Home / Projects & Destinations / Belize / Caribbean Children's Home
| Location | Ladyville village, near Belize City |
| Start dates | Every week on a Wednesday |
| Duration | 2 - 12 weeks + |
| Availability |
Spaces available Volunteer age requirement: 21 years + |
| Cost |
£475 for the first 2 weeks Extra weeks: £60 per week |
| Discounts | £35 per person for friends / partners |
Volunteers are needed to help at a children's home in Belize. You will be working with a small charity called Liberty Foundation which exists to provide care, rehabilitation and education for abused and abandoned children in Belize.
Liberty Children’s Home is licensed to house up to 40 children, all of whom have been physically/sexually abused and/or abandoned and placed with them through Belize Human Services. Some of the children also have disabilities, special needs and/or HIV/AIDS. Normally there are 25-40 children at the home at any one time and children can be aged from babies through to late teens.
Liberty strives not only to provide a child with food and shelter but to provide an environment where children are respected, nurtured and treated as individuals. The priority is to ensure the health and happiness of every child in their care.
The home is an English speaking environment providing a unique opportunity for interaction with the children and local staff at the home.
Read what past volunteers have said about this project in our Belize Children's Home reviews.
There is always a lot going on to get involved with! Most volunteers work on a number of different activities, wherever help is needed most at the time. Each day will differ but activities could include:
Activities with the children:
If you have a specific skill or background e.g. physiotherapy, occupational therapy, please let us know as these skills are much appreciated and needed.
The children follow a daily routine during school term-time with breakfast around 7.30am, then off to school and back around 3pm. Volunteers normally get up early and have breakfast with the children, then help with the running of the home during the day before spending time with the children when they return from school. During school holidays the children are around during the day as well so there is additional time to spend with the children. School holidays are normally 2 weeks at Christmas, 2 weeks at Easter and 8 weeks in the summer.
Volunteers work Monday-Friday for approx 40 hours a week, so expect to be kept busy! During school term time you can also opt to work weekends and take 2 weekdays off instead, giving you more time to spend with the children when they are not at school.
The Liberty campus is situated in the village of Ladyville, on the outskirts of Belize City. It's about 20 minutes by bus to Belize City so very easy to visit.
The children's home is well established and you will probably find the kids quite independent but at the same time there is a huge need for and benefit from having international volunteers spending time with children, helping to build their confidence and communication skills and supporting the day to day running of the home.
By volunteering at the children's home you will help children who have had an incredibly tough start in life. Your support helps them to be re-integrated into society and gain an education which can mean the difference between a life of poverty and a life of opportunity and freedom. If you are able to volunteer for longer periods this is really beneficial for the children's home and you will also probably find you gain more from the experience.
The following items are not included and estimates are given as a guide for your budgeting: flights to Belize International Airport (£600-£800), travel insurance, visa (free for stays of less than 30 days), personal spending (£25-£40 per week).
Liberty Foundation is a UK registered charity that exists to provide care, rehabilitation and education for abused and abandoned children in Belize, Central America.
The Liberty campus consists of Liberty Children’s Home and Liberty Learning Centre. Liberty Learning Centre provides child-centred schooling to the pre-school age residents at Liberty Children’s Home, but the majority of its students live in the local community. The school draws upon the Montessori method of education that focuses on working with each child to develop independence, confidence and a desire to learn.
Click here for more details about Liberty Foundation.
You will be supported by the staff at the children's home. Delfena is the Director and volunteer manager; she is the first point of call for volunteers and she and local team will be there to support you throughout your time at the project.
You will be settled into the accommodation and shown around the children's home and its campus when you arrive. The first couple of days are an opportunity for you to join in with the daily routine and learn what happens at the home and you will be briefed where you can best get involved depending on the needs at the time.
There are normally 1-4 volunteers at any one time and up to 8. The number and profile of volunteers varies considerably through the year. Many volunteers are British, European, Canadian and American.
Accommodation is provided on campus in a volunteer house and there are 4 volunteer bedrooms and 2 bathrooms. The rooms sleep up to two people, so depending on how many volunteers are there you will normally share with another (same gender) volunteer. Internet and laundry facilities are available on campus.
As the campus is shared with the children and staff it is completely smoking / drug / alcohol free and volunteers must respect this.
