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Staff Interview with Laura Nuñez

Get to know Niños de Guatemala's staff!

Laura Nuñez
Laura NuñezInterviewed in 2020

Laura Nuñez is a Volunteer Coordinator for Niños de Guatemala. Starting as a volunteer, Laura jumped at the chance to work for the organization, She holds the organization’s mission close to her heart and is dedicated to propelling it forward.

What inspired you to work for Niños de Guatemala (NDG)?

The way it started and its purpose to change lives through education. I have always liked to volunteer in different organizations, and I wanted to work for a place that had a good vision and mission, and an organization that I knew I could actually support with my degree and my experience. I know that we can help everywhere that we are, but why not help through our work and in our daily life.

When I was little, I had the opportunity to share with different types of people, and this compelled me to have the desire to help the people that didn’t have the same opportunities that I had. Also, when I was a teenager, I helped an organization that helped girls in rural communities of Guatemala, and I saw the reality that they were facing and how a lot of them wanted to go to school, but that simply wasn’t an option for them. So, I told myself that once I was done with school I was going to find a job that had a mission to provide education to unprivileged children.

I started as a volunteer and they offered me the position of volunteer Assistant, I didn’t hesitate to say yes and start this adventure with Niños de Guatemala. 

Volunteer with young girl in Guatemala

This is my at one of the schools of NDG with a girl of first grade.

Why do you do what you do?

I do what I do to help my country and my community, but also to be a channel that provides that relationship between the volunteer and NDG community (the staff, the teachers, and the students). I know that the language barrier and the cultural barrier is sometimes the greatest obstacle between the volunteer and the project, so I want it to be simple and a great experience for both parts.

Also, because I love to help people, and I know that I can do it in both parts. I really like when people feel part of something and feel that they belong, and I know that I can provide that experience to the volunteers that come and become part of the family of NDG. 

What is your favorite part about your job?

My favorite part is to see how people change after this experience. To listen to how they feel after the time that they spend inside the project and how they want to share everything with me (the staff), but also with their family and friends. It’s amazing to see how being a volunteer and being involved in a different culture can change your perspective about everything and can affect your way of seeing life. Similarly, how this can affect the children that you are involved with; they always enjoy the company of people that look and talk different than what they are used to, and sometimes we think that this doesn’t really make a difference with them, but they are like sponges and absorb every little thing that we pour into them. 

What challenges do you face in your role and how do you overcome them?

Some of the challenges that we normally face are the communication issues. Sometimes we have misunderstandings with people in general, we think that we said one thing and sometimes they interpret it as something completely different. So, what we normally do is to ask for their feedback, and also to make clarifications. We say something and we ask if they know that we mean, and also if there is something else they would like to know or if it’s clear. We also use various ways of communication; we send an email, but we also call the person to clarify the email and ask if they have any questions to be sure that they understand. 

This is also the best way to have a good relationship with the school staff and to bring better help for them. We have to make sure they agree with our ideas, and we are open if they have a better way to do what we want to do. Having an open channel makes you approachable and also trustworthy. And if your position is to bring volunteers in, the school staff, but also the volunteers, have to trust you and trust that you have good communication with the whole project.

 Girl walking down a street in Guatemala

A walk around the city. 

What makes Niños de Guatemala special?

The organization is different because it has a full approach to the community we work with. Our volunteer program goals are:

  • To build long-term relationships with people from all over the world that are willing to support Niños de Guatemala in a sustainable way through our main values Education, Entrepreneurship, and Empowerment;
  • To complement our workforce by bringing vital resources, such as fresh enthusiasm, new perspective, proven expertise, and hard work, into the organization;
  • To provoke compassion, raise awareness, and most importantly connect needs with resources;
  • To fundraise the necessary resources which will enable us to offer good quality education to our almost 540 children living in extreme poverty conditions, so we can break the cycle of poverty and empower the next generation.

What makes Niños de Guatemala (NDG) easy to market to potential participants?

Niños de Guatemala sees the volunteer program as a win-win situation, everybody receives benefit from the volunteer experience. Plus, volunteerism itself makes a specific contribution by generating well-being for people and their communities, through our different programs and social businesses. We offer volunteers a homestay, Spanish classes, off the beaten path tours, and workshops, and these allow them to contribute to NDG's full vision.  

What do you hope participants take away from your volunteer program?

We would like to give our volunteers the following:

  • A scaled and tangible opportunity to change the world and break the cycle of poverty on an intimate level;
  • A meaningful engagement and enhancement in personal and professional development, through offering time and talents to serve our children;
  • A mutualistic support system reaching beyond physical borders, through the volunteer as a role model for the children and the children meeting people from all over the world; 
  • Cross-cultural learning opportunities for all participants, the children, and community alike, along with hands-on learning experiences and a long-term relationship with the Guatemalan community and Niños de Guatemala.

What advice do you have for individuals thinking about going abroad?

Do it! Go for it! This is something that will totally change your perspective of life and will give you more than what you invested. Be prepared for this exciting, challenging, and engaging experience.

International volunteers in Guatemala

Volunteers staff and a Canadian group at their farewell party at NDGs school.

Why do you think it is important for people to travel abroad and experience new cultures?

It is important because being completely immersed into diverse environments enables people to experience, discuss, and understand social issues in a significant way and it encourages a broader understanding of the world and our role within the global context of development. 

Also, by getting involved in community-based service projects volunteers get opportunities to learn and work with the communities to foster an experience where both participants and the local community members are exposed to alternative forms of living.

What does meaningful travel mean to you?

Meaningful travel for me means that you are giving back to the place that you are visiting. That you are not just taking from the places that you are visiting, but you are actually giving back something to that place. Also, that you will learn something new and immerse in the new culture that you are visiting.

What hopes do you have for the future of international education?

That it keeps growing and that more people get to experience this. We know that international education means that someone is moving to study, research, or teach in another place or country, which will allow them to learn about a new culture and connect two (or several) different cultures. It will be great if more people have the opportunity to do this.

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