Volunteer El Salvador | Meanguera Isd
Meanguera is a small volcanic island in the Gulf of Fonseca. Offering pristine beaches, diving, snorkeling, and jungle expeditions, the island is also a breeding ground to a number of endangered turtle species, including Leatherbacks, the Olive Ridley, hawksbill and green turtles.
Meanguera is part of a volcanic archipelago including the Islands of Zacata Grande, El Tigre, Gueguensi, and Exposición (which belong to Honduras), Rocas Desnudas, Aislas, Los Farallones (part of Nicaragua) and Meanguerita, Conchaguita, Punta Zacate, Martin Pérez, and a number of other small islands which all belong to El Salvador.
Tourism is slowly increasing on Meanguera bringing the islanders much needed income, and it's hoped that a new port being built in Cutuco will be a point of economic and tourist development for the region. Despite this the island remains mostly untouched by tourism, offering volunteers an authentic view of the islander's culture.
Between September and December, volunteers can work at various family hatcheries, where they will help the turtles hatch and survive their first 3 months until they are ready to go into the sea. This is the most critical stage in the turtles' life as they are also vulnerable to natural predators during this period. Volunteers will assist in the night visits to the Majahual beach to collect turtle eggs and facilitate with the hatching process. You can also participate in the planning, construction and maintenance of the hatchery.
Read how your fees are spent or compare our
prices with other volunteer organisations.
View our prices in other volunteer locations's or
combine your stay in El Salvador with stays in other locations as part of a
combination
stay.
What you receive
- Orientation upon arrival
- 24 hour support
- Accommodation
- Airport/ bus station pickup
- Regular follow-up meetings
- El Salvadorian cultural introduction
- El Salvadoran cooking classes
- Local mobile phone
- 20 hours of Spanish Lessons
Apart from our fees, you must pay for:
- Your travel to El Salvador
- Vaccinations and Visas
- Travel and health insurance
- Food (about 4-6 dollars per day) and other personal expenses
Our application process typically takes two or three weeks, but can
be speeded up if there is a need for that. When we receive the initial
application from you, we will send you our full application form.
(1) Complete the Initial Application Form:
The first stage of the application process is to fill out the brief initial application form. Upon
receiving this we will send you the full application form.
(2) Complete the Full Application Form:
Fill out the application form. After receiving this we will assess your
suitability and place you on one of our programs.
(3) Placement info:
We will return detailed placement information and an invoice. If you
accept the placement you should pay the invoice and send us receipt of
payment by email or fax.
(4) Program Fee:
The program fee should be paid to us at least 2 months before you are
due to start your placement. However please be aware that we have a limited
amount of placements, so placements will only be secured when we
have received your payment.
(5) Communication:
Once you have made your traveling arrangements you should mail your time
of arrival and the means of transportation and we will confirm pickup.
For the majority of our El Salvador programs, you can join us for any amount of time from 4 weeks to 6 months. However, some projects have minimum time restrictions. We recommend a trip of 3-6 months since it offers the best value. Regardless of the length of your stay, you will have time to get to know a new culture, come to know its people, and form relationships that will outlast the duration of your stay.
Dates for the Year 2012:
|
February: Sat 18 March: Sat 3, Sat 17, Sat 31 April: Sat 14, Sat 28 May: Sat 12, Sat 26 |
June: Sat 9, Sat 23 July: Sat 7, Sat 21 August: Sat 4, Sat 18 September: Sat 1, Sat 15, Sat 29 |
October: Sat 13, Sat 27 November: Sat 10, Sat 24 December: Sat 8, Sat 22 |
| January: Sat 5, Sat 19 February: Sat 2, Sat 16 March: Sat 2, Sat 16, Sat 30 April: Sat 13, Sat 27 |
May: Sat 11, Sat 25 June: Sat 8, Sat 22 July: Sat 6, Sat 20 August: Sat 3, Sat 17, Sat 31 |
September: Sat 14, Sat 28 October: Sat 12, Sat 26 November: Sat 9, Sat 23 December: Sat 7, Sat 21 |
Travel to Teach volunteers are accommodated in a beautiful area of Meanguera Town. Volunteers stay with host families where they will experience daily Meanguerenses life. Volunteers will have a private single room and will share facilities such as the kitchen, refrigerator and bathroom.
Activities on and around Meanguera include diving, snorkeling, trekking, volcano tours, bird watching, boat trips to neighbouring Islands and jungle expeditions to remote archaeological sites. For the less active volunteer there are the isalnds beautiful and often deserted beaches.
The food most identified with El Salvador are Pupusas, an El Salvadoran speciality of stuffed tortilla which are filled with cheese, beans and sauces. Other popular foods in Santa Tecla include chilate, nuegados, yuca plant, atole de elote, tamales and shuco.
There is a great variety of seafood on Meanguera Island such as lobster and shellfish. You will also be able to sample a variety of El Salvadorean specialties, such as pupusas and tamales, beans, corn. A typical Salvadoran meal will cost $2.50-$5.
If you visit Santa Tecla on the mainland you will find, as well as excellent range of El Salvadoran restaurants, there are also Italian, French and Japanese restaurants in places like multi plaza and La Gran Via (commercial centre). For those needing a fast food fix there are also a growing number of Taco Bell's, KFC's etc.
El Salvador has a tropical climate with distinct wet and dry seasons. The rainy season extends from May to October with virtually the whole annual rainfall occurring during this time mostly in heave afternoon thunderstorms. In the lowlands temperatures are hot throughout the year with an average temperature of 23°C and temperatures reaching as high as 38°C in March and April. Santa Tecla's elevation makes it cooler than the lowlands although temperatures are still consistently warm throughout the year.
Meanguera Isd Weather Chart
By Air
There are many airlines serving El Salvador. Check American Airlines, COPA, Delta Airlines and Iberia.
By Bus
You can also travel overland by bus from Guatemala, Honduras, Costa Rica, Mexico, Panama and Nicaragua, check with local companies for times and costs, we at Travel to Teach recommend Tica Bus.
You will be picked up from Comalapa Airport or San Salvador Bus Station by a representative with a placard that says Travel To Teach.
Joaquin a native of Santa Tecla, is a lawyer and the co-ordinator of our El Salvador programs. He has been working with volunteers since 2003 and has ample experience in educational, tourist and social activities with orphanages and schools. Before working vwith volunteers Joaquin was a coordinator in human rights projects with the Universidad Salvadoreña Alberto Masferrer University.
Katya Funes is a student and native of San Salvador. She has been working with social programs in various El Salvadorian communities since 2002 as part of the PROSAM & ALAMAR Organization.
Immigration requires that visitors entering El Salvador have a visa or tourist card. You can obtain a visa from your local consulate or on arrival. The tourist card is generally issued for 90 days and can be purchased for US$10 at your port of entry. Check with your local consulate to see if you need to arrange a visa in advance. Visas for US citizens are free. Citizens of some countries may have to pay a fee for their visas. More information is available at http://www.rree.gob.sv/sitio/sitiowebrree.nsf/pages/svisas_requisitospais origin
Hepatitis A: Recommended for all travelers.
Typhoid: For travelers who may eat or drink outside
major restaurants and hotels.
Yellow fever: Recommended for all areas in the north
and its mountains.
Hepatitis B: For travelers who may have intimate
contact with local residents, especially if visiting for more than 6
months.
Rabies: For travelers who may have direct contact with
animals and may not have access to medical care.
Routine immunizations: All travelers should be
up-to-date on tetanus-diphtheria, measles-mumps-rubella, polio, and
varicella immunizations.
One of the conditions of entry onto our programs is that volunteers have travel insurance. Most importantly the insurance needs to include medical treatment and repatriation in case of unforeseen accidents or illnesses. Volunteers should purchase insurance independently and bring a copy of their insurance certificate with them for their local co-ordinator to check before starting their program. Read our terms and conditions.
Read our Terms & Conditions
Download our Teach Terms and Conditions as a PDF File
Liesl"As I haul my luggage out the doors of Comalapa International Airport, El Salvador a million thoughts run wild through my head. What if no one comes to pick me up? What if I don't like my host family? What if I don't like my project? Was I crazy to commit to 6 whole months in a foreign country? "
Read Liesl’s Volunteer Story