Sep
The Sun Hasn't Set On Volunteer Latin America
The coordinated global response to covid-19 has devastated the overseas voluntary sector. Some volunteer projects have closed down, while others are still running but are struggling to survive. For example, one of our partner organisations in Guatemala that educates poor children from low-income families has reduced staff working hours and salaries because they have been impacted financially. Various restrictions have prevented people from visiting and volunteering with them. Likewise, a sea turtle conservation project in Mexico has been seriously short of volunteer help in 2021. Tragic when you consider this shortage occurred during one of the biggest nesting seasons on record! I have heard similar stories from many other organisations in the region.
International travel remains far below pre-pandemic levels and the global airline industry is not expected to see any meaningful recovery until at least 2023 according to many experts. We want to help reverse this stagnant trend and encourage more people to look at how they can get involved in volunteering and supporting worthwhile projects in Central and South America. We also want to help organisations get the most out of their partnership with us. To this end, we will be restructuring our website and service within the coming months. We want to do everything we can to help our partner organisations get more sponsors, donations, visitors and volunteers.
The last 18 months has had a tremendous impact on our business and we did consider ceasing operations by the end of 2021. However, our passion for Latin America and desire to help grassroots organisations won out despite the financial hardship. We can't just walk away from organisations that help the needy or protect the environment in these challenging times. If the sun does set on our area of business, already reeling under the impact of covid-related measures, we will revise our position, but until that moment we will press on even if things are tough. Keep an eye on the news page of this website and our social media platforms for further announcements.
Thank you for your attention and kind support.
Kelly Hunter
Added 01st October 2021
This is so heartbreaking to read! Once my countries international borders are open. I’m planning booking my volunteer time in Latin America!