Volunteer Job Opportunities in Belize

By Lan Sluder Belize First Magazine.

KINDS OF VOLUNTEER OPPORTUNITIES AVAILABLE IN BELIZE
In Belize there are basically three kinds of volunteer opportunities available:

• Church and medical-related "mission" work. This typically involves a week to several weeks of volunteer work in a medical or dental clinic, building churches or homes or other assistance. Usually these mission groups are based outside of Belize, often at a church or school or as a part of a local medical society, and typically volunteers travel to Belize at the same time, as a group. In most cases, volunteers pay for their own transportation to Belize, along with personal expenses in the country, but food and lodging sometimes is provided by the mission, paid for by donations. Because these medical and religious missions are so diverse and fragmented, it's not possible to provide a list of them. Your best bet is to contact your church, college or local medical society and ask if they know of missions to Belize.

• Organized volunteer programs. These organized programs are of two general types: In the first, which may be run either by a for-profit firm such as a travel company or by a not-for-profit charity or university, volunteers provide for their own transportation to and within Belize, pay a fee -- perhaps US$10 to $25 a day -- for lodging and board and may also pay a placement fee or "contribution" which can be several hundred dollars or more. Some "volunteer" programs of several weeks or months in length can cost the volunteer thousands of dollars. In the case of the second type, volunteers do not pay a fee and they may receive food and lodging in exchange for their volunteer work, but they usually have to pay transportation and incidental expenses out of pocket.

In Belize typically these volunteer programs revolve either around conservation, such as working with wildlife or reef preservation, or around archeology, with volunteers assisting on a dig at a Maya site. A few programs offer volunteer opportunities in education, animal care or social work. Some of these programs are Belize-based, such as those at the Belize Zoo or Programme for Belize. Others are based in the U.S., U.K. or elsewhere outside Belize.

Advantages of these structured programs include the fact that they are available to all kinds of volunteers and that they usually can be arranged ahead of time, before arriving in Belize. A commitment of at least a couple of weeks is often required for these programs, which benefits both the organization which has to train volunteers and the volunteers themselves who require time to adjust to the work and the Belize climate and environment.

For contact information, see the listing of volunteer organizations below.

•Independent volunteering. In Belize, as in most countries, it is possible and, in most cases, easy to just go to a worthwhile organization and volunteer your services. Conservation organizations, churches, libraries, medical clinics, humane societies, schools are among those that may welcome volunteers. For example, the YWCA in Belize City accept volunteers to help teach sports and arts activities. But there are hundreds of churches and schools in Belize, and many of these would welcome volunteers to help out with teaching, outreach or other activities. Usually, you will not receive any lodging or food in return for your volunteer activities, but in a few cases this might be available. To arrange this kind of independent volunteer work, it is usually necessary to be in Belize and to make personal contact with the organization you are seeking to help. It is rare that you will be able to arrange satisfactory volunteer work before you arrive. In fact, most of these volunteer opportunities in Belize are completely unstructured. It's up to YOU to dig out areas of need and then to go and volunteer your services.

VOLUNTEER ORGANIZATIONS
This information was accurate at time of publication, but things change quickly. Check with individual organizations directly for current information. Note that many of these organizations charge fees -- which may be tax-deductible as contributions -- for transportation, room, board and placement.

WITHIN BELIZE
Belize Audubon Society, 12 Fort St., P.O. Box 1001, Belize City, Belize, C.A.; tel. 501-223-5004; e-mail base@btl.net For more than 32 years, BAS has long been considered the premier conservation organization in Belize, and the amount of good it has done is unmeasurable. BAS, which is entirely independent from the National Audubon Society, has 1,700 members. Through an agreement with the Government of Belize, it manages eight parks and protected areas including Cockscomb, Crooked Tree, Half Moon Caye and Tapir Mountain. While BAS does not have a highly organized volunteer program, those interested in volunteering can contact BAS to see if any help is needed in the office or in its education and field programs. The annual Christmas Bird Count, held in Belize City, Punta Gorda, Belmopan and Gallon Jug, is a time when volunteer birders do their things.

Belize YWCA, 119 St. Thomas & Freetown Road, P.O. Box 158, Belize City, Belize, C.A.;
tel. 501-224-4971; e-mail ywca@btl.net The YWCA accept volunteers for its sports, arts and other other programs.

Belize Zoo and Tropical Education Center, P.O. Box 1787, Belize City, Belize, C.A.; tel. 501-220-8003; e-mail tec@btl.net The Belize Zoo is one of the truly great conservation organizations in Central America, and its director, Sharon Matola, has done a tremendous amount to further eco awareness and education in Belize, though her work has not always been appreciated by the powers-that-be in Belize. The adjoining Tropical Education Center offers a wide range of education and outreach programs. Motivated volunteers may be accepted to assist Belize Zoo and TEC programs.

Birds Without Borders/Aves Sin Fronteras, c/o 10005 West Blue Mound Road, Milwaukee, WI 53226 • 414-258-2333; Birds Without Borders is a research, education and conservation organization coordinated by the Zoological Society of Milwaukee County (Wisconsin). It operates in Belize in association with the Belize Zoo and Tropical Education Center and with private landowners. The group was formed in 1996 to study migratory birds common to both Wisconsin and Belize (there are at least 114 of these common species). Occasional volunteer opportunities may be available.

