What inspired you to join the Minga House Foundation team?
I love everything that the Minga House Foundation represents! Prior to joining the team, my colleagues had built incredible programs and services for the community. They persevered building a very special organization fueled by their passion and hard work.
They were only seeking to grow, in order to help our community. I take a lot of pride in joining the team because, like my teammates, I am also from Chinchina, where Minga House Foundation was founded.
Two of the first Volunteers that arrived after I started working at MHF.
In 2017, I heard the story of Glen Galindo, our director. He is a foreigner that came to this little town, fell in love with it, and decided to create something great for our community. I just knew this was it for me; I wanted to be part of Minga House Foundation. I wanted to help grow it and learn from and with them.
I wanted to help others and share my beautiful town with the world.
How do you use your previous experience of being an exchange student in the United States to help prepare and guide volunteers coming to Colombia?
I know how hard it can be to decide to leave your comfort zone. The decision of going to another country is not an easy one to make, but when you manage to make the decision you change forever as a person. You will never know how this decision will impact your life, or how your experience will help you grow.
The first advice I give to our volunteers is that their attitude throughout their time volunteering is what will shape their experience most. And if they understand that they have control over their own attitudes, then they will also understand that going into it they can guarantee 90% that they will have a positive learning experience regardless of what changes they encounter along the way.
If they are here to help others in need, and if they are willing to see and experience all the new things (culture and traditions), they will have a great experience. Most importantly, they need to be flexible.
We want our volunteers to Travel with a Purpose!
Working with the Volunteer on a Clinic day at the rural areas of Chinchina.
Describe a typical day at Minga House Foundation for you.
Minga House Foundation’s main facility is located in the downtown of Chinchina. The volunteers home is located here as well. I am usually at Minga House Facility from 9:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. managing the support for our help desk which serves to help our incoming volunteers, answering their questions, as well as helping them prepare for their volunteering learning adventure!
Once a volunteer reaches Minga House, they meet with our Social Programs Director to finalize their personalized weekly service schedule. Of course, they are first given an on-location orientation and a tour on their first day. The busyness of each volunteer is based on the goals set by the individual. Some volunteers choose to work three to four days per week, allowing them to have three or four day weekend so they can explore the coffee region.
Yet, some volunteers work full-time for five to six days a week. The important thing is that mutual goals are established at the beginning of the volunteer’s experience. Our staff is often involved with the volunteers, introducing them to their worksite supervisors and facilitating the experience, as needed. During nights there is always a staff person available for the volunteers in the facility.
On the chosen days off, volunteers have ready-made excursions and suggested self-tour plans throughout the Coffee Region. There are many activities, events, experiences, and points of contact offered. We even have Minga Friends, a group of local college students who are bilingual and love to serve as tour guides.
The activities range from just going out for dinner, to playing volleyball or soccer, and participating in the different cultural activities in town—like bike parades every Thursday, or time with children every Friday. You will be surprised how quickly you become immersed into the community with our extended Minga family! We love to share our culture and meet new people. All of the volunteers become part of our family.
How do you support potential and current Minga House Foundation volunteers?
Traveling to the rural areas, with our volunteers.
Once a volunteer applies to Minga House Foundation, we get connected in every way possible: via WhatsApp, e-mail, Facebook, and Instagram! We want to make ourselves available to our foreign volunteers so that they can quickly know all about us as an organization and as individuals.
We want them to have confidence in knowing the team that they are joining, and who they will be spending most of their time with in a different country. We want to learn about our volunteers so that we can customize their experience according to their background, interests, skill sets, and anything else they wish to share with us. We know that their time with us is limited and we want to make it all count!
We also developed a Trip Planning Guide that we share with the volunteers prior their arrival. The guide contains all types of recommendations —what to pack, how to get to the Minga House facility, which airport they should arrive to, info on exchanging money, and our recommendations for vetted and safe taxis for airport pick up— everything they need to know to plan their safe, learning and fun trip successfully.
Once they are here, there is always a bilingual professional in our facility, day and night, making sure everything is taken care of, and providing security to the volunteers so they are never alone at the facility.
We also design some informational tools that help them to feel safe and to have autonomy during their time here. We give them guides on what to do in Chinchina and access to daily activities with contact numbers so they can join any activity of their interest.
We also give them recommendations of the top 20 attractions of the Coffee Region where they can go on the weekends and a map of Chinchina with details of shops, restaurants, ATM, taxis, etc. We want to make sure that they can get around easily and safely.
Why is your home country of Colombia such a great destination for volunteers?
Colombia is the perfect place for an international experience because we have thousands of unique and wonderful things to show the world. We want the world to see that there is beauty and greatness in Colombia. We want them to forget the old labels that defined us in past decades.
Colombians are really welcoming; we love to host foreigners and we get excited to share our traditions, our amazing food, our coffee, and our beautiful mountains and landscapes.
We feel proud of our country and love to spread that feeling with our visitors. The Colombian experience is filled with adventure, love, and passion. The experience itself helps the volunteers to grow personally and professionally in ways they will never forget.
If you could volunteer through Minga House Foundation, what program would you choose and why?
I love every program we run. Each of them needs the help of our volunteers, but I would definitely choose the Shelter for Elderly Homeless, the Childcare Center for Sex Workers, and the Youth Home for Girls. I know that every volunteer invests their time in helping these programs, making a lasting impact.
As a learner of languages, how important do you think it is for participants to know the local language for their program?
Regular day at Minga House Foundation office.
If a volunteer can carry a conversation at least at an intermediate level, the volunteer will absolutely have a more efficient experience. But equally important to language proficiency is how long the volunteer is able to stay. We have bilingual staff, bilingual community volunteers, Spanish instructors, and even bilingual personal assistants available for hire for assistance when the volunteer needs it maximize their volunteer experience.
In some cases we allow a volunteer, who doesn't have any Spanish at all, to choose to pay for a bilingual assistant to help them, which we highly recommend. There are bilingual members of our community that are happy to help. The volunteer can also improve their Spanish by paying for some extra Spanish classes with teachers in the area.
What advice would you give to potential participants before volunteering in Colombia?
The most important part of the experience is finding love and joy in every single thing you do, setting your mind to expansion mode, looking forward to seeing new things, and taking each new experience as an opportunity for growth and enjoyment. There will be things that are not going to be perfect, but if you are willing to be flexible towards and accepting of each moment of this whole experience, it will be the perfect in its own way.
Are there any new programs or developments in the works for Minga House Foundation that volunteers should know about?
In 2018, the Minga House Foundation was selected by the Colombian Ministry of Education as its exclusive partner to provide native English speakers special fellowship programs. 455 foreigners with four-year degrees are granted a stipend to come to Colombia to assist in teaching English in 385 high schools in 60 cities nationwide. This is an incredible Spanish and Cultural immersion opportunity with a stipend to cover living expenses and ongoing local support.
Because our team did a great job, the Minga House Foundation is now incredibly honored to continue this program not only in Colombia, but possibly in Chile, and other South American countries as well. Hopefully in the future, the Minga House Foundation could be the conduit for several hundred paid fellowships in South America!
