Experience Guatemala
Give your hearts & hands to the Mayan people.
Dear Hearts & Hands Supporters:
It is with both joy and sadness that I write this note. This decision has definitely been one of the most difficult in my life. However, once I made it, I knew it was the correct one for me.
After a point, one cannot deny the inevitable: one’s aging self. Slowly, it becomes obvious that the mental and physical energy is not what it used to be. Not that the desire is less, but for me the issue became the effect that multiple family deaths in the last few years have had on me. What became apparent was that I need free time to find me again. I need time to grieve my loved ones, especially my sons.
I know I will desperately miss the work and achievements of H&H, but I can retire with the peace of mind that comes with knowing the administration of all our programs under the direction of Corazones y Manos, our Guatemala office, will continue.
CyM became our official office in Guatemala in 2007 and was responsible for the supervision and operation of all our programs. Rebeca Galindo has worked with me since 2004 as Operations Director. Elizabeth (Bety) Curruchich joined us a few years later as Assistant. We became an all-woman administration. Both Rebeca and Bety are educated, capable women who are dedicated to H&H, the programs, and the Mayan families. I know without a doubt our programs will continue to serve with quality and perseverance. I will serve as their advisor whenever needed. They will be in touch with you as the new year unfolds.
As I retire, I hope all who believed in and supported H&H and myself will now support CyM as they move forward. I know they will carry the programs and my goals further as they also develop their own. I believe without hesitation that they will succeed. I ask you to please support them.
We will have a special evening in Canmore at the Royal Canadian Legion on November 23 at 7:00 pm. Please see the poster below for details. I hope to see many of you at “Celebrating Hearts & Hands” where we can share memories, enjoy music, and maybe win a raffle prize.
Wishing the best for all and hoping to see you on November 23.
Jan Townsend, Founder
If you love adventure travel, join us for the trip of a lifetime.
We promise you it will be life changing.
With our voluntourism program, you will visit beautiful, colourful Guatemala to install wood burning stoves in remote Mayan communities, improving the quality of life for many families. Then you will enjoy a week of sightseeing with local and Canadian guides. Through the Hearts & Hands Foundation, you will turn your vacation time into a meaningful and rewarding volunteer experience: a purpose-filled journey.
As one of the leading non-governmental organizations in Guatemala, we give Canadians the opportunity to provide humanitarian aid through safe travel in Guatemala.
Our team leaders pave the way for a safe, enjoyable and productive visit. Our two-week journeys to remote villages located in the department (province) of El Quiché in the central highlands of Guatemala will include one week of volunteering alongside the Mayan people followed by one week of cultural sight-seeing, including Santiago de Atitlán, colourful Chichicastenango, beautiful Antigua, and possibly Tikal.
You will have the opportunity to immerse yourself in a culture in ways that few people ever get to experience.
You will meet Mayan families, work alongside them, laugh with them, and sometimes cry with them. There is only one thing we promise you when you go on one of our trips. You will never be the same afterwards.
Volunteers cover the cost of airfare, hotels, local transportation, accommodation, meals and tours and receive a tax receipt for the costs incurred during the week of work.