Giving and Volunteer Opportunities

Many people have the custom of giving to organizations or those less fortunate when they travel. With this in mind we are passing on a list of places you might want to consider when you are thinking about where to offer your charity. You can make one-time donations or become regular donors. Many of these organizations also have opportunities for volunteers. 

Mayan community support
Hacienda Chichén has three projects going on that support the Mayan children, families and community needs in villages close to Chichén Itzá.

They work with Yucatán Adventure, a volunteer website dedicated to helping out. You can help them continue their Children's Malnutrition Prevention Program at the Xcalacoop Health Center by pledging food donations, old clothes donations, or by placing a one-time sponsor fee spot ad in their social volunteer website www.yucatanadventure.com.mx. They recently purchased and installed new state-of-the-art, eco-friendly septic systems for the children's bathrooms at the Xcalacoop primary school.

Chichén Services and Yaxkin Spa at Hacienda Chichén have joined efforts to support the Yodzonot Cenote and Eco-Park Community project that a small group of local Mayan women have organized with utmost care and personal commitment. They continue promoting online news and articles of these women's eco-park, their efforts and dedication to make it happen. This is a true story of faith, determination and hope. For more information please contact:
info@yucatanadventure.com.mx

Scholarship Programs For Children in Progreso
In Progreso, there is a fantastic program, Progreso Apoyo (help/support), which helps keep kids in public schools who otherwise would not be able to pay for their studies. School is free, but all students need uniforms (skirts/pants, blouses/shirts, socks, shoes), backpacks, and all their school supplies. The money received from each child's specific sponsor is used for the shopping. Each sponsor gets photos and thank you letters from their sponsored children. The program also accepts one time gifts of money which goes into a general fund, which is available for any child who exceeds his apoyo limit. The program began in 2002 and the number of sponsored kids is growing every year. Students must have an 8 grade average (on a scale of 1 - 10, 8 is like a B.) For more info contact: kbmorgan_99@yahoo.com

Scholarship Programs For Children in Cholul
In Cholul, there is a program called "educaTE Yucatan" Contact: educateyucatan@gmail.com

Scholarship Programs For Children in Telchac Puerto
In Telchac Puerto, there is a program where the kids get their backpacks, school supplies and uniforms. School supplies include lined, unlined and squares notebooks, lead and colored pencils, red, blue and black pens, white-out, a calculator, a ream of bond paper, a geometry set, glue sticks, scissors, modeling clay, etc. Contact: telchaceducation@yahoo.com  

Food Bank
The Chicxulub Food Bank began operating in November 2005 to respond to an identified need in Chicxulub. In the village of Chicxulub (pop. 6,000) the main industry is fishing, work that is at the mercy of the weather, where between the hurricane and the norte seasons the port often is closed so there is no opportunity to go out fishing -no fishing, no money. There are also elderly people who rely on their children to care for them. For this project a family can mean a single mom with children, an elderly person living alone, families with the usual complement of people and anyone in need. On the 15th of every month these families receive a despensa/food bag that contains beans 900 gms, rice 900 gms, oil 500 ml, sugar 900 gms, cookies 500 gms, detergent 500 gms, powdered milk 2 liters, sopa (pasta) 400 gms, and salt 250 gms. You can help by adopting a family for one year (cost is $600 pesos per family at the current despensa distribution of once per month), and donating shoes, jeans, school supplies, and blankets. Contact Chix Food Bank Tel. (969) 934-0558
Emai: shelgason@hotmail.com Website: http://chixfoodbank.com/index.htm

Save the Children
Save the Children is an international organization with presence in more than 120 countries, working to defend children's rights. Their work contributes to the integral development of girls, boys, and teens, with focus on the most vulnerable social groups, so that they obtain, in thier formative years, the knowledge, habits, and understanding of their rights, as well as ethical values to lead them into productive, self sufficient lives. They have projects in four towns of Yucatan with attention to more than 5300 children. They are always looking for volunteers to help them with their important work. Mission: inspire advances in how the world treats children, and achieve immediate and long-lasting change in their lives. Vision:a world where each child has the right to survival, protection, development, and participation. Save the Children Yucatán, Calle 25 No. 198A x 16 y 18 Colonia García Ginerés, Mérida. Tel.999 920 55 33. Web: www.savethechildrenyucatan.com Facebook: Save the Children en Yucatán. Twitter: @MIDsavechildren. Make a tax-deductible monthly donation on your credit card. HSBC account number 4042165936.

AIDS Help
The mission of Brazos Abiertos (Open Arms) is to empower the people of Yucatán to respond to AIDS. They are accomplishing this mission by understanding the extent and impact of the HIV pandemic in the Yucatán, educating the local communities about HIV/AIDS and other sexually transmitted infections (STIs) in culturally-relevant ways, decreasing the transmission of HIV and other STIs in the Yucatán, and improving access to health care and the overall quality of life for those people already living with HIV. The organization does HIV detections and rapid testing at the villages and in Mérida targeting the youth and people at risk. They are also offering personalized, free, confidential and anonymous counseling and following up with clients.

Brazos Abiertos is always in need of volunteers to help implement their programs. They would be grateful for: