If you like to practice Spanish while being involved in a work situation and you don’t expect to be paid, you can sign up for free volunteer work in Boquete. You can either do volunteer work because you like to offer your services to an organization with the aim to help them (idealistic), or because of the sheer fact that you are interested in observing and learning how things are done differently in a culture other than your own (work experience). Furthermore a reason to sign up to volunteer in Boquete can be because your studies require you to gain work experience (internship).

Whatever your reason is, these projects are more than happy to welcome you! As a volunteer is it very important to be creative and take initiative. The more you initiative you take, the more you will gain out of this experience!

Casa Esperanza helps kids in different regions of Panama by giving them the opportunity to go to school and by providing nutrition and health care. It’s a non-government organisation and is founded in 1992. They help annually 3500 kids between the ages of 3 and 17 years old. Casa Esperanza Boquete has about 210 indigenous kids (almost all Ngobe Bugle) who are divided in four different groups according to age.

These groups are picked up from their houses in the early morning and brought to school. When school finishes the kids are dropped off at Casa Esperanza where they get lunch. After lunch the daily activities start. Each age group starts in a different ¨room¨ and will rotate every hour. They have four activities:

• workshop: here the children will learn and talk about different issues of health, self-esteem, norms and values, etc
• games: children can play outside, play football, etc
• computer room: here the children can do their homework on the computer, or the younger children can play educational games, etc
• homework: here the children are given the opportunity to do their homework or, if finished, play board games.

In the afternoon they start to bring groups to their homes, and will have the same routine the next day. Casa Esperanza is a great initiative and a lot of indigenous kids benefit from the project. And also their parent benefit, because for many of them it is too expensive to send their children to school. Parents also have the opportunity to follow workshops about nutrition, authority and discipline, violence in the family, sexual transmitted diseases, communicating with your family, etc.

Working as a volunteer

You can work in the mornings, afternoons or both. In the morning the youngest kids stay at Casa Esperanza because they don’t have school yet. As a volunteer in the morning (8am till 12pm) you can help the teachers. If you work in the afternoon (1pm till 5pm) you will help the teachers with the different activities that are planned. Depending on your Spanish level you can help the kids with their homework, play board games, help with the workshops, etc. If there is something that you’re good at, you can teach the children this too. It would be nice if you have a background with education, but it’s not necessary.
You can do your internship here in this school. Although we can’t promise that you can actually teach a whole class, if you take initiative and work hard you will have lots of opportunities to do more than helping a teacher.
You are not obligated to bring a gift to the project, but if you want to bring something, here are some ideas; sport attributes, (colour) pencils, paint of something else for the children. You can also bring something that you want to use in a class.

When is Casa Esperanza closed?

From half December till beginning of March and from 17th till 28th of August because of the school holiday and during national holidays: 3, 4, 10 and 28th of November, 1st of May, Holy week (a Thursday and Friday in April or May). Besides that it is closed in the weekends.

Minimum dedication time: 1 week

Work schedule: From 08.00 till 12.00 and/or from 13.00 till 17.00

Need to sign a contract?: Sometimes, depends on the situation.

Provides food and drinks: No

Able to take part in meetings: No

Dress code: Appropriate clothes, so no miniskirts or sexy tops.
Certificate: Yes

Level of Spanish: Intermediate

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Escuela Josefa Montero de Vásquez is a school for children between the age of 3 and 15 years old. There are about 700 children that go to school here, which makes it the biggest school in Boquete. The school is located in the centre of Boquete, close to the park. Because of the great number of kids, they not only give classes in the morning but also give classes to older groups in the afternoon. The school has a little baseball and basketball field.

Working as a volunteer

As a volunteer you can help the teacher with the classes. For example with making games and other class material, you can help those who have difficulties with English by taking them apart, etc.

As a volunteer you can work in the mornings, afternoons or both. The morning classes are from 7am till 12pm for the young children (till 4th grade) and from 12.30pm till 5.30pm for the older children (5th grade till 9th grade). At the school are some teachers that speak English, but for the communication with the children it’s better if you have an intermediate level of Spanish.

When is Escuela Josefa Montero de Vásquez closed?

