"Our Program and Corps Volunteer Programs for 2008 are full.
If you wish to apply for a volunteer position in Nicaragua, your start date must be in 2009!"
Volunteering with La Familia Fabretto in Nicaragua may be one of the most rewarding experiences you will ever have.
We welcome individuals and groups of up to 20 who are willing to spend time with us learning about our work and helping us serve the children and families in our programs. Volunteers fall within one of three groups:
- Groups – 1 to 2 weeks
- Program Volunteer – 2 weeks to 3 months
- Corps Volunteer – 6 months to 2 years
The groups that come down include mission trips, high school service trips, or any combination of friends, co-workers and families that wish to come to Nicaragua together in the spirit of service. Group sizes are generally between 10 and 20 persons. We prefer a minimum of at least 8.
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There is a wide range of volunteer work available for our group trips, based on the skills, abilities, and interests of the group's members, and of course, our program needs at the time of the visit. With so many children in our programs, we can use virtually any skill you are willing to share with us!
We build in plenty of free time in all group trip schedules too so that you will also have the opportunity to get to know the community, participate in local events and visit the local micro-enterprises, shops, and churches. But most importantly, we will encourage you to spend as much time sharing your attention with the children as possible. Through them, you will come to know and admire a generous people who are loving, close knit, and committed to improving their own lives and that of their communities through hard work and education.
Program volunteers are individuals with special skills that tie directly into our program offerings. Most often, they are professionals with years of experience in their field of expertise and are coming to work as consultants with Fabretto. Typically, program volunteers stay with Fabretto between two weeks and a few months and will work closely with staff on training, program design and development rather than directly with the students. Availability for placement is highly dependent on program focus areas at any one point in time. In general, program volunteers will have skills in one the following areas:
- Arts & Crafts:
- Music
- Teaching, elementary or secondary level
- English as a Second Language instruction
- Practical Health – doctors or nurses
- Health research – studies and analysis
- Micro-enterprise and entrepreneurship
- Land, water and energy resource management
- Engineering and architecture
If you have a special skill that is not noted above, but think you can be of service, by all means contact us! We'll be happy to discuss options with you and determine if we can in fact take advantage of your talents through this program!
Corps volunteers are with Fabretto for the “long-term”. With a commitment of at least six months, but most frequently of a year or two, Fabretto will train you when necessary, and put you to work. Corps Volunteers generally work in the classroom environment, directly with the children on a daily basis. At this time we are most interested in persons to staff our English as a Second Language (ESL) program, but other opportunities may exist depending on the skill and interests of the individuals applying.
We have full-time staff at our main office in Managua who will help you with your travel plans, schedule your volunteering work, and arrange your housing. All volunterrs, whether Group, Program, or Corps are responsible for their travel costs to and from Nicaragua.
Housing for Group Trips and Program Volunteers may be with local, host families or in Cusmapa, at “Casa Loyola”, a dorm style house that we have built for volunteers. All meals will be provided by the host family, the children’s centers at lunchtime, or at the volunteer house. We will provide transportation from the airport to your assigned center. In order to cover the costs of meals, housing allowances, and in-country transportation to the center you will be working in, we request a fee of between $30 and $50 daily per person, depending on your itinerary. The minimum age for group volunteering is 15, with an adult chaperone and 21 without. Please fill out the Volunteer Inquiry Form in order to get more information on coming to Nicaragua and spending some time with us.
Housing for Corps Volunteers will generally be in a Fabretto owned or rented house. Roommates may include other Corps Volunteers or local staff members who are traveling between centers. Fabretto does not require any payments from Corps Volunteer, but rather offers a modest stipend for basic in-country living expenses. Corps Volunteers become true members of the community and live an authentic Nicaraguan existence during their stay.
We encourage all volunteers to extend their stay in Nicaragua to take advantage of the country’s increasing number of travel leisure activities and destinations. Nicaragua’s natural beauty is just beginning to be discovered by the outside world. Our staff can help you plan this part of your trip as well or make recommendations for places to go and sites to visit if you wish to organize it on your own. For a few ideas to start with, please see our Tourism in Nicaragua page.
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