Dos Mundos - Study Spanish in Flores, Guatemala
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Orphanage
Volunteering
The History of Santo Domingo
Opened in 1980 in Santa Elena, Petén, Santo Domingo provides a refuge for neglected, abused and abandoned girls. Overseen by nuns and assisted by very few employees, the girls are raised in a Catholic-centered environment. The orphanage receives the children via the court system, through cases where the parents are declared to be unfit or have passed away. The orphanage receives no monetary support from the government, and instead relies strictly on donations from outside sources and organizations from other countries.
The girls at Santo Domingo vary in age from 1 to 32. They attend school in Flores and are responsible for all their own chores at the orphanage. Their formation at the orphanage might be considered hard to outsiders, but there they learn all the necessary skills to survive in the outside world once they feel self-sufficient enough to leave. Some girls never leave, and choose to stay at the orphanage to help run the facility.
Adoption is a possibility for those girls who are completely orphaned. Few have parents that come to visit them. They are loving, kind children who are always willing to show off their dances, give a hug or take your hand. Volunteer at the orphanage and change the lives of these lovely little girls!
Your work
Help is needed in all areas of the orphanage, so your volunteer work will be tailored to what you are interested in doing. Cleaning, preparation of food, bathing and dressing of the girls, helping in the school and providing companionship are all possibilities at Santo Domingo! The best way is to ask a nun what needs to be done, and she will guide you in the right direction.
The orphanage is a 10 minute walk from Flores, or a matter of minutes in tuk-tuk. Café Yaxha provides food for volunteers at a discount and can help to arrange accommodations in Flores.