Volunteer on this short-term GVI community project and help improve the standard of living for indigenous communities situated near Antigua, Guatemala. You will assist in building energy-efficient stoves, promoting agriculture and rearing livestock and help families who live below the poverty line improve their living conditions. Indoor air pollution is the cause of more deaths each year than either Malaria or AIDS, due to the way people burn wood with no ventilation in their homes. Cleaner, more energy-efficient stoves provided by GVI can add literally decades onto the life-expectancy of a house’s occupants.

By spending just one week on this project, you can help to greatly improve one family’s situation, with both your physical and your financial contribution. You can also learn Spanish with 20 hours of one-on-one Spanish lessons included in the program, and participate on a half-day adventure biking, rock-climbing or hiking.

*How this program makes a difference*

From an economical standpoint, providing these stoves to families means they will only have to collect or buy up to a third of the firewood they currently do, and they will spend less on medicines for chronic lung illnesses. Environmentally, the deforestation of trees is essentially reduced by two-thirds per family. Medically, with no smoke inhalation due to the chimney, the health of the families is greatly improved.

Highlights:

• Stay in Antigua, Guatemala
• Work side-by-side with indigenous families
• Immerse yourself in indigenous communities
• Complete each chosen project within one week
• One-on-on Spanish classes
• Adventure trip volcano hike or mountain bike ride

Please visit the GVI website for more information on this program: http://www.gviusa.com/projects/Central%20America/Guatemala/volunteer-community-construction-project-guatemala/home