GUATEMALA
Humanitarian Service Trip
June 6-14, 2008
Guatemala offers Central America in concentrated form: its volcanoes are the
highest and most active, its Mayan ruins the most impressive, its earthquakes the
most devastating and its history decidedly intense. While Guatemala is a
geographic and cultural treasure, its people continue to struggle to make a
sustainable life for themselves. Children are particularly vulnerable.
This humanitarian service trip will enable you to make a difference in the lives of
several Guatemalan children. You will spend a week in Antigua, participating in
a variety of volunteer projects through Vamos Adelante Foundation and Open
Windows Foundation. In addition you will have two free days to explore the rich
history and culture of Antigua and the surrounding area. The trip will include a
walking tour of Antigua, a visit to local markets, and a half day hike of the stillactive Pucaya Volcano. There will be an option to spend the day in the Tikal
National Park exploring this UNESCO World Heritage Site or a day trip to Lake
Atitlan.
A portion of your trip is tax-deductible, and you are allowed to fund-raise for it if
you so desire.
Detailed Itinerary
Below please find a basic itinerary for this trip. Due to the fact that the
organizations we will be working with in Antigua will not know which projects
will be needed until closer to our visit, there are no particular details about
what we will be doing. As we get closer to the departure date you will receive
more detailed information about the projects. Your flexibility is appreciated.
Friday, June 6, 2008
Fly to Guatemala
Arrival in Guatemala; welcome dinner in Antigua
Saturday, June 7, 2008
Walking tour of Antigua
After breakfast we will tour the beautiful colonial city of Antigua, the base for
our trip. There is more information about Antigua below.
Sunday, June 8, 2008
Half-day hike up Pucaya Volcano; afternoon free
For those with a little adventure in their soul, we will spend half the day hiking
up the still-active Pucaya Volcano, the most frequently climbed volcano in
Guatemala. Pacaya's current active phase began in 1965, and the volcano has
been almost constantly in eruption since then. When we return to Antigua you
will have the rest of the afternoon to spend on your own.
Monday-Thursday, June 9-12, 2008
Volunteer projects
Every day after breakfast we will depart the hotel and spend the day
volunteering for the Vamos Adelante Foundation and Open Windows
Foundation. Projects will be determined closer to the date of departure but
may include teaching children English, painting or restoring classrooms or
buildings, proving basic education on hygiene and nutrition, or organization and
distribution of supplies. More details about projects can be found on each
organizations websites, which appear on the next page.
Friday, June 13, 2008
Free day
There are no set activities for this day. However, there will be an option to
spend the day in the Tikal National Park exploring this UNESCO World Heritage
Site or a day trip to Lake Atitlan. The cost of these excursions will not be
included in your trip fee, but can be arranged prior to departure.
Saturday, June 14, 2008
Fly back to the USA
If anyone wishes to extend their stay in Guatemala, this can be easily arranged.
Please let Stacia know when you are filling out your application.
Antigua – Monumental City of the Americas
Antigua, Guatemala, founded in 1543, was the seat of Spanish colonial
government for the Kingdom of Guatemala, which included Chiapas (southern
Mexico), Guatemala, Belize, El Salvador, Honduras, Nicaragua and Costa Rica.
The full title bestowed upon the city was Muy Leal y Muy Noble Ciudad de
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Santiago de los Caballeros de Goathemala, that is, the "Very
Loyal and Very Noble City of Saint James of the Knights of
Guatemala." For the first century or more of its existence the
city did not live up to the pretentious official title, but it
ultimately grew into the most important city in Central
America, filled with monumental buildings of ornate Spanish
colonial architecture. By 1773, in addition to the cathedral
and government palace the city could boast of over 30
churches, 18 convents and monasteries, 15 hermitages, 10 chapels, the
University of San Carlos, five hospitals, an orphanage, fountains and parks, and
municipal water and sewer systems. According to many authors, Antigua in its
heyday, with a population of perhaps 60,000, was surpassed in the New World
only by Mexico City and Lima.
