Volunteer in Central America

This ambitious coral reef research and community education expedition takes participants to learn scuba diving and earn an internationally recognised PADI diving qualification. In the turquoise Caribbean waters of Mexico’s Yucatan Peninsula, you can take part in important marine conservation work on the world’s second largest barrier reef by helping with coral reef and fish monitoring, turtle nesting and conducting crocodile surveys. On land you will help community education and sustainable tour...

This 6 month long scuba diving internship starts with a 10 week marine conservation expedition to develop your understanding of marine conservation and to further or establish your scuba diving skills. You will learn how to live and work with a research team in a remote environment and attain base skills essential for your subsequent 12 weeks work placement. During this placement you will be based at a PADI dive centre where you will undertake your PADI Dive Master course, further advanced train...

This adventurous expedition gives individuals the opportunity to work, explore and live in one of the most remote regions of the Costa Rican rainforest on the Caribbean Coast, whilst contributing to vital conservation projects. The expedition plays a vital role in the development and management of the long-term wildlife conservation of the Tortuguero National Park and Tortuguero Conservation Area. The main projects involve: conducting marine turtle monitoring and conservation, study of jaguar pr...

This GVI marine conservation expedition is based North of the village of Mahahual in Mexico, and is ideal for anyone who wants to scuba dive on the Mesoamerican Barrier Reef whilst helping conservation initiatives to protect the fragile marine habitat. At this centre, open to open water divers or above only, volunteers can receive additional dive training on PADI (Professional Association of Diving Instructors) courses whilst they learn about marine habitats by participating in comprehensive tra...

This volunteer program gives volunteers the opportunity to work, live in and explore five Latin American countries for six months to a year. Volunteers will spend time teaching and travelling in the highlands of Guatemala, the jungles of Honduras, the Andes of Ecuador and the highlands of Peru, and building a stove in Northern Nicaragua. Volunteers will teach on GVI-run projects, which are dedicated to teaching literacy and numeracy to underprivileged indigenous communities. Throughout your trav...

This Guatemalan project gives volunteers the unique opportunity to live in the colonial town of Antigua and teach English in the indigenous communities of the surrounding area. Many local indigenous families in Guatemala cannot afford the fees to put their children through education so GVI, along with leaders of the indigenous communities, have developed our own schools to assist children who otherwise would not have the opportunity of any formal education. Volunteers joining this project wil...

By joining this combination volunteer programme you will take part in three of GVI’s most popular community volunteer projects in Central America. In Guatemala, Honduras and Nicaragua volunteers live with local families in the picturesque towns of Antigua (Guatemala), Copan (Honduras)and Estelí (Nicaragua), travelling each day to teach children who have little or no access to education. Spanish lessons are included as you will be teaching the children basic literacy and numeracy in Spanish. Volu...

This program offers volunteers the opportunity to teach at GVI run schools in indigenous communities for one academic year, providing the children with long-term assistance which greatly aids their development. Volunteers on this program will work alongside local staff and other GVI volunteers throughout the year. They will have two weeks holiday every three months and be free to explore Guatemala and the rest of Central America during this time. Volunteers will live with a local family in the b...

Volunteers who join this programme have the unique opportunity to be immersed in one of several rural communities situated near Estelí, Nicaragua, Central America. Whilst experiencing a new culture, volunteers will assist the building of energy efficient stoves that are designed for cleaner air and less wood consumption, and help on other community based projects. Included in your fee is the funding needed to successfully complete whichever project you choose to do within the week. The progra...

This unique project enables volunteers to experience a new culture first-hand, by taking part in voluntary work on community construction projects near Antigua, Guatemala in Central America. GVI, along with leaders of the indigenous communities, has developed short-term manual projects to improve the standard of living for hundreds of indigenous families in rural Guatemala. Volunteers can choose to help to build energy-efficient stoves for cleaner air and less wood consumption. 10 hours of on...

