Dear Andrea,

The Wildlife Rescue and Conservation Association (ARCAS) is a Guatemalan NGO
founded in 1989 working for the conservation of endangered species and their
habitat. We have two volunteer programs:

        The first and most established is at our Animal Rescue Center
situated in the jungle on a 2 hectacre plot 10 miles from the town of Flores
and 40 miles from the world famous ruins of Tikal. Volunteers help in
feeding and  caring for the animals at the center, including parrots,
macaws, spider and howler monekys, ocelots, jaguars, coatimundis and
kinkajous. There are also opportunities to take part in veterinary medical
treatment and operations, construction of new facilities and cages and
(perhaps most fun of all!) animal releases. Volunteers live in a two story
wooden building that includes  shower and toilet facilities and several
hours of solar electricity per night. They eat and socialize at a seperate
kitchen/dining room facility.
        Our other volunteer program is at our sea turtle and caiman conservation
project near the town of Hawaii on the Pacific coast of Guatemala where
volunteers assist in conducting nightly patrols of area beaches in search of
nesting sea turtles and collection and burial of eggs in the hatchery. They
also take part in the caiman captive breeding program, construction and
upkeep of park facilities and educational activities in area schools.  The
turtle season in Hawaii is during the months June-December with peak months
of August and September.
        There is a minimum stay of 1 week for both volunteer programs. For the
Rescue Center, there is a charge of $50  per week which covers food and
lodging. For the Hawaii Project, the fee is $35 per week and only covers
lodging.  As a non-profit NGO, ARCAS relies heavily on these volunteer fees,
as well as the physical help of volunteers, to help sustain our projcts. You
can take part in our volunteer programs any time of the year and with no
notice, but our busiest times are during the rainy season, June to November.
        Spanish language ability is not required for our volunteer programs, but,
in general, the ability to speak some Spanish will greatly enhance your
effectiveness as well as your satisfaction with the experience. If you don't
already speak Spanish and you plan to volunteer for an extended period, I'd
recommend that you spend your first weeks studying in Antigua, a
world-renowned Spanish language center. The standard study program is $110
per week for a homestay with a local family, food and 4-6 hours/day of
1-on-1 language instruction. Quite a deal!
        More important than language skills, perhaps, is individual initiative and
an understanding that ARCAS, as a non-profit, volunteer organization, may
not be able to meet all your expectations in terms of work experience or
logistical support. In addition to performing tasks such as feeding and
carrying for the animals, we also expect volunteers to carry out such
mundane chores as cleaning out cages and washing dishes. Volunteers are also
encouraged to develop and carry out their own projects.
        If you are interested in taking part in our volunteer program, we
would be happy to send you a copy of our  volunteer guidebook and
application form. We would, however, ask you to send us $15 to cover the
cost of printing and mailing (US Dollar cash, check or international money
order to "ARCAS" is best).
        Thanks for your interest in ARCAS and I look forward  to hearing from you
in the future. Please remember to send all regular correspondence to our US
mailing address at Section 717, PO Box 52-7270, Miami, FL 33152-7270.
Guatemalan mail is very unreliable, so we have it couriered in from Miami.
Our E-mail address is  <[log in to unmask]>   You can also find more
information about ARCAS on the Internet by doing a search for "Guatemala
Unlimited" or "Guatemala Volunteer".

Saludos,



Colum Muccio


P.S. If you do decide to volunteer and you have access to material donations
for our projects which you could bring with you to Guatemala. please let us
know.  Below is a short wishlist:

-       School supplies (notebooks, pencils, pens, CRAYONS...)
-       Tents
-       Veterinary supplies (New or used, Contact us for a more detailed
list if                 you have a supply)
-       Flashlights
-       Medical supplies (repellent, antibiotic creme, vitamins,
bandages, tape...)
-       Used office and computer equipment (Fax, computer, copier, scissors,
tape, white Out...) (Computer equipment should be fairly
up-to-date though)




**************************************
Colum Muccio
Director Administrativo y Desarrollo
ARCAS
Intl Mail: Section 717, PO Box 52-7270
Miami, FL 33152-7270 USA
Ph/Fax:(502)5914731
E-mail:[log in to unmask]
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At 11:12 PM 6/29/98 +0200, you wrote:
>Hi! I am a Swedish student who is coming to Guatemala this fall. I am
>interested in the possibilities of working as a volunteer.
>Perhaps you could send me some information. Thank you.
>               Monica
>
>
>
At 10:23 PM 6/30/98 +0200, you wrote:
>Hi!
>Do somebody know where I can work as a volunteer at a
>turtle-research-station or at an institute for a few weeks.I'm a
>biology-student from Germany and I want to do my biology-examination
>about sea-turtles.I would prefer Europe, but when this is not possible I
>would go to any other place too, of course.Nice greetings from Bremen.
>Andrea
>
>
**************************************
ARCAS
Intl Mail: Section 717, PO Box 52-7270
Miami, FL 33152-7270 USA
Ph/Fax:(502)5914731
E-mail:[log in to unmask]
************************************