HJH will design a program for your group based on your goals, budget and time.
HJH has been offering volunteer tourism opportunities and service learning programs to all ages since 2005.
We help with pre-planning and provide arrival-to-departure support and expertise by our team. We take care of all the details of your trip while giving you ample opportunity to enjoy Nicaragua and develop relationships with the people at a deeper level.
Your group can balance customized service or mission projects with time spent relaxing: seeing volcanoes, cloud forests, sea turtles, even sloths, or conquering fears on a canopy zip line or learning to surf.
Pricing for groups are based on group sizes of 10-20 persons, double occupancy, and range from $1,250 to $,2450 per person, for trips of seven to ten days. Lodging, most meals, transport in the country, and cultural activities are included — Airfare is not included. For a proposal, pricing, references and more information, please contact Jane Mirandette at: [email protected]
Being a volunteer for the San Juan del Sur Biblioteca can take many unique forms. If you would like to help us out in San Juan del Sur, we welcome your help in many capacities. If you are interested in being a volunteer but cannot make the trip to Nicaragua, there are still plenty of things that you can do to help us out from home. However: “if you never, never go, you will never, never know!”
We have had volunteers helping, lending valuable expertise, and becoming lifelong global citizens from the experience as far back as 2003 and as recently as March 10 to 18, 2023..
We are a donation based organization and cannot provide housing or room and board for volunteers. We do not charge a fee for our program but most volunteers are aware of our need for ongoing support and offer donations and/or assist in fundraising.
We have volunteers who join us for a morning on a mobile project, doing site visits, spend a month teaching an educational or creative course, and others who become regulars and return often. One of our goals is to establish and keep long term relationships with our volunteers, the people they reach and work with here in Nicaragua and all of us, who over the years, have become dedicated to the goals of this program.
We can help place our volunteers in home stays, hostels (hospedajes) and in our own Bed and Breakfast, the Hotel Villa Isabella and we offer special rates for volunteers. Transport can be arranged and if it is possible to coordinate times, reduced rate rides from the border and airport are available. Please feel free to explore these options with us. Contact Jane Mirandette [email protected] for volunteer rate hotel reservations.
Hotel Villa Isabella in the heart of San Juan del Sur
Volunteering at the library and on the mobile project in San Juan del Sur
Engineering Brightness teaching local Vida Joven youth to create lanterns in the San Juan del Sur Library
One of our main volunteer opportunities at the SJDS Biblioteca is to go out with our mobile book project and help our staff check books in and out. Volunteers are also essential to help encourage children to keep reading and get them excited to pick out their next book. The Mobile Project goes out three days a week; Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday while school is in session.
You can volunteer for just one morning out of your vacation or spend a few weeks working on the mobile and connecting with the staff and patrons doing tasks and playing games in the park or reading stories at the main library. If you live in San Juan del Sur and are looking to make a difference in this community, volunteer at the San Juan del Sur Library.
Students enjoying books at one of our mobile library locations
Students choosing and reading books at the San Juan del Sur Library
Enjoying and exploring Nicaragua
Our long list of types of volunteers include San Juan del Sur expat community members, retired “snow bird” folks, gap year students, university students providing specific skills, and mission and service group members working along-side local individuals.
Many branch out from the Mobile Project and choose to participate in something they enjoy and have a specific skill set to offer. We have had volunteers in the past who have chosen to write articles about the library, help us with our newsletter, teach English classes, offer music and art classes or whatever else they felt they had to offer.
Some of our full-time staff members understand some English so while a good foundation of Spanish is recommended it’s never required. There are also many opportunities to learn Spanish including inexpensive formal classes offered through the library.
Volunteer opportunities are endless and we welcome your creativity in creating an experience that is geared toward your talents.
One of the most delightful groups are young families who spend a month learning about the global community and making lifelong friends.
Become a volunteer from home
Can’t make the trip to Nicaragua? That’s okay; there are still opportunities for you to be involved!
Financial contributions are essential for the continuation of our program. We are always looking for people who will help share our message and let people know who we are and what we are doing.
If you would like to fund-raise for our organization we welcome any help you may be able to provide. There are many opportunities at your local school or college as well as church.
Some fundraising events that have been successful in the past:
- Tortilla Nights
- Read-a-Thons
- Car Washes
- Book n Bake sales
Sales and other fundraising activities provide an opportunity to have some fun and generate international community while raising money to support our program.
Share Scholastic Book Club Points: Teachers may donate their extra points to us. These points can be used to obtain free books for our schools. Please see the Scholastic website for details.
Solicit Donations of Cash and Supplies: Share your excitement about our program with friends and family. Collections of children’s games, sports equipment and books in Spanish can be sent to our address in Colorado. Write to us at [email protected] to arrange for shipping of collected items
Become a speaker at your local Rotary or Lions’ Clubs and share our story:
Many service clubs like Rotary and Lions’ are always looking for speakers to share worthwhile international programs and many have budgets that allow them to provide funds for these projects. We can provide PowerPoint presentations, business cards and other materials as well as mentoring to help you feel comfortable spreading the word.