Guatemala, Guatemala City – Field Assistants (2)

Assignments #: 2014a and 2014b
Location: Habitat for Humanity Guatemala national office and travel to affiliates
Term of Service: 6 months minimum, prefer one year or more!

Assignment Summary: Together with the resource development team and the global village coordinator, the field assistant will coordinate and accompany the volunteer work teams traveling with the Global Village program. The assignment includes irregular service hours – accompanying the teams means serving both nights and weekends. Our volunteers are always in contact with a staff member when traveling and our staff is very suportive of our volunteers.

For the volunteer teams coming in country, we ask the volunteer to assist with the following:
*Communicate with team leader before arrival to help with logistics
*Communicate with the global village coordinator regarding the details of the trip
*Re-confirm all hotel, restaurant and transport reservations for each team
*Meet the teams at the airport and orient them on Habitat and the homeowner family where they will build, security issues, and the country and culture of Guatemala
*Travel to various affiliates with the team and supervise the activities of the team
*Act as an intermediary between the team, affiliate, and family
*When required act as translator for periods of up to 2 weeks

When not out with a team, the volunteer will help with the following:
*Fill out an evaluation sheet for every team and go over it with the resource development team and the global village coordinator
*Assure that we have complete contact information for every team member
*Obtain copies of the paperwork on all beneficiary families that work with the teams and perform family interviews
*Help complete follow-up profiles on all beneficiary families that work with the teams
*Help with donation tracking and inventory
*Help with various other aspects of the office if asked
*Qualities that we value in all of our volunteers: commitment to the mission, Christian principles and foundations of Habitat for Humanity International, enthusiasm and friendliness, ability to handle all situations in a professional manner, responsibility and accountability when handling cash.

Requirements: Fluent written/oral skills in English and Spanish, good people skills, excellent organizational skills, excellent customer service, moderate experience with MS Office Suite (Outlook, Word, Excel, PowerPoint), ability to multi-task, ability to speak in front of groups, experience working in multi-cultural situations, positive attitude and energetic! A definite willingness to travel extensively throughout the country, be based out of the Guatemala City office and be comfortable using all forms of public transportation.

Preferred skills: Working with the work teams requires a great deal of physical labor –an important point to keep in mind.

Support from Host Organization:
HFH will provide: It would be good if the volunteer brought his/her own laptop since he or she will be traveling extensively. Habitat for Humanity Guatemala will cover the food and accommodation costs and traveling expenses of the volunteer for assignment-related travel.

Volunteer Budget: Volunteers will be responsible for all costs associated with living in the host country. An estimate for a single individual is given below. (All figures in U.S. dollars.)

*Visa costs will vary. Contact the nearest Guatemalan consulate for specific information regarding visas. Be sure to clarify what type of visa you will need (tourist/business, single or multiple entry), length of stay and what to do about visa extensions, if necessary. Usually foreigners will have to leave the country every 6 months.

Description of Assignment Location: We are looking for two volunteers – one based out of Guatemala City (more office time) and one who will mainly travel (with one day per week in the office). Guatemala City is a busy city of 3 million people. It is not the favorite place of travelers since it’s noisy and dirty, but it does have many fun activities. The volunteer could room with someone (suggested) but they will be traveling lots. Our Guatemala City office is a satellite office of the national Habitat office and there are only eight staff people here. All of our Global Village people are here in Guatemala City. The volunteer should consider living in Antigua and travel to the office which is about 45 min on regular bus and costs $2.

Additional Information: Must provide proof of valid MEDEX medical insurance, visa, passport, work permit (if necessary) and plane ticket for return trip home. Passport must be valid for at least six months past the return date. Each volunteer is responsible for obtaining visa entry information, although some assistance may be provided by national office.

Additional items to pack: It will help for the volunteer to provide their own computer. Bring extra batteries, emergency contact phone/fax numbers in your home country, present medicine list and prescriptions, You will need some clothes that you do not mind getting dirty as we work on the construction sites, some nicer casual clothes for the office, boots for the work site, light rain jacket, camera, bug spray.

Life in Guatemala:

Geography: Guatemala is a very diverse country, as far as climate goes. There are a lot of wonderful places to see, including exploring Mayan ruins, native street markets, and visiting diverse natural environments.

Available services: Driving is a bit chaotic here. ATMs are everywhere. Your bank card from home can probably be used in the bigger cities here, credit cards are also possible to use in some areas. Public hospitals are free but not the best, you will have purchased Medex insurance so you can go to private hospital pay and have your insurance reimburse you. Transport: bus, bus, bus everywhere. In Guatemala City, you should only use official taxis. Street hailed taxis, the colorful converted school buses, commonly referred to as "chicken buses", and transit buses can be very dangerous and should be avoided.

Safety and security: (from http://www.voyage.gc.ca/ ) “Guatemala has one of the highest violent crime rates in Latin America, and a very low arrest and detention rate. Most incidents are drug and gang related and occur in and around Guatemala City, and in rural areas. The border with Mexico also presents risks due to drug smuggling and illegal immigration. Small arms such as handguns are very common. Criminals often operate in groups. Foreigners have been the victims of crimes such as robbery, carjacking, rape and armed assaults.

At La Aurora International Airport in Guatemala City, several travelers have been robbed, usually after being followed out of airport vicinity. It is advisable to schedule your arrival at the airport during the day or early evening.
 
Canadians should always be aware of their surroundings and should not display wealth or expensive items (i.e. laptop computers), especially in airports. Avoid travelling alone (especially late at night) and avoid low-cost hotels with poor security. Ensure personal belongings and travel documents are secure at all times. Carry only a copy of the identification page of your passport and sufficient funds for the day, and exercise extreme caution when using Automated Banking Machines (ABMs).”

Cultural insights: Cultural insight for girls: you must be able to deal with the machismo culture, which includes cat calls and people looking at you.

Housing need: In Guatemala, there is a need for 1.6 million houses. Currently, families live in huts or crowded in a small rented room. The great problem is land tenure; since many invade property belonging to the state or to individuals; most poor families are not the legitimate owners of the land they inhabit. These properties do not have basic utilities and are located in high-risk areas, mostly in urban zones. Also, there is a high degree of delinquency and crime.

Due to the conditions in which they live, there is a high risk of maternal and infant death due to gastrointestinal, respiratory and skin diseases.

Other hindrances that poor families wanting to build a decent house face are: lack of legal documents or property deeds; loans at an interest rate ranging between 18 to 30 percent; lands located in ravines, river banks, etc.; and land at prices unaffordable for the poor.

Due to their income level and to the type of guarantee they offer, many families claim that without HFH, they would not have been able to build their homes. In 2005, Habitat Guatemala celebrated the construction of house 20,000, at that time, a tenth of all the houses built in the world through Habitat.  In 2006, HFH Guatemala finished with a total construction of 22,703 decent homes with people in need in Guatemala and aim to finish house 25,000 by the end of 2007 helping around 150,000 Guatemalans, the majority children.

HABITAT FOR HUMANITY GUATEMALA
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