploreable regions on earth”. Dom and Doreen set up their first Indigenous project in San Andrés Itzapa, Guatemala in 2003 and due to the success and advances made, they have set up further Indigenous projects in Guatemala, Peru, Ecuador and Honduras with the help of local community leaders.

Doreen Cabrera - Project Director

Doreen is born and bred Guatemaltecan, hailing from Guatemala City, where she earned a degree in Marketing and International Business from Rafael Landivar University. After a couple of years working in the capital, she decided to set up projects with Global Vision International “to help my country, people and its visitors. Guatemala has everything, and we want to share it with the world.” She has worked with the Indigenous populations since 2001 and has an in-depth knowledge of the cross-culture issues facing Guatemala today.

Santiago Colin - Santa María de Jesús Indigneous Project

Santiago is a father of three, and where Elena is the backbone of Itzapa, Santiago is the Heart of the Santa María de Jésus Indigenous project. “I just want to help my people, we have so little, so being part of this project, I am doing my best for them”. Santiago is also our volcano guide and doughnut connection!

Elena Siquinajay de Suy - San Andrés Itzapa community leader

Elena is the back-bone and soul and of the Itzapa project. Mother of six children, although she claims to be “mother” of the community, Elena has welcomed the programme with all her efforts, striving for the best for her companions and the children. Besides being a member of various social groups, she is also President of the Mujeres para Amor a la Vida. “When a volunteer leaves, part of my heart goes with them, though when the new ones come, it helps restore what has gone!” she says of her relationship with the volunteers.

Candice Rizzotti - Founder of the Stove Project

Candice became involved with GVI as a volunteer in Guatemala in 2004, after completing her bachelor’s degree in Psychology from Rutgers University, and a year of service with AmeriCorps NCCC. She came to Guatemala to experience another culture and work on her Spanish. Finding that she loved the work and life she continued on with GVI as interim project coordinator for 5 months in 2005. While working in the schools she was able to learn about other needs in the village including stoves in the kitchens. She came back in 2006 in order to help start the GVI Stove Project.

Rufus Langsley - Volunteer Co-ordinator

After many years doing a variety of things including being a chef, gaining a business degree and starting a career in the magnet industry, Rufus decided it was time to travel and find out if there was anything else more productive he could be doing with his time and energy. Arriving in Guatemala in October 2005 he spent four months working on the GVI project in San Andres Itzapa, during which time he realised that this was precisely the sort of work he had been looking for: challenging, fulfilling and a lot of fun. Like many before him he was seduced by the charms of the children and the country and so after a stint back in the UK, he has returned to Guatemala to become a volunteer co-ordinator GVI’s Stove Project.