For the education and development of Mayan women in rural Guatemala through
scholarships, workshops and training.
Volunteering with Ixmucané
Vision, procedure and volunteer profile
El Terrero Zona 4 Junto a Colonia Vista al Monte Huehuetenango, Guatemala.
Aptd. de Correos 77 Telefono:764 60 09 E-Mail: ixmucanehuehue@intelnett.com
VISION OF VOLUNTEERING
From the beginning Ixmucané has been open to receive people who are interested in
learning about Guatemala and support the work we do. For this reason we have included
cultural meetings in our activites. We aim to provide the opportunity for men and women
from different cultures, ethnicities, countries and beliefs to meet and exchange experiences
with the communities we work in.
Our intention with intercultural exchanges is to:
the region, and in Guatemala in general.
s’ world view, their work, knowledge and commitment in the struggle
for building a more just world.
ate and strengthen ties and friendships that one way or another help alleviate the
situation of women and transform of the structures that keep the Mayan communities in a
situation of marginalization and extreme poverty.
ace it with an exchange and mutual learning. We
believe that you end up receiving more than you give.
There is a common understanding about volunteering, that "voluntary work is work that a
person carries out without any financial remuneration." In other words, the voluntary work
is done by a person who offers his or her services (knowledge, experience, skills) without
any financial compensation.
In the world of NGOs the foreigners who comes to work with a particular organisation or
usually referred to as “volunteers”. This interpretation carries the risk of thinking that the
person doing "voluntary work" comes to give. Thus, that person becomes the person who is
capable, who knows, and so on.
At Ixmucané, as in other associations we have spoken with, we believe that this
interpretation of "voluntary work", needs another dimension, that of "learning". From this
dimension, the person doing "volunteer work" does not provide any service. Their attitude
leads to learning about the culture, relationships, reality, work, organizations, and more.
With this in mind we can apply the term "life experience" to voluntary work. The sharing
of life experiences suggests two ways of action: that both the person who comes and the
local person, have experiences (knowledge, skills, culture, skills, etc.) Sharing experiences
allows both to expand their worldview, their skills, their knowledge, their view of others,
and more.
We believe it is important to mention that unintentionally, our presence can cause
disturbance in some communities. We interfere with routines so it is important our work is
done with an attitude of respect, genuine interest and responsibility. In order to maintain the
momentum and good working relationships with the communities we have developed
certain standards that need to be met. We have based our volunteer profile on the respect
for the cultures of the communities and Ixmucané’s visión. We have developed it in
collaboration with other organisations and the people who have visited us.
PROFILE OF OUR VOLUNTEERS
Ixmucané expects people who join us to have the following qualities, skills and willingness
to engage in the project:
 Respect for different cultures.
 Willing to live with people from a culture that is very different from the culture in the
north of the world.
 A sense of justice and solidarity with the poor and marginalised in the world.
 The capacity to appreciate that there are many ways to see things and to be aware that
many years of study does not necessarily mean that you know more.
 A greater willingness to learn than to teach.
 A capacity to listen and have a dialogue.
 A capacity to work in a team and at the same time be independent and able to take
initiatives.
 Social commitment in the north as well as in the south and a capacity to bridge the
two.
 Ability to easily relate to other people.
 Capacity to cope with many different types of work.
 Con facilidad para relacionarse con diferentes personas.
 Disposición para hacer diferentes tipos de trabajo.
 Take great caution with premature judgements.
Do you recognise yourself in this description? Welcome to Ixmucané!
PROCEDURE
To join Ixmucané, follow a few but necessary simple steps so there are no
misunderstandings.
Ixmucane in Huehuetenango headquarters via e-mail, letter or telephone.
in the application form and send it to Ixmucané (E-mail or normal post).
We will consider your application at our monthly meeting, consider the request and
depending on need and availability, you will be notified as son as possible whether your
application has been accepted or not.
you will also receive Ixmucané’s documents
on our vision, mission, methodology etc.
you will also receive the agreement, which must be read,
signed and sent to Ixmucané.
Postal address:
IXMUCANE
APAR. DE CORREOS 77 HUEHUETENANGO, GUATEMALA
Telephone: 00502
E-mail:
79345700
ixmucanehuehue@intelnett.com
Ask for: Celia Clua or Montserrat Noval.