Cornerstone Foundation, 90 Burns Avenue, San Ignacio, Cayo, Belize, C.A.; tel. 501-824-2373; e-mail peace@btl.net This non-profit organization is one of the best-known volunteer organizations in Belize. Its programs include various cultural, community service, and peace-related volunteer programs in Cayo District. Volunteers commit for a minimum of three weeks (three months in the longer-term programs). For longer-term programs, individuals pay US$300 to $400 a month for housing, couples and families US$600. There is a US$100 application fee, a weekly meal fee of around US$15 and other fees. Those involved in three-week programs such as the AIDS Education or Natural Healing programs pay a fee of around US$550 to $650. At any one time, the foundation may have from one to 18 volunteers in Belize, plus local administers and staff.

Green Reef, 100 Coconut Drive, San Pedro Town, Ambergris Caye, Belize, C.A.; tel. 501-226-3254 ext 243; e-mail greenreef@btl.net Founded in 1996, Green Reef is a private, non-profit group based in San Pedro, devoted to protecting Belize's marine and coastal resources. Among its projects are establishing mooring buoys to protect the barrier reef, the management of two cayes near Ambergris as bird sanctuaries and monitoring Jewfish populations in Belize. Green Reef currently doesn't have a volunteer coordinator, but it says it is interested in hearing from prospective volunteers, especially those with skills in Web design, photography, fund-raising, community involvement and education. In the past it has had Peace Corps members as full-time volunteers and has worked with Smith College and Kansas State University to bring in volunteers.

King's Children Home, 38/40 Unity Blvd., P.O. Box 144, Belmopan, Belize, C.A.; tel. 501-822-2021: The King’s Children Home is a non-profit organization which assists children in Belize who have lost their parent(s) through death, have been abandoned, abused and/or neglected. KCH needs volunteers to help out, for any period of time, but preferable for 2-6 month periods or longer. Volunteers work with kids from 1-18 years of age. Activities may include tutoring, counseling, clerical duties and pre-schooling.

Monkey Bay Wildlife Sanctuary, P.O. Box 187, Belmopan, Belize, C.A.; tel. 501-820-3032; e-mail mbay@btl.net Monkey Bay is a private wildlife sanctuary and environmental education center on 1,070 acres near the Belize Zoo. Links to other conservation organizations in Belize and Monkey Bay's own programs provide some volunteer opportunities in conservation and community service. Monkey Bay also offers home stay programs, as well as 12- to 21-day education and adventure programs for students (middle school to university). The education programs are at rates of about US$75 a day.

Mount Carmel High School, Benque Viejo del Carmen, Cayo, Belize, C.A.; e-mail mchs@btl.net This school is highly unusual in that it has an all-volunteer faculty. Volunteers, who must be four-year university graduates and be "willing to teach in a Catholic environment," commit to teach for a period of one to two years, and in return they receive room, board and US$12.50/week in spending money. The minimum commitment is one school year, from mid-August until mid-June and the typical length is two years with the summer off. Living arrangements are spartan but clean. Meals are taken together in the rectory. For information, e-mail mchs@btl.net with the name of the school principal, Tim Robinson, in the subject line.

Programme for Belize, 1 Eyre Street, P.O. Box 749, Belize City, Belize, C.A.; tel. 501-227-5616; e-mail: pfbel@btl.net This completely Belizean-run organization manages the 260,000-acre Rio Bravo Conservation and Management area, the country's second-largest protected reserve, representing about 4% of Belize's land area. Programme for Belize accepts paying guests at its Rio Bravo and Hill Bank research stations, where visitors enjoy simple but pleasant accommodations and hearty local fare. Volunteer opportunities may occasionally be available, both in conservation and in archeology. La Milpa is one of about 60 Maya sites on the Rio Bravo lands. (Note: Also see University of Texas/Programme for Belize Archeological Project below.)

SAGA Society, Coconut Drive, San Pedro, Ambergris Caye, Belize, C.A.; tel. 501-226-3266; e-mail saga@btl.net Saga is a non-profit organization, founded in 1999, whose purpose is to assist homeless and suffering dogs, cats and other animals on Ambergris Caye. Most of the stray dogs and cats on Ambergris, as elsewhere in Belize, are not neutered, and many are undernourished with a variety of diseases. The local approach to control has been to use strychnine poison. Saga is trying to raise funds to build an animal shelter on the island and to establish a subsidized neutering program. This small group has no organized volunteer program, but local volunteers are welcomed. More volunteers will be needed if and when a shelter is up and running.

Toledo Institute for Development and Environment (TIDE), P.O. Box 150, Punta Gorda Town, Toledo District, Belize, C.A.; tel. 501-722-2274 ; e-mail tidetours@btl.net Formed in 1997, TIDE focuses on conservation in Toledo District. The group helps manage the Port Honduras Marine Reserve and Paynes Creek National Park. To raise funds, it offers ecotours. Contact the organization to see what volunteer opportunities may be available.

Wildlife Care Center of Belize, c/o Robin Brockett, Director, wildlifecarecenter@yahoo.com This small operation, supported by Woodland Park Zoological Society (601 North 59th St., Seattle, WA 98103, tel. 206-615-1030), and working with the Belize government agencies, is a "way station" for rescued birds and other wildlife, located near the Belize Zoo at the Monkey Bay Wildlife Sanctuary. Occasionally, self-supporting volunteers are accepted for periods of a month or more. Interested persons should contact Robin Brockett.

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