By volunteering on building projects when you choose to volunteer in Honduras with GVI, you can be a part of alleviating the poverty of the local indigenous communities around the ancient colonial town of Copán Ruinas. During your short time here you choose to assist in building energy-efficient stoves for cleaner air and less wood consumption. Within a week on a short-term volunteer project you will have funded, worked on and completed the individual project to improve the living standards for ...

Volunteers joining this project live in Esteli, an old Sandinista stronghold 150km north of Managua in the Segovia Mountains, which is surrounded by beautiful valleys and waterfalls. Here volunteers travel to rural communities nearby for project work, where you can immediately immerse yourself in the local culture and learn the language. Volunteers joining this project will be working with children from nursery through initial primary school levels and will be typically working with children fro...

Volunteers joining this project will be working with children from nursery through initial primary school levels and will be typically working with children from the ages of 4 and upwards concentrating on basic education and literacy. As their teachers, those volunteers placed with younger children will be helping them master all the classroom basics, from holding a pencil, drawing lines, to their first letters and numbers. For those volunteers with more advanced Spanish, you may be teaching wit...

Joining this volunteer project will take you to educate the children of some of the poorest communities in Honduras, whilst you live with a welcoming local family in the old Spanish colonial town of Copán Ruinas. You travel to nearby rural areas for the project work (run in conjunction with leaders of the indigenous communities), helping to teach literacy and maths. You will also work in ‘open classrooms’ in which children who need educational reinforcement are able to come and receive help. Edu...

This volunteer program takes you to the heart of Tortuguero National Park and gives you the opportunity to become an active member of GVI’s conservation team. You will be conducting night-time patrols along the tropical beach, looking for nesting turtles, and counting tracks. If you find a turtle during your patrol, you may assist the experienced GVI Patrol Leader by helping to measure the turtle, count the eggs being laid, look for previous tags and distinctive markings and record the data. You...

This volunteer program takes you to the heart of Tortuguero National Park on the Caribbean coast of costa rica and gives you the opportunity to become an active member of GVI’s research team. You will conduct tracking surveys along the tropical beach and in the heart of National Park forest. You will be searching for signs of the elusive jaguar and their prey species, which include wild boar, deer, tapir and more, as well as setting up remote cameras to try to identify individuals to help estima...

Plan and conduct lessons, arts and games with under-privileged children and poor families in the stunning area of Tortuguero, with its world famous turtle nesting beach and National Park. Volunteers will live and work in the small village of San Francisco, located at the edge of the rainforest and on the Caribbean Coast. Volunteers will learn basic Spanish and typically work with children aged 5 to 13, planning and conducting lessons and assisting with basic education. Volunteers may also be inv...

Volunteers plan and run sports lessons and games for under-privileged children and poor families in the stunning area of Tortuguero, with its world famous turtle nesting beach and National Park. The program is set in the small village of San Francisco, and volunteers will have views of the Caribbean sea on one side and the rainforest on the other. Sport is a vital tool to attract children to the school and encourage participation in education and yet one which local schools do not have the resou...

Volunteers joining this program will typically be working with children and orphans aged between 4 and 6. Volunteer’s time will be divided between GVI’s supported school with indigenous children and three afternoons a week in the local orphanage in Copán. These children may never have attended school before and will need help mastering all the classroom basics, such as holding a pencil, drawing lines, their first letters and numbers etc. Working with young children is an immensely rewarding expe...

This program offers volunteers the opportunity to teach at GVI funded schools in some of the poorest communities in Honduras for up to one academic year. This long term assistance provides much needed continuity at the school and greatly assists the children’s development. Volunteers will live with a local family in the old Spanish colonial town of Copán Ruinas and travel to nearby rural areas to teach literacy and maths. Two weeks holiday is scheduled every three months and this is a great oppo...

Volunteers joining this project will live in Esteli, an old Sandinista stronghold 150km north of Managua in the Segovia Mountains, which is surrounded by beautiful valleys and waterfalls. From here volunteers travel to rural communities to teach the local children and adults a range of subjects – but with the majority of the focus on literacy and numeracy. Long-term placements provide the schools with much needed continuity and this greatly helps the students' development. GVI, along with leader...

