See below for a selection of sample placements in Merida, Mexico.

Please note that volunteer students must use their initiative for all the below-mentioned jobs. There are set assignments that can be full-time, and others that last 3-4 hours per day. Therefore volunteers should be adaptable to the hours required.

You may also need to take one or two local buses in order to reach your placement. The longest it can take is one hour, and the cost would be a maximum of 20 pesos per day in transportation.

Social/Education :: Nature :: Administration

Centro de Atención Multiple - Special Education

Volunteers help young kids with their speaking and pronunciation, etc. This organisation is located in the oldest neighborhood of Merida, Itzimna neighborhood. Itzimna is a pleasant colonial neighborhood; it takes around 15 minutes to get there from the volunteer house on the Carranza bus. The principal is a very kind person who enjoys having foreign Spanish students around, since she says both the kids and students benefit from this job. The schedule is from 7:30 to 11:30am. 

Ejercito de Salvación (Salvation Army)

This job is about helping children/orphans with their homework. Children love to talk and play games – after doing their homework of course - and also play sports or table games. This place is located south of Merida, and it takes about 45 minutes to get there taking 2 buses; one from the volunteer residence to downtown, and the other from downtown to the volunteer place (bus fare must be paid by volunteers). The schedule for this work is from 9 to 11am, but afterwards help can be used in any part of the building; help such as cleaning, running errands, help in the kitchen, and whatever the staff needs in order to improve the place. 

UNNASSE (Women & Teenage Development Centre)

In this organisation, students work with women and teenagers, usually in small conferences and events. Volunteers need to give information related to sexual education, which is given in a very discreet way; either playing table games such as ¨trivial pursuit¨ (questions and answers), or short real stories about people in the past. Also, depending on the season, help can be used to teach English to teenagers, and small group talks with mothers and teenagers: the topics can be anything that would help them depending on their situation, such as alcohol, smoking, the importance of communication between parents and children, etc. 

Albergue San Vicente (Shelter)

This nursing home is located in the west side of the city. It is run by nuns, and they take care of patients with cancer and no economical resources. The kind of help that can be used here is speaking with the people, conversation, helping serve food at lunchtime, and anything related to improving the place. Help is very much appreciated.

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SECTUR (Secretaria de Ecología de Yucatán)

Depending on the season, work consists on saving baby turtles, taking care of them and giving information to people - both local and foreign tourists who visit. Another assignment would be counting bird nests, feeding fish, taking care of whatever the SECTUR staff assign the students to do, and tasks related to environment. This job requires getting up early in the morning, 5-6am. Also on weekdays students can spend the nights at Sisal, where the SECTUR staff provides huts to sleep. On weekend students go back to the volunteer residence in Merida. The SECTUR staff takes the volunteer students to Sisal by vans, so they provide transportation to the places. 

PRONATURA

This is an environmental organisation like SECTUR, but has more options for volunteer work such as: Ecotourism and Biodiversity, Finance and Operating Support, Center of Information for the Preservation Program, Program on the Cost, Mayan Jungle, and the Private Reserve of El Zapotal. Office work and research is used as well, so as SECTUR and KIUIC these organisations combine office work with visits to the reserves, focusing more on field trips. 

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Kiuik Biocultural Reserve

This reserve is relatively new as a volunteer placement option. They have offices in the city where students can do research or office work. They also do field trips to the biosphere reserve, located approx one hour south of Merida. The reserve has a Mayan community, foreign researchers, etc. Transportation to the reserve is provided by staff.

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