Throughout its history the city now known as Antigua Guatemala, or La
Antigua, was repeatedly damaged by earthquakes, and always the Antigueños
rebuilt, bigger and better. But on July 29, 1773, the day of Santa Marta,
earthquakes wrought such destruction that
officials petitioned the King of Spain to allow
them to move the capital to safer ground,
which led to the founding in 1776 of presentday Guatemala City. Antigua was left to
rusticate, largely but never completely
abandoned. Today its monumental
bougainvillea-draped ruins, and its preserved
and carefully restored Spanish colonial public
buildings and private mansions give form to a
city of charm and romance unequaled in the
Americas. In 1979 UNESCO recognized Antigua
as a Cultural Heritage of Mankind site.
Volunteer Organizations
We will be working with two non-profit organizations - the Vamos Adelante
Foundation (www.vamosadelante.org) and Open Windows Foundation
(www.openwindowsfoundation.org). Vamos Adelante provides education,
health and nutrition services to poor people in over 18 villages in the region of
Esquintla, Guatemala. Open Windows Foundation is a US non-governmental
organization (NGO) that currently provides 1,500 children with important
educational services and programs to help improve their life options and to
increase their self-sufficiency. Both foundations partner with Ambassadors for
Children (www.ambassadorsforchildren.org), the organization the AMC is
working with to secure the volunteer activities. Ambassadors for Children will
also be sending a leader to accompany the group.
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About the leader – Stacia Zukroff
Stacia Zukroff leads about 2-3 trips per year, some of which have included
hiking and backpacking trips to the Canadian Rockies, Wyoming, and Patagonia,
a backpacking and kayaking trip to New Zealand and Alaska, a trekking trip to
Nepal and Tanzania (Mt. Kilimanjaro). Her most recent trips have been to
Turkey (cultural touring) and Glacier National Park (Montana), and she will be
leading a hiking and backpacking trip to Hawaii in December.
She is the chair of Major Excursions Travel Program and a
member of the Boston Chapter. She is Advanced Wilderness
First Aid certified. Stacia works with a study abroad program
that sends students overseas to study.
Stacia is also fluent in Spanish. She has spent over 4 years
living, working and traveling in Latin America and Spain.
This will be her first trip to Guatemala, but she has been to
neighboring Panama and Belize.
Accommodations and Meals
Antigua is filled with small boutique hotels. We will not know which one we
will be staying in until after the trip fills since the hotel will be picked based
on the size of the group. More information will be sent to you about the hotel
as soon as it has been secured.
Breakfast is included each day at the hotel. Lunches are provided every
volunteer day, and dinner is included each evening at a variety of local
restaurants. You are only responsible for a few lunches when you are not
volunteering.
Transportation
Depending upon where people are coming from, a
group flight may be arranged from a central
airport or you will be assisted in booking an
individual flight to Guatemala City. If you have
frequent flier miles please check with your
airline about availability as soon as possible since
it is often difficult to use miles on weekends. If you would like to extend your
stay in Guatemala or arrive early, please note this on your application. Expect
to pay anywhere between $450-750 for a flight.
During our stay in Guatemala all ground transportation is provided except for
any free time.
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Estimated Costs and Cancellation
The estimated cost of this trip will be $1825 plus $450-750 for airfare. The trip
fee will include:
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Hotel in Antigua
All ground transportation
All volunteer activities
All breakfasts and dinners
4 lunches
AFC leader
Half day tour of Pucaya Volcano
Walking tour of Antigua
Medical evacuation insurance
Plan to bring about $200 for additional lunches, optional tours, and personal
spending money.
The approximate $1825 cost for the excursion is based on estimates for trip
expenses. The final cost of the trip will be adjusted in accordance with the
best arrangements the leader can make. Any savings she achieves, as well as
any cost increase, will be returned or assessed to you, respectively.
Please be aware that, in accordance with AMC policy, you are subsidizing a
portion of the leader’s expenses, but not all of them. In accordance with AMC
rules, the leader may not realize a profit from this excursion. Any unspent
funds resulting from negotiating better rates for lodging, local transportation,
etc. must be refunded to all the participants. The trip fee also includes an AMC
overhead cost to cover administrative expenses of offering Major Excursions,
including the trip’s publication in the Outdoors and liability insurance.