The conservation programmes carried out by GVI Costa Rica takes a holistic approach to the conservation of the area, helping to monitor every ecosystem of this incredibly diverse area: forest, canal, beach and sea, as well as conducting community work. As with all conservation, trained personnel, resources and accurate information are essential to make and carry out informed decisions and your six month Internship has been designed by our award winning team for just this purpose. During your...

GVI offers the opportunity to complete a Level 3 BTEC Advanced Certificate to any ten week participants. Based In the turquoise Caribbean waters of Mexico’s Yucatan Peninsula, volunteers take part in important marine conservation work on the world’s second largest barrier reef by helping with coral reef and fish monitoring, turtle nesting and conducting crocodile surveys. On land you will help community education and sustainable tourism development programs

Research Jaguar, Puma and other cats and their prey species at the Reserve of El Eden, a privately owned protected area that preserves over 3,000 hectares of forest and wetland. Jaguars are a magnificent and endangered species and their natural population is decreasing due to deforestation, land partitioning, poaching and the illegal trade. At El Eden volunteers will take part in daily monitoring activities, such as checking camera traps, wildlife observations and habitat mapping. Volunteers wil...

This adventurous internship gives you the opportunity work on vital conservation projects and explore one of the most remote regions of the Costa Rican rainforest on the Caribbean Coast. You will work alongside a dedicated staff supervisor to ensure you maximise your placement, cultural and learning activities. The program plays a vital role in the development and management of the long-term wildlife conservation of the Tortuguero National Park. The main projects involve: conducting marine turtl...

Assist children’s education projects and learn Spanish on this six month internship scheme. Volunteers on this program will train for 12 weeks alongside a dedicated staff supervisor in Guatemala, learn Spanish and teach children on a volunteer project before taking a teaching work placement in either Guatemala, Honduras or Nicaragua. You will undertake 60 hours of one-on-one Spanish classes, teach in the communities and shadow GVI field staff, be involved in teaching and training workshops, gain...

In joining this internship you will be typically working on basic education and literacy projects with children aged between 5 and 12. You will work alongside a dedicated staff supervisor to ensure you maximise your placement, cultural and learning activities. Education is not free in Guatemala and much of the population lives below the poverty line, so GVI, along with leaders of the indigenous communities, has built schools that are free to attend. This internship will allow you to make a real ...

Explore the coral reefs in Mexico or surround yourself with the volcanoes and mountain lakes of Antigua, Guatemala? A difficult decision to make for any individual with a keen sense of adventure. GVI have fused two of their most exciting Latin American volunteer programs to allow volunteers to experience both by creating the ‘Mayan Explorer. Over a period of 11 weeks you will combine 2 different programmes in Mexico and Guatemala. Learn to dive and survey the reef in Mexico and join established ...

Volunteers who join this programme have the opportunity to participate in a variety of conservation, research and education projects in a number of awesome locations in Belize, Central America. Belize is a country rich in culture, history and flora and fauna, and volunteers will be involved in practical conservation of its National Parks and Mayan ruins; assisting with activities such as trail maintenance and boundary clearance, and in research and education activities such as conducting crocodi...

By taking part in this valuable volunteer project through GVI you can be instrumental in the long-term survival of internationally-protected endangered turtle species, such as the leatherback turtle. This project is located on the beautiful archipelago of Bocas del Toro, Panama in Central America the home of the country's first national marine park. Most of your volunteer work will take place at night, when you will join a small team of volunteers to patrol the beaches for egg-laying turtles. In...

This Charity Challenge, to be run annually each November, aims to top up the Phoenix fund for Guatemala. Since we started in Guatemala in 2003 our children numbers have risen considerably and the schemes we are implementing are growing. To ensure success and sustainability in the future, we are introducing the Phoenix Guatemala Charity Challenge, climbing four volcanoes in a week: Acatenango, San Pedro, Tajumulco: the highest volcano in Central America, and Pacaya. Funds raised will go towards p...