About the Organization

Long Way Home’s mission as a 501(c)(3) is to break the cycle of poverty among youth in developing communities by creating educational opportunities, cultivating civic nteraction, and encouraging healthy lifestyles.

Founded in 2004, Long Way Home (LWH) is a 501(c)3 non-profit organization run by a small group of dedicated volunteers and staff. For our pilot project, Chuwi Tinamit, a local development organization, invited LWH to assist in building an educational recreation/ecological park. We are now beginning to build a vocational school for local youth. Since February 2005, LWH has hosted over 100 volunteers and university interns from over ten countries who have all made lasting contributions.

Job Description

The project site has a tree and plant nursery, organic gardens, soccerfield, basketball court, playground, community kitchen, protected wooded area, nature trail and outdoor classroom. Long Way Home is looking for interns to maintain all existing projects, create educational and recreational programs for the community, and promote the park locally. We also need interns to help build an earthship-style school and assist in the construction of wood-burning stoves and water storage tanks.

The Internship Program leverages in-kind labor from interested individuals from all over the world. Long Way Home has a great diversity of programming and needs, and therefore works with a wide array of students from various courses of study. Flexibility and an “expect the unexpected” attitude will improve the quality of your internship experience, as will your ability to work independently on projects that interest you. Note for anyone wanting to help with educational programming in the local schools: “Summer Vacation” in Guatemala starts in October and ends in January. Fall interns will have limited time to participate in school programs.

Long Way Home volunteers and student interns work in the following project areas:

AGRICULTURE Requirements: Ideal student will have an academic and/or professional background in agricultural science, botany, farming, organics or other related field. Not being afraid to get dirty is a must! Job Description: Agriculture interns will concentrate their efforts in the fruit and vegetable garden, botanical garden, and plant nursery. Tasks can include propagating, tilling, weeding, harvesting, processing compost, and collecting seeds. This position can also involve creating educational signs for the gardens and developing agricultural education programs for the local schools.

FORESTRY Requirements: Ideal student will have an academic and/or professional background in forestry, natural resource management, botany, environmental studies or other related field. Job Description: Forestry interns will be in charge of maintaining and promoting the protected wooded area and the tree nursery. In addition to general maintenance labor, tasks will include promoting the tree nursery to the local community and incorporating the protected wooded area into educational programs for local schools. Note for those wanting to work in the tree nursery: Interns will have the opportunity to work directly with the process of growing trees from seed from December to February, while interns who are serving from April to June will be involved in tree-planting promotion and reforestation education. During other times of the year, tree nursery work is mainly weeding and watering, and forestry interns will work more with the protected wooded area.

ENVIRONMENTAL EDUCATION & TRASH MANAGEMENT Requirements: Ideal students will have an academic and/or professional background in elementary education, environmental education, environmental science or other related field. No beginning Spanish speakers. Job Description: Environmental Education interns will design and implement programming for the elementary school children who come to the park once weekly as part of their curriculum, devising dynamic and interactive ways for the children to learn about environmental topics. Work also includes further developing the trash collection program within local schools.

ALTERNATIVE CONSTRUCTION & APPROPRIATE TECHNOLOGY Requirements: Ideal students will have an academic and/or professional background in engineering, carpentry, masonry, mechanics, architecture or other related field. Job Description: Alternative Construction & Appropriate Technology interns will help construct a school using rammed earth, trashbottle, and other green building techniques. Interns will also have the opportunity to help design and construct composting latrines, rainwater collection tanks,and wood burning stoves. Expect lots of physical labor.

MARKETING & GRANTWRITING Requirements: Ideal students will have an academic and/or professional background in business administration, management, marketing or other related field. Job Description: Marketing & Grantwriting interns will respond directly to the Executive Director. They will be responsible for creating strategic plans for promoting LWH projects within the local community and promoting the LWH volunteer and internship program in the U.S. and other countries. They will also be responsible for creating and helping implement fundraising plans for the organization as well as researching and writing grants.

