🇬🇹 ESC Volunteering in Guatemala 🌿 Medicinal Plants, Traditional Knowledge and Climate Action with CDRO 🌱

Native medicinal herbs. Agroecology. Traditional knowledge passed down through generations in indigenous communities. And a volunteer role that sits at the intersection of environmental action, food sovereignty, and community education in Totonicapán, Guatemala. ASPEm is offering an ESC Humanitarian Aid Volunteering placement with Asociación CDRO for someone with a background in agronomy, medicinal plants, or agroecology who wants to do meaningful work in one of Central America’s most culturally rich regions.

🏘️ About the Project

The AVCA Project (Amplifying the Voice for Climate Action) is implemented by Asociación CDRO in Totonicapán, Guatemala, with the support of ASPEm (Italy). The volunteer will contribute to activities focused on the spontaneous production and valorisation of native medicinal herbs — working directly with local communities, conducting field research, developing training materials, and supporting sustainable production systems.

📋 What You’ll Do

🌿 Visit local communities and study native plants, local production methods, and sustainable use practices

🔬 Research and support the processing, production, conservation, and potential commercialisation of local natural herbs

🎓 Support the development and delivery of training activities on agroecology and medicinal herbs for communities

📹 Collaborate in creating educational and awareness-raising materials — videos and manuals — and support their dissemination

🌱 Collaborate in identifying suitable local crops for sustainable production systems

💧 Contribute to the study and data collection on hydroponic cultivation to assess the feasibility of a pilot project

🎁 What the Project Provides

🏠 Private room in an apartment in Totonicapán — rent and basic utilities (electricity, water, internet) covered by the organisation. Kitchen available; local eateries and markets nearby

🍽️ Volunteers can eat at local eateries, buy groceries, or prepare meals at home — food not directly provided but local options are affordable and accessible

🚌 Local minibuses provide transport to the office (approximately 2km, 15 minutes). Taxis and buses also available

📚 Pre-departure in-person training organised by ASPEm in Italy

🏘️ On-arrival onboarding at CDRO — team introduction, organisation overview, community visits, and introduction to local context

📜 Youthpass certificate recognising all competences developed

✅ Eligibility Requirements

This is a Humanitarian Aid Volunteering placement:

🔞 Aged 18–35

🌍 Must reside in an eligible country (EU Member State, North Macedonia, Iceland, Liechtenstein, or Türkiye)

✅ Must have completed the compulsory face-to-face Humanitarian Aid Volunteering training

🚫 Must not have participated before in individual Humanitarian Aid Volunteering

⏱️ Total duration of this and any previous EU volunteering must not exceed 12 months

👤 Who Should Apply

The ideal candidate has:

🌿 Professional experience or studies in agronomy, agro-industrial fields, medicinal and herbal plants, herbalism, or phytotherapy

🔬 Knowledge of edible and medicinal plants, their uses, and agroecological production

🏭 Experience in production processes, food safety, food processing, agricultural value chains, and commercialisation — valued but not mandatory

🎓 Ability to use adult education methodologies and develop educational support materials

🤝 Ability to work in teams and with rural communities

💡 A proactive and initiative-driven attitude

🗣️ Knowledge of Spanish is a strong advantage

🔎 New to ESC Humanitarian Aid Volunteering? Everything about how the programme works is right here: https://youthworkshub.org/15101/

🌍 Eligible Countries

🇦🇹 Austria 🇧🇪 Belgium 🇧🇬 Bulgaria 🇭🇷 Croatia 🇨🇾 Cyprus 🇨🇿 Czechia 🇩🇰 Denmark 🇪🇪 Estonia 🇫🇮 Finland 🇫🇷 France 🇩🇪 Germany 🇬🇷 Greece 🇭🇺 Hungary 🇮🇸 Iceland 🇮🇪 Ireland 🇮🇹 Italy 🇱🇻 Latvia 🇱🇮 Liechtenstein 🇱🇹 Lithuania 🇱🇺 Luxembourg 🇲🇹 Malta 🇳🇱 Netherlands 🇲🇰 North Macedonia 🇵🇱 Poland 🇵🇹 Portugal 🇷🇴 Romania 🇸🇰 Slovakia 🇸🇮 Slovenia 🇪🇸 Spain 🇸🇪 Sweden 🇹🇷 Türkiye

📅 Activity Dates

🗓️ 9 October 2026 — 13 September 2027 (48 weeks total)

📍 Totonicapán, Guatemala

⏰ Deadline

15 May 2026

🔗 Link

https://youth.europa.eu/solidarity/opportunity/51161_en

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