A registration deposit of $625 is due with the
application. You must also submit the
registration form, the Confidential Medical form,
and
the
signed
Acknowledgement
and
Assumption of Risk and Release form for the
AMC. The rest of the payment will be due 90
days in advance of departure, which is March 6,
2008. Please make check payable to the
Appalachian Mountain Club.
The cancellation policy is based on the precept that your cancellation shall not
raise the cost to any of the other participants or the leader. Therefore, if you
cancel, Stacia will refund any money you have paid, less any expenses already
incurred, or future expenses that will be incurred, that have been the result of
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your registration and that cannot be avoided. Refunded money will also be less
a $100 cancellation fee. However, if you cancel and the trip still realizes full
participation, then any and all fees you have paid will be refunded to you, in
full, minus the cancellation fee. If you cancel after your airline tickets have
been purchased, you still own the ticket and will be subject to the airline’s
cancellation policy.
Stacia will be using email as her primary source of communication. If you
prefer snail mail and/or telephone communication, please note that on your
registration form.
If you have any questions, please call Stacia so that we can discuss them. Her
number is: Stacia Zukroff at szukroff@yahoo.com or 781-648-5503 h/443-4336570 c.
Fundraising and tax deductions
You can have two choices for partially funding the expense of your trip. You
can either do some fundraising, where people help defray your costs with a
donation, or you can deduct a portion of your trip fees from your taxes. Here
is how the two options will work:
Fundraising
Up to $1200 of your trip fee can be paid with donations from friends, family or
an employer. Checks need to be made out to Ambassadors for Children and
sent along with your final payment on or before March 6, 2008. People should
include their name and address with their checks. Ambassadors for Children
will send a letter directly to the donor to use for their taxes.
Charitable tax deduction
As your participation in this trip is for
humanitarian purposes, AFC can issue you a
letter stating that you participated in a service
trip with the dates and cost your paid. Under
current tax law you can deduct up to $1200 of
the trip from your taxes for 2008. Ask your tax
consultant about the airfare portion. Please
indicate on your application that you plan to do
deduct the trip so that AFC knows to prepare a
letter.
Checks need to be made out to
Ambassadors for Children and sent along with your final payment on or before
March 6, 2008.
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Experience and risks
Physical preparation
This trip will require you to be in relatively good physical condition.
Volunteer work may require you to lift heavy objects or spend a long time
standing or bending. The hike up the Pucaya Volcano will also require some
hiking experience and good physical conditioning. If you have any concerns
about your abilities, please speak with Stacia directly before signing up.
Weather
It is the rainy season in June. You should expect to have rain every day,
even if it is just a passing shower. Guatemala is tropical, so the more rain
there is the greener and lushier the scenery will be. Temperatures will be in
the 70s and 80s and it will be humid.
Crime in Guatemala
Like most large cities in Latin America, Antigua sees its fair share of crime.
We will be staying in a touristy part of the city, so you should be vigilant of
your personal belongings at all times and do not wear expensive jewelry or
carry large sums of money on you. We will be accompanied most of the
time by an AFC guide, who will be able to tell us which parts of town to
avoid.
Health concerns
The only immunization recommended for this trip is Hepatitis A, which is a
vaccination all travelers should get, regardless of location. Malaria pills
may also be recommended since there have been outbreaks in the area
where we will visit. More information will be given out about malaria closer
to the trip. Only bottled water should be drunk.
Clothing and Gear
Below is a list of the required gear for the trip. The gear listed under “Group Gear”
will be shared, so if you do not have this equipment, you will be able to share with
others.
Personal Gear
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1 medium duffel or suitcase with
wheels
1 small daypack /lumbar pack for
sightseeing
Personal Clothing
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Cool, loose travel clothing
Comfortable shoes or sneakers for
volunteer activities
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One or two casual outfits to wear for
going out to dinner
Hiking
boots
(broken-in
and
waterproof)
Waterproof wind and rain gear (top and
bottom)
Hiking shorts and top for day hike of
Pucaya Volcano
Hiking socks with sock liners
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Accessories
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Personal first aid kit
Sunscreen and bug repellent
Toiletries
Hat with brim
Sunglasses
Optional Gear
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Tevas or sandals
Gaiters (for rain and mud on the hike)
Bandana
Hiking poles
Pack cover
Camera and film
Playing cards
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