All meals are provided, cooked by the local housekeeping, usually simple Belize dishes such as chicken with rice, beans and coleslaw. Alternatively there is a local restaurant nearby and many more options in Belize City. Several nearby shops sell water, soft drinks, snacks and other essentials and there are also plenty of local fruit stalls selling delicious caribbean fruits!
Volunteers normally work 5 days per week, with weekends free to relax and explore. Belize has a lot to offer on the sea and mainland. There is 190 miles of barrier reef and three atolls for excellent diving, snorkeling, fishing, sailing, kayaking or relaxing with a good book on a hammock. Caye Caulker is a forty five minute water taxi from the Marine Terminal in Belize City. Ambergris Caye is one and a half hours by water taxi and twenty minutes by plane.
There are many great half day trips from Liberty House, including the Belize Zoo, cave tubing, zip lines and Altun Ha Maya site. The Museum of Belize and House of Culture in Belize City are both well worth visiting. Lamanai site is a full day trip by road and boat and combines Maya archeology, a jungle river trip, great birding, howler monkeys, crocs and manatees.
The Cayo district has much to offer and is one and a half hours from Belize City. It has many impressive Maya sites, caves with artifacts, waterfalls, jungle, river and horse trips, butterfly farms, botanic gardens, iguana hatcheries and interesting cultures.
If you have more time, Stann Creek district offers both beach and jungle trips and includes Dangriga, Hopkins and Placencia beaches, as well as the Jaguar Preserve with great hiking trails. The Toledo district furthest south is the least visited and most lush district with many interesting cultures.
It's important to be open minded and flexible. Like in many developing countries, plans can change regularly so we encourage volunteers to just get stuck in and enjoy it! It is not the type of environment where you will be given direction all the time so this placement suits volunteers who have lots of initiative, drive and creativity.
It's important to be realistic how much benefit you can bring in a short period, but recognise that you are part of a bigger picture of ongoing volunteer support and development.
Regarding the children, it is possible that some children may behave inappropriately at times due to the abuse they have suffered in the past so please be sensitive to their backgrounds.
Finally, you may well find it emotional as you form friendships with the children and learn about their lives. It is likely this will leave a lasting impression on you.
PoD is run as a non-profit organisation and does not receive any external funding. We charge a fee for all our placements to cover the overseas costs of volunteering and the costs of running our organisation in the UK. Fee levels are set to match costs (on a non-profit basis) and any surplus monies are distributed to the overseas organisations and charities we work with via the PoD Charity.
For over 10 years PoD has been providing volunteers to help charitable projects around the world. The PoD Charity was established in 2010 to build on this success by also providing financial assistance. Find out more and get involved in fundraising for this project through the PoD Charity.
Erin in the PoD UK team looks after this project so if you apply you will hear from her soon!
 |
Orphanage & Community projects Cambodia |
 |
Caribbean Reef Conservation Belize |
 |
Orphanage & Community School Peru |
 |
All Child Care projects |
We are passionate about volunteering and are dedicated to providing well supported projects where there is genuine 2 way benefit.
"I feel very privileged to have spent time with such loving and beautiful children. It was a lovely experience to be involved in the lives of such special children. I also enjoyed getting to know the staff who were very kind and welcoming"
98% of PoD volunteers rate their experience as good or very good!
Population:
approx 300,000
Capital:
Belmopan
Time zone:
GMT - 6 hrs
Currency:
Belize Dollar (BZD)
Phone code:
+ 501
Visa:
not required
Health & Safety:
click here for the latest UK government travel advice
If you are interested in volunteering as a family we have a range of amazing projects suited for families with children under 18
Home | Useful links | Travel Insurance | News | Sitemap
Follow us
© Personal Overseas Development Ltd 2010. All Rights Reserved
BOOK WITH CONFIDENCE
FINANCIAL PROTECTION, INSURANCE & ASSOCIATIONS
PoD has a Total Payment Protection Policy (topp) insurance policy to protect all monies that you have paid to PoD in relation to your trip. This meets all EU and UK travel regulations. In the unlikely event of PoD's failure before you travel you would be refunded your money.
PoD has public liability insurance cover of £2 million and chooses to take out additional specialist crisis management insurance. PoD is also a member / partner of:
