We are a non-profit organisation whose mission is to empower communities and individuals using Permaculture education and Mayan ancestral knowledge.
We promote Permaculture techniques; ecological construction; production of organic food; and a seed bank that strives to reconstruct the lost Mayan seed heritage.
We offer hands-on training to small scale farmers and communities. The goal is to enable people to produce their own food; maintain and conserve soil fertility; and manage water effectively.
Our volunteer program is a service-oriented program in which participants offer a helping hand for IMAP’s ongoing projects on-site and within the communities; alongside members of the local and international community.
Generally; volunteers’ time is shared between daily activities geared toward maintenance and improvement of the demonstration centre; and IMAP’s community projects. Long term volunteers (six months or more) will have the opportunity to get more involved in IMAP’s operations and community life; through work in team meetings; trade shows and local events.
IMAP’s volunteer program offers the opportunity to learn and share experiences about sustainable agriculture; Permaculture design and production; participatory education; seed saving and much more; through work plans that are flexible and personal to volunteers’ learning objectives. Through our community contacts we may also be able to arrange language exchanges and short trips around the Lake Atitlan area.
Volunteer work at IMAP includes work with one or several team members on ongoing projects; but also provides space and flexibility so that volunteers contribute to initiatives that best match their interests; and special skill sets.
Demonstration Center projects include: maintenance and improvement of gardens; nurseries and gardens; construction of new infrastructure; bio-construction and construction using recycled materials (buildings; solar showers; terraces; paths); sustainable technology projects (eg. solar ovens); documentation (inventory and labeling of plant species); seed bank support (germination tests; seed catalogue; packing of seeds for sale; selection and preparation of seeds).
We also seek volunteers with knowledge of and experience in: social media; marketing and sales; and fundraising proposals.
None
San Lucas Toliman; Lake Atitlan
Year round
1 month minimum
Adults of both sexes 18+
Intermediate conversational Spanish; independent; self-motivated; open-minded; inventive and resourceful attitude; and a commitment to the environment.
An on-site room costs Q40 per night (approx. US$5.45) for stays of a month or longer (shorter stays Q50-65 per night). There is the option to camp if you have your own tent (Q50 per night). In both instances volunteers are responsible for buying and preparing their own food. There’s always produce to harvest; so with a solid basic healthy nourishing diet this adds around Q20 per day. It is also possible to stay with a local family for Q55 per night and an additional charge of Q15 per meal if desired. The price drops to Q40 per night for long-term stays (over a month).