2009 PROJECTS: Manage a new project to assist the community in environmental clean-up via trash management. Work with community members to encourage residents to put their trash in a plastic bottle and bring the bottle to the park so that Long Way Home can use it as building material. Community building: organize and meet with community leaders to organize the project. Youth Development: work with the older kids on the actual construction technique of using trash for sustainable construction. Environmental Sustainability: at the same time, clean up the streets and rivers, and offer a long-term solution to waste management in rural Guatemala.

# of Positions per term

up to 6

Start Dates

Beginning of any academic term

Duration of Internship

10 weeks to 6 months

Academic Background

students majoring in one of the following areas: Agriculture, Forestry, Natural Resource Management, Botany, Environmental Science, Human Development and Family Science, Youth Development, Psychology, Elementary Education, Physical Education, Engineering, Caprentry, Masonry, Mechanics, Architecture, Business Administration , Non-Profit Management, Community Development, Sociology, Political Science, International Studies, Anthropology, Agricultural Business Management, Resources Economics, etc.

Skills/Experience

Willingness to work hard to help others. Desire to work in a rural, Third-World setting without modern day conveniences. Ability to live in rustic conditions and cook and clean on your own. Flexibility in job duties. Desire to learn about other cultures. Physical fitness (walking is the primary mode oftransportation). Positive attitude. Ability to work independently.

Language Ability

Advanced Spanish language skills will enable you to work more closely with the local community and within the local schools. Less Spanish generally means more physical labor. Beginning Spanish speakers are welcome to participate in our construction projects and or any projects needing general labor, while interns wanting to work in educational programming must have the equivalent of completion of second year university level Spanish.

Note: Although the Mayan language of Kaq’chikel is the first language in many homes in Comalapa, the majority of Comalapa's population speaks Spanish. Private classes are available for interns in both Spanish and Kaq’chikel for around $7 per hour.

Other Requirements

Interns are required to submit a Long Way Home Volunteer Application in addition to the IE3 application: LWH_application

Note: the majority of Comalapa's population speaks Spanish. The native language of Kaqchikel is the first language in most homes. Classes are available for interns in both Spanish and Kaqchikel.

Total costs vary depending on how long you plan to be abroad, where you will be living, your personal spending habits, and current exchange rates. The following estimates will give you a ballpark figure for this internship. Get help with the math from our handy Cost Calculator.

IE₃ Program Fee

The program fee for the first term of any internship is $2,750 - $2,950. You do not pay tuition in addition to the program fee. Visit your University's IE₃ page for details, costs for additional terms, and campus administrative fees.

Estimated One-Time Expenses

Expense Type	Price
Host Site Fees	$600-$1200*
International Travel	$600-$700
Visa Fees	$25-$50
Recommended Immunizations

*See Additional Cost Information below.

Estimated Monthly Expenses

Expense Type	Price/month
Housing	$0-$200*
Food	$75
Local Transportation	$5-$10
Recreation	$25
Personal Expenses	$25

Compensation

None. Be prepared to work hard for no pay. It’s for a good cause.

Additional Expense Information

The host organization will provide shared housing or arrange a homestay for theintern. Long Way Home has a simple volunteer house with space for 6 people. Itis equipped with electricity, a flush toilet, and shared kitchen facilities.

Long Way Home charges a program fee of $600 for the first term; then$200/month after (this fee includes accommodation in the Volunteer House). Housing with a homestay family incurs an extra charge of $25-$50/week. Budget $75/month for food, and $25/month for miscellaneous expenses. It is advisable that interns budget additional funds for weekend travel around the country as there is a lot to see and do.

Video taken during April 2009 of 3 IE3 interns at Long Way Home:

The project site has a tree and plant nursery, 6 terraces for organic gardens, a soccer field, a playground, a community kitchen, a botanical garden, and a protected wooded area, a nature trail, an outdoor classroom, and a basketball court. Long Way Home is looking for volunteers to maintain all existing projects and create programs for the community based on the infrastructure at the park. San Juan Comalapa also has 17 elementary schools that would love your help.

Long Way Home website

volunteer manual

Previous student reports:

Kari

Kirsten

Rosie

Kenny

IE3 blog entry (April 2008)