One Brown university graduate will be spending two and a half years in Guatemala, involved in an English-language instruction program at a school run by women’s cooperative Unidas Para Vivir Mejor (“United To Live Better”) outside of Guatemala City.

She came across the organization on a trip to Guatemala two years ago while working at a Montessori school during time off from university, and, while realizing it was a “gift to be at Brown”, able to read about doing good things, she felt that she was reading and never doing – and that was part of the impetus to arrange this situation.

Growing up, her father told her people should try to “leave the campsite cleaner” than they found it; she put this into action following university with a job at the Service Employees International Union, aiding employees fight for good working conditions and treatment.

Unidas Para Vivir Mejor was formed by a group of Guatemala women as a cooperative to make and sell handicrafts abroad from parts of the town struggling with unemployment and other issues. Many had been widowed or were dealing with alcoholism in the family. Noticing that the students there has less training in English and that this put them at a disadvantage later in school, the idea for an English language program was born.

The current requirements on the UPAVIM site for volunteering to teaching English include a formal English language teaching training, an intermediate level of Spanish, and the ability to commit for at least one year. The resources they make available are detailed on the website; they also describe some practical issues such as room, board, costs and safety.

CasaSito is another organization which needs volunteers to teach English; those with an interest but less time might be interested as the minimum time commitment is three months. Visit the CasaSito website for more information.