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Resources > Internship Opportunities > Internship Opportunity – Lake Atitlan, Guatemala - Holiday Break 2009/2010

Internship Opportunity – Lake Atitlan, Guatemala - Holiday Break 2009/2010

Nov 1 by Henry Harding

 

Description of Internship

  • Up to 3 students would travel to Lake Atitlan, Guatemala during 3 week holiday break in December/January to work with advisor/activist/volunteer Ms. Dita Zakova.  Objective is to understand and work on the needs of children, families, communities around the Lake.

Need

  • Villages surrounding lake Atitlan Guatemala characterized by poverty (per capita annual income $500), chronic illness (malnutrition, lung disease, diarrhea), environmental pollutants (fertilizer and human waste runoff into lake, inefficient wood fires, lack of waste removal / recycling systems), inconsistent access to and utilization of education.

Work to be done during trip to Guatemala

  • work to reverse pollution problem with the lake
  • building of fuel efficient/clean stoves for families and schools
  • organization of recycling programs and behavior change programs
  • organization, attraction of, and effective utilization of medical volunteers and associated clients
  • development of strategies and programs to increase access to and utilization of eduction
  • observation and study of problem areas around the lake

Financing

  • Interns are responsible for their own costs for transportation to/from Guatemala, medical evacuation insurance; and lodging and meals
  • Interns will fundraise additional funds to be donated to support Ms. Zakova's work in these communities. A minimum $500 commitment is required to quality for the internship. Funds shall be pledged as part of the application - but may be raised after returning from internship - and be directed toward specific projects determined by the intern (with agreement by Dita).

Application

  • Interested students should submit a personal statement on/before 11/11 to Lorne Adrain that addresses the following questions:
  1. Have you ever worked as a volunteered in a country with social & economic conditions similar to Guatemala?  Please describe your experiences?  How did they meet (or fall short) of your goals and expectations for the trip?  Have you found the answers to the questions you were looking for?  Have you stayed in contact with the organization / community after your volunteer work finished?  Why / Why Not? 
  2. How do you envision your time here in Guatemala?  What are your personal goals?  What do you expect to learn and what do you expect to contribute?
  3. Please describe your most important life experiences / blink and how they affected your thinking, attitude, and behaviour, etc...
  4. Do you think that the majority of communities in the third world are not sustainable?  What would be your idea/suggestion to improve that?
  5. I plan to spend three weeks with you to introduce you to my community, its people, and its challenges and sincerely hope that there will be something positive that happens in this community long after you leave.  Ideally, this would take place through work that you do on campus followed by return trips that allow my community to tap the vast resources (intellectual, network, financial, etc) of Brown University.  I don’t expect a commitment before you even arrive – but would be interested to hear your thoughts about possible follow-up after the trip that might further benefit my community after you return to Brown.

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About the Author
Henry Harding
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