ProPetén accepts donations through Groundspring.org. ProPetén meets IRS equivalency criteria for 501.3(c) non-profit status. This allows US taxpayers to make tax-deductible donations to Groundspring.org which are then regranted to ProPetén in the form of strictly monitored "expenditure responsibility grants."

To donate, please click the "Donate Now" button on the left of this page.

If you would like to donate physical goods (materials, computers, etc.), please contact us.

ProPeten needs your help! We offer many short- and long-term volunteer opportunites in and around Florés, Peten, Guatemala. Opportunities are available at the Scarlet Macaw Biological Station and our office in Florés.  If you would like to volunteer ar the Scarlet Macaw Biological Station, please refer to its volunteer section on this site for more information.

Volunteer opportunities at the ProPetén office in Flores

A minimum commitment of six months and proficient knowledge of Spanish are required.  ProPetén's mission is to conserve the natural and cultural heritage of Peten with a programmatic focus in three areas:  (1) environmental education, (2) integrated approaches to health, population, and conservation, and (3) developing environmentally- and socially-sound alternatives to slash-and-burn farming for local communities in the Maya Biosphere Reserve. 

Actor or puppeteer.  We are looking for an actor or puppeteer to work with ProPeten's flagship health project, the "Mobile Biosphere."  This is a 4x4 vehicle equipped like a traveling town fair to organize fun activities including puppet shows, skits, movies, and games around health, sustainable agriculture, and environmental themes.  With popular education techniques, the Mobile Biosphere brings information to villages about organic agriculture, use of natural pesticides and fertilizers, revival of native agricultural species, medicinal plant recipes, nutrition and improved food processing, reproductive health and family planning, gender equity and women's role in productive projects, appropriate technology such as improved stoves, forest fire prevention and control, as well as general education about Guatemala's natural and cultural diversity.  Since it was launched in 2000, the program has reached roughly 6,000 people a year and was traveling on a regular circuit to 17 villages across the Maya Biosphere Reserve.  We're looking for someone with theatre and popular education skills to accompany the Mobile Biosphere in its existing circuit.  A longer-term project (one year minimum commitment required) would be to start a rural theatre troupe to accompany the Mobile Biosphere.  If you can gather donations of puppets, costumes, and other props before coming to Guatemala, even better!

Resource information center organizer.  The Petén is a dynamic frontier region with a rapidly growing student population.  Over the past ten years hundreds of researchers have come through the region to do research on conservation and development efforts in the Maya Biosphere Reserve region.  Unfortunately very few of these researcher's have left copies of their work for the benefit of local people and organizations.  ProPeten already operates a small library which high school and colleague students frequently consult and we'd like to expand the library by collecting new resources from other organizations in Guatemala and around the world and working to repatriate copies of research done about Peten.  This could build into a larger project to establish a regional public library.  For anyone planning graduate research, this is an excellent opportunity to get to know researchers and professors from the Mesoamerican region. (Basic library and research skills required).

Volunteers are expected to cover their own personal costs.  Work expenses will, of course, be covered by the organization.  Living costs in Peten are roughly:  $130 a month for a furnished apartment, and $5 a day ($150 a month) for a meal plan at a local, family eatery ($15 daily if you'd rather eat in restaurants).  Also calculate $75/month approximately for international medical and emergency evacuation insurance (which we require all international volunteers to hold).  Roundtrip travel expenses from Guatemala City are $130 by plane and $40 by bus (8 hours).  If your Spanish is not yet up to par, you have the option of first enrolling in one of the community-run Spanish language schools that ProPeten helped establish in the 1990s.  See "Spanish Schools" under http://tikalcnx.com/ for more information.

Interested candidates may send a resume and a cover letter (letter preferably in Spanish, resumes in English are acceptable) to the president of the board of directors, Liza Grandia (grandia@berkeley.edu) who will forward them to ProPeten's executive director, Rosa Maria Chan, in Guatemala.  Any questions, please call Liza Grandia at 510-642-6608.