EXPERIENCE MEXICO, GUATEMALA AND BELIZE
At Lupita, we aim to have a positive influence on both locals and overlanders. Thus, we visit community projects to collaborate and promote solidarity and environment protection. On this page, you can check wich tours include a visit to these interesting spots. Let’s explore!
Amigos de Santa Cruz is one of the most renown community projects in Guatemala. This non-profit organization runs an education program that provides supplies, meals and scholarships. Moreover, Amigos includes a library and reading lessons. This encourages school attendance and good nutrition to the students.
Besides, Amigos provides professional opportunities for graduates who struggle to find meaningful employment. And finally, they offer sexual programs to decrease early pregnancies and forced marriages.
As part of the Lower Mayan Trail in Atitlán Lake, we tour a typical family home and a vocational training centre. The local company that runs this activity shares the benefits with Amigos.
Natik NGO provides financial support and advice to small startups of local communities. Besides, they refer volunteers to help on community projects. This organization collaborates with many centres. In Chiapas, they support a weaving cooperative and a Tzotzil learning centre. Moreover, their scholarships fund high school students and promote community service.
To give a small hand, We visit Natik’s projects in the indigenous village of Zinacantán.
Maya Pedal is a Guatemalan NGO based in San Andrés Itzapa, Guatemala. They use the components from bikes to build a range of pedal-powered machines. These are useful for countless applications which would otherwise need electricity. Bicimaquinas are easy and enjoyable to use. They free the user from energy costs, are easy to maintain, and produce no pollution. Mayapedal makes water pumps, grinders, threshers, tile makers, nut shellers, blenders and more.
We visit Mayapedal when driving from Antigua Guatemala to Lake Atitlán. In here, the volunteers show us different examples of their work. Besides, we even make some juices with the blending machines. It is wonderful to see all this!
Near San Miguel de Allende, 15 Totonac women spend what little free time they have hooking rugs. Las Rancheritas‘ purpose is to provide scholarships for girls living in rural communities. These women are the sole support of their families.
Las Rancheritas also offer a tour to know the local women and their traditions. During this experience, you will visit the local homes to experience many traditions. Moreover, the community provides a tasty traditional lunch. Above all, the tour is a fun way to make a difference as all proceeds benefit these women.
Mesoamerica’s nature is diverse and stunning. To the north, majestic cactus-deserts and protected bays teem with wildlife. The centre is home to the Sierra Madre mountains and stunning volcanoes. The south contains the second Earth’s green lung. In here, rural communities depend on the land for growing maize and beans, the base of their diet. Finally, the Caribbean reefs boast with rich tropical marine life.
This is the perfect asset for improving the economy with responsible tourism projects. Yet, it isn’t the case… Vacationers are often directed to overexploited areas, such as the Riviera Maya. In here, cheap deals for tourists have very high costs for the local environment. Moreover, unethical mining exploitation is a frequent cause of water pollution and displacements.
Despite this, some community projects carry out excellent preservation programs. And it is an excellent idea to explore some of them on our tours. Check these out!
Lagarto Real Ventanilla Cooperative’s purpose is to preserve the biodiversity of the mangrove near Mazunte. Besides, they take care of protected areas for turtles, alligators and many other fauna.
We stay for two nights at La Ventanilla. Here, the community provide us with a mangrove tour and a turtle liberation. All the income contributes to supporting their different projects.
Tortugueros las Playitas helps to restore the endangered Pacific Leatherback Turtle population. Their incubation greenhouse stabilizes sand temperatures creating an ideal nest habitat. Here, hatch rates maximize and gender ratios are balanced. Besides this, the organization places a special interest in habitat protection and environmental education.
During our excursions, we join a turtle liberation program as event participants. This way, we help Tortugueros las Playitas balance the fragile ecosystem of Baja.
Social Projects
The countries we visit are rich in natural resources and tourism attractions. Moreover, north Mexico is home to an important industry. Despite all this, there are extreme inequalities between classes, races and genders. This especially applies to rural areas, which suffered great discrimination for centuries. All in all, these are developing countries, where society struggles to fight corruption.
While solving these issues will take decades, many community projects are improving living conditions. And we are lucky enough to visit some of them, learning about their projects and giving a small hand.