A donation to Quetzaltrekkers/Escuela de la Calle is a donation that goes directly to grassroots education and social projects that benefit some of the most disadvantaged children and communities in Guatemala. Our projects are keeping kids off the streets, in school and – in many cases – in a surrogate home when there is no place else to go.

As Quetzaltrekkers volunteers, we stand behind our projects 100% and often continue to give generously to our projects long after we return to our home countries. We need your help to ensure that our Street School and Children’s Dormitory can continue to serve children in need in the Quetzaltenango region.

There a few different donation options:

Donate to EDELAC and help us cover our everyday expenses
The first option is to make a contribution directly into EDELAC’s operating account. This money helps to cover day-to-day costs such as the teachers’ wages and the electricity bill, as well as desks, books, building maintenance and similar expenses associated with the running of a school and dormitory.

We have partnered up with the the Omprakash Foundation, a 501(c)3 organization which facilitates secure, easy and tax exemptible donations:

Donate to our Hogar Abierto Expansion Project (HAEP)
The second option is to contribute to our Hogar Abierto Expansion Project (or HAEP).
2008 saw the birth of HAEP. The current Hogar Abierto operates out of a rented space that serves as a home for 15 children. HAEP will see this capacity gradually increase over the coming years so that it will eventually be able to accommodate up to 80 children at any given time.

This is a major project for EDELAC and represents a big step forward in the organization’s 16-year history. Because of the size and cost of the project, it has been split into 4 separate stages with 20 children able to move in upon the completion of each stage. We see the project as filling a patent need in the Quetzaltenango-region and we look forward to being able to help more kids over a wider geographical-area.

For the past two years, raising money for the HAEP has been the central focus of our fundraising activities. We are pleased to report that in late 2010, we were able to purchase the land on which the new Hogar Abierto will be built.

Making HAEP a reality means relying on the generous donations of individuals, companies and international NGOs. For updates on the progress of the Hogar Abierto Expansion Project, visit our blog. If you are considering making a major donation and require additional information, contact us.

We have partnered up with the Omprakash Foundation, a 501(c)3 organization which facilitates secure, easy and tax exemptible donations:

Donate equipment to Quetzaltrekkers
The third donation option is to donate trekking equipment.  Quetzaltrekkers probably has the best collection of outdoors equipment in Guatemala. Practically all of our gear arrived in the form of a donation and much of it is simply unobtainable by other means in Guatemala.

We think that we might be just about the only non-profit organization that clearly connects outdoor, adventure sports with social and educational projects in the so-called developing world. We rely on the generosity of individuals and companies for equipment such as sleeping bags, tents, stoves etc. Download this PDF file for a list of current needs and shipping instructions or, contact us.

Finally, please visit our appreciation page and support those companies and NGOs that have so generously supported us.