From half December till beginning of March and from 17th till 28th of August because of the school holiday and during national holidays: 3, 4, 10 and 28th of November, 1st of May, Holy week (a Thursday and Friday in April or May). Besides that it is closed in the weekends.

Minimum dedication time: 1 week

Work schedule: From 07.00 till 12.00 and/or from 12.30 till 17.30

Need to sign a contract?: No

Provides food and drinks: No

Able to take part in meetings: Mostly yes, but it depends on the subject

Dress code: Appropriate clothes, so no miniskirts or sexy tops

Certificate: Yes

Level of Spanish: Intermediate

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Escuela Alto Boquete is a school with about 280 children between the ages of 5 and 12 years old. It’s a nice, smaller school, close to Spanish by the River. Each week on Monday there is a week opening where the students sing, perform small plays, make announcements, etc. Each week another grade comes up with a play, songs, etc.

Working as a volunteer

As a volunteer you can help the teachers with the classes. The classes are from 7am till 12pm for the younger kids and from 12.15pm till 5pm for the older kids. For example, you can give Physical Exercise, help the young kids with painting, help in the canteen and if necessary help with the administration.

You can also see if you can organize different events, like a cleaning day with students and parents to pick up the rocks that are on the playground or you can give English classes. Beside that you can also organize a cultural day, let the student learn about different nationalities and countries, let them practice their English, etc. If you want to bring a present to this project, they would really like something from your home country.

When is Escuela Alto Boquete closed?

From half December till beginning of March and from 17th till 28th of August because of the school holiday and during national holidays: 3, 4, 10 and 28th of November, 1st of May, Holy week (a Thursday and Friday in April or May). Besides that it is closed in the weekends.

Minimum dedication time: 1 week

Work schedule: From 07.00 till 12.00 and/or from 12.15 till 17.00

Need to sign a contract?: Not a contract but a paper that says that you are volunteering at the school

Provides food and drinks: Sometimes. But most of the time volunteers need to bring their own food and drinks

Able to take part in meetings: Depends on the subject of the meeting

Dress code: Appropriate clothes, so no miniskirts or sexy tops

Certificate: Yes

Level of Spanish: Intermediate

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Civil Protección Panama has been founded 12 years ago and has offices in different provinces of Panama. It is working in different areas, for example humanitarian aid, emergencies, infrastructure or health. They are working the year round on different projects like earthquake drills at school, river clean up, inform local people what to do in case of a disaster, monitor possible epidemics like dengue or respond to emergencies.

Working as a volunteer

As a volunteer you can help in one of the current projects in the region. For example go with them to different schools in Boquete to practise the fire exercise. As a volunteer you can help coordinate the exercise and make notes of it. In the afternoons can you also help at the office with translating brochures , teach English or help with the administration. It’s very interesting to work with them for a while, so you can see how they do things here. The people in this project are very pleased to inform you about the life here in Boquete!

When is SINAPROC closed?

It is opened the year round from Monday till Friday from 08.30 till 16.30. It’s only closed after these hours, in the weekends and on national holidays: 1 and 9th of January, 1st of May, Holy week (a Thursday and Friday in April or May), 3, 4, 10 and 28th of November.

Minimum dedication time: 1 day

Work schedule: 4 Hours a day, opened from 08.30 till 16.30

Need to sign a contract?: Depends on what you will be doing

Provides food and drinks: No

Able to take part in meetings: Yes, but they don’t have a lot of meetings

Dress code: Normal clothes

Certificate: Depends on what you have done and for how long

Level of Spanish: Intermediate

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ReAL Boquete motivates and educates children, teenagers and adults about the importance to recycle different products. It also collects recycling material in Boquete. They often visit schools to teach about recycling and answer the questions from the teachers and children. The schools get an amount of money for the recycling materials that they collect. In the office of ReAL Boquete is a schedule whereon you can see how much it has grown in the last few years.

Working as a volunteer

As a volunteer you can help in the schools with collecting the recycling material or teach the children. Or you can help at the ReAL centre where they drop off recyclables. Besides that you can help with publicity or translations. New ideas are always welcome!

When is ReAL closed?

On Mondays they open at 12.00 and close at 16.00. The other days they are open from 08.00 till 18.00. It’s only closed on Thursday and Sunday and on national holidays: 1 and 9th of January, 1st of May, Holy week (a Thursday and Friday in April or May), 3, 4, 10 and 28th of November.

Minimum dedication time: 1 day

Work schedule: They’ll be happy whenever you feel like coming

Need to sign a contract?: No

Provides food and drinks: Sometimes drinks

Able to take part in meetings: Yes, there is a meeting every Monday at 4pm

Dress code: Normal clothes

Certificate: Yes

Level of Spanish: Intermediate

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Casa Hogar Trisker is a government program to care for children in transition. Children are placed into the facility by the courts when their family cannot care for them. The facility houses children from under one year through 18 years of age. Although the facility has staff and funding for the minimal levels required there is always a need for more.

Working as a volunteer

Volunteers who can help with the children, and just to hold the babies, are greatly needed. They give place to about 70 children so there is always work to be done. The children love foreigners and find them really interesting. Just to ‘hang out’ with them and play some games is all they need.

Various fund raising opportunities and volunteer opportunities are available. But keep in mind that things like fundraising is only possible if you stay for a really long time.

When is Casa Hogar Trisker closed?: Never.

Minimum dedication time: This project is only available for long term volunteers, so sign up if you are at least 1 month available.

Work schedule: They need volunteers every day from 8am till 4pm. You can sign up for working in shifts. One day from 8 till 10, the other day from 1pm till 4pm. But the best would of course be if you are available the entire day.

Need to sign a contract?: You need to fill in a registration form of the Red Cross here in Boquete and beside that, you need to leave a copy of your passport the first time you go there.

Provides food and drinks: No

Able to take part in meetings: No

Dress code: Appropriate clothes, so no miniskirts or sexy tops

Certificate: No

Level of Spanish: Intermediate

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This daycare is located in the centre of Boquete. It’s a small place where the employees organize activities to stimulate the children. They receive children from 2,5 till 5 years old. Twice a week there comes psychologist who works a certain amount of hours with the children with some specified activities.
They offer:

• The first years stimulation that the children need.
• English
• Music
• Drawing
• Improving the knowledge of colors, number, letters, objects
• Stimulate the manual, motor coordination
• Preparation, with academic materials, to go to primary school

Working as a volunteer

As a volunteer you can help the social worker with anything they have going on. For example with handicraft, playing, giving food etc. The volunteer is able to work in the mornings, afternoons or both. The morning schedule is from 7 till 12. At 7 they have a little breakfast and around 11.30 they provide lunch to the children. Volunteers assist with anything. After lunch, the little children go for a sleep while the others play, and you’ll play along. Their day end at 4pm. are from 7am till 12pm for the young children (till 4th grade) and from 12.30pm till 5.30pm for the older children (5th grade till 9th grade). At the school are some teachers that speak English, but for the communication with the children it’s better if you have an intermediate level of Spanish.

When is Guardería Aura closed?

Christmas vacation and the Holy week (a Thursday and Friday in April or May). Besides that it is closed in the weekends.

Minimum dedication time: 1 afternoon

Work schedule: From 7.00 till 16.00, but you can decide just to work the morning or just the afternoon.

Need to sign a contract?: No

Provides food and drinks: No

Able to take part in meetings: No

Dress code: Appropriate clothes, so no miniskirts or sexy tops

Certificate: No

Level of Spanish: Intermediate

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Fundación Amigos de Animales Boquete was started in 2005 to provide low-cost Spay and Neuter Services (sterilization) to local pets and street animals. FADAB serves the towns of Boquete, Caldera, and Portrerillos – and coordinate closely with humane volunteers in the Volcan and Cerra Punta areas.

The mission of FADAB is to provide low cost spaying and neutering of dogs and cats – and to promote the general welfare of animals in the Boquete community and surrounding areas. While the animals in this region have many needs, sterilization remains their primary focus. FADAB believes the first step to alleviating the suffering of sick, homeless and starving animals is to prevent additional generations from being born.

Working as a volunteer

The clinic is open every last Sunday of the month from 08.00 till 17.00. As a volunteer can you help with everything FADAB is doing, especially the Spay and Neuter Clinics or help with giving information on pet problems and care.

When is FADAB closed?

The clinic is closed every day except the last Sunday of each month from 08.00 till 17.00.

Minimum dedication time: 1 Sunday

Work schedule: The last Sunday of the month from 08.00 till 17.00

Need to sign a contract?: No

Provides food and drinks: No

Able to take part in meetings: No

Dress code: Appropriate clothes, so no miniskirts or sexy tops

Certificate: No

Level of Spanish: Intermediate

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Centro de Atención Integral para personas adultas con discapacidad

The Handicap Foundation of Boquete, founded in 1989 is a non-profit organization established in 1983. All chapters such as ours are volunteers (including handicap family members) interested in helping the handicap community improve their life style.

The foundation supports handicapped members of the community, especially those of low economic resources. They do this by providing an open welcoming environment for social interaction, acquisition of wheelchairs, hearing aids and scholarship funds for transportation to special education classes, physical therapy, doctor appointments and some medications and treatments that may not be covered by social services or public health organizations of the government.

Working as a volunteer

There are no requirements to become a member of the organization, other than the desire to be of assistance. Those who receive economic assistance are expected to participate in all fund raising activities and maintenance of the facilities. Volunteers are welcome and needed to help organize activities, programs, physical or speech therapy for both children and adult clients. This can include playing games, pushing someone in a wheelchair, reading a book, helping with handicrafts, or just being available to lend a helping hand where needed.

When is Boquete Handicap Foundation closed?

It’s closed every day except Saturdays from 09.00 till 13.00 and during all the official school holidays: Semana Santa, the 15 days holidays in July and the 3 months holidays from mid-December till mid-February.

Minimum dedication time: 1 Saturday

Work schedule: Every Saturday from 09.00 till 13.00

Need to sign a contract?: No

Provides food and drinks: Yes

Able to take part in meetings: Yes

Dress code: Appropriate clothes, so no miniskirts or sexy tops

Certificate: Yes

Level of Spanish: Intermediate

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CEFATI de Boquete is an organization which informs tourists in the Boquete area about places to visit, excursions and hotel accommodation.

On the second floor of the CEFATI, is a wonderful exhibit on the history of the Boquete region. A lot of history and photographs of the area and people who settled Boquete.

Working as a volunteer

As a volunteer you receive the public and tell them about all tourist activities in the area. You can also translate brochures, flyers or other documents from Spanish to English or another language you know well. Before you can work at CEFATI, it is expected that you know something about the area. At least enough to inform tourists. The time you must dedicate is flexible and they take in consideration that you have Spanish classes.

Minimum dedication time: Flexible, but at least half a day

Work schedule: Depending on what you want and can do, and what they need you to do

Need to sign a contract?: No

Provides food and drinks: No

Able to take part in meetings: Depends on the dedicated time and your function

Dress code: Appropriate clothes, so no miniskirts or sexy tops

Certificate: Yes, but depending on the dedicated time

Level of Spanish: Basic

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JUNGLA
WILDLIFE RESCUE, REHAB AND EDUCATION CENTER

La Jungla Wildlife center is a non-profit rescue center dedicated to the preservation of local wildlife. The center is located near Spanish by the River on the “Ruta Su”r which connects Boquete with the Volcano. Jungla is the home of many Panamanian species that are sick or hurt. La Jungla conducts tours inside the large aviary and monkey habitat allowing individuals and small groups to touch and interact with the animals. Every day La Jungla takes good care of these animals on-site and has a rehabilitation program. There is also a restaurant and bar is located on-site.

Working as a volunteer
Tasks can be: feeding animals, construction, maintenance, cleaning, working with children that come and visit and maybe working in the restaurant.

Minimum dedication time: One afternoon (couple of hours).

Work schedule:

Need to sign a contract?: No

Dress code: Working clothes because you might get dirty

Certificate: No

Level of Spanish: Beginner ( if one wants to both volunteer and learn Spanish, this is possible! One will interact enough with the workers who speak Spanish)