Volunteer Abroad with Atelier Favela in Nicaragua

Latin America > Nicaragua > Atelier Favela

Atelier Favela

Managua, Nicaragua

Avg Daily Cost: $15.00

Reviews from volunteers about Atelier Favela

August 2012
Adrienne Puckett
Position

Overall Rating:

fantastic place

Did you feel like you made a difference?:

I feel like everyday we were able to contribute to the community around us through the classes we offered.

Organization and communication:

A very laid back place, that usually communicated everything that needed to be said in the morning Monday meetings.

Accommodation:

This place is definitely not for someone who isn't looking to sacrifice a little bit of leisure, but it was totally perfect for me. There are beds, a kitchen to use, living space and everyone has their own space in a closet. There were days and nights that we didn't have electricity or water, but that is expected in Nicaragua and there wasn't anything the organization could do. There were a bunch of bugs, but once again, something that is out of their control. The center is painted with bright colors and designs and has a really good atmosphere.

Safety:

As long as you are smart and practice the same street smarts you would anywhere, you will be fine. I always felt safe.

My time (three months) at Atelier Favela was fantastic, and I strongly encourage other volunteers seeking a bit of adventure and a lot room for creativity to volunteer there. The community is great, and the center is a great asset for the young people there who don't have access to art classes in school. I suggest going for at least a month, and longer would be best.

Avg Volunteer Rating:

Donate to this Partner!

Connect with a Volunteer

Browse all volunteers>>

Search Volunteers

Search by region of interest:

Search by type of work:

Search by Partners

Volunteered with:

The following people have worked with Atelier Favela. Contact them to learn about their experiences!

Adrienne Puckett

leandro lobato

london, United Kingdom

teaching, work with children, Asia, Africa

Annika Klaffehn

teaching, work with children, Latin America

work with children, photography / filmmaking, Latin America, United States

Fem Theuninck

teaching, work with children, Latin America

samantha forster

san francisco, USA

work with children, fundraising / grant writing, Latin America

Teri Tillman

Ewing, NJ, USA

teaching, work with children, Africa, Latin America

Hillia Aho

Waldoboro, USA

work with children, fundraising / grant writing, Africa, Latin America

Jean Pina

Ticuantepe Managua, Nicaragua

teaching, work with children, Latin America

Reshma Kulkarni

Vienna, United States

teaching, work with children, Asia, Africa

Mission Statement

Atelier Favela inspires children disadventaged by poverty to peronal development through Art Education. We organise lessons for children in art, music, dance, theater, capoeira and circus. After three years of activities in the violent slums of Brazil, we opened since 2011 the Cultural Centre of Atelier Favela in Nicaragua. Children who don't have access to good education through poverty are able to develop their talent within Atelier Favela. Youngsters are educated to produce sustainable products which gives them the possibility to work honestly on a better future. This way we stimulate children and youngsters to become promising grown-ups.

View Partner overview, info for volunteers, and current projects >>

Watch
Video

Partner Overview:

Year Founded: 2008 Year Joined Omprakash: 2011 # of staff: 4 Total Donations Received: $100.00

Director Bio

Sabine Harmes Sabine Harmes is a visual artist and teacher who studied Product Design at the Delft University Of Technology in The Netherlands. She follows the constant development of the organisation and she is always generating a lot of sparkling ideas for Atlier Favela's projects.

Volunteer Information:

Average Daily Cost: $15.00 Cost Breakdown:

To stay at the Cultural Centre of Atelier Favela we do have to ask for a contribution, as it supports the overall charitable program, the location and activities for the children of Atelier Favela.
Dormroom:US$ 9,- a night, US$ 230,- a month
Privatroom: starting from US$ 25,- a night, US$ 430,- a month
Meal: we do have a system to eat together as a comunity "Comida Solidaridad", which costs US$ 2,50 a meal.

transportation to Managua, capital of Nicaragua, or grocery store can be done by local transport, around US$ 0,50.
An airport taxi from Managua airport to Atelier Favela around US$ 25,-

Tourist attractions: The Cultural Centre Atelier Favela is located near the capital of Nicaragua; Managua, in a small village called Ticuantepe. It's also nearby the touristic colonial city Granada, and Masaya where you can find the arts & crafts market. To enjoy beautiful nature you could go to the Apoyo lagoon, or to the vulcano of Masaya. The're also two natural parks within Ticuantepe, the largest market of Central Amerika in Managua; Mercado Oriental, the pacific ocean, or many other places worthwhile visiting! Everything can be reached within 30 min. Costs varies, but public transport to get there is cheap.

Accommodation Info

Atelier Favela offers the possibility to live at the Cultural Centre. We have a dormroom where you can stay with other students. The room has a closet and you will share the common bathroom. If you prefer a privatroom, it's also possible.You have to share the common bathroom, and you should make a reservation ahead. The volunteers that are living in the building, help us paying a part of the rent in exchange for housing. Living togheter the volunteers can grow a strenght sense of sharing and cooperation within them, and this results really helpfull for our activities and pourposes.

Travel Logistics

Volunteers are free to stay any time they would like to dedicate to Atelier Favela. We do prefer people that stay at least one month, to be able to get most out your volunteertime at Atelier Favela.

We have a limit of 10 volunteers that could stay at the Cultural Centre of Atelier Favela in Nicaragua.

We also work with online volunteers. If you are interested to do graphic design or work on special projects as fundraising, marketingplans of art products, or other current projects, please get in contact.

Current Projects:

Art and Evening Classes:
The Cultural Centre of Atelier Favela is a place where children disadventaged by poverty get the opportunity to personal development through Art Education. As a volunteer you could help us make the daily lessons for these children happen!The daily activities for volunteers are to help out with our big range
(read more)
Abanica and Bolsa de Bota:
Young people coming to our Atelier Favela Centre learn how to make hand made products that can be sold, giving them have an honest opportunity to build on their future. Especially they are devoloping two different products: Abanica and Bolsa de Bota. The Abanica is a designer lamp with a special story:
(read more)
Internship:
There are always some internships available at Atelier Favela. Ask your supervisor what the requirements are to complete your internship at our Cultural Centre. Together we can see how your internship could be a good learning experience. Important to know is that own initiatives and a progressive attitude is
(read more)
Container Project:
Atelier Favela has decided to create its own structure. The main reason is that we want to be SELF-SUFFICIENT as soon as possibile, so we can concentrate all our energies in the activities for our students. In our vision the project concerns two phases. Firstly we want to
(read more)Atelier Favela has decided to create its own structure. The main reason is that we want to be SELF-SUFFICIENT as soon as possibile, so we can concentrate all our energies in the activities for our students. In our vision the project concerns two phases. Firstly we want to design and build the new Atelier Favela Studio to host all the activities we are now doing inside our current building. We want to have our own space where we can develop all kinds of activity to help local children. But we also want to involve the neighbourhood community as an integral part of the operation of our organisation. After the success of the first phase of the Container Project, we will start the construction of two more containers. These two buldings are going to be homes for volunteers. The houses will be located on the properties of our students’ parents, who will accept the role of host families. Once we achieve this, the rent of the current bulding won’t be necessary anymore, and all the money we raise can go directly to the activities and to help out local families as well. At this point our organisation will be self-sufficient. And our efforts can be concentrated 100% on our work for the nicaraguan community. We have decided to use a container because represents many important meanings at the same time. First of all it’s recycled material and this is a great example of sustainable design. It is also a way to spur on the local community to approach the important subject of recycling. In a third world country such as Nicaragua, it is vital to raise awareness among the local people on important topics like recycling, as problems related to trash are still greatly harming the ecosystem and people’s health. Compared to regular methods, using a container is also a cheap way of building, and this is really important for us, as we are still depending on volunteers’ contributions and fundraising. Futhermore this kind of shipping container is made from strong materials that can even resist tthe strongest weather conditions, such as storms and hurricanes. The other important message we want to spread using a shipping container is that of transportability. In effect it is very easy and cheap to move this structure - it can be transported via land, using trucks, or via sea using cargo boats. This means that it will be possible to extend our ideas, our mentality and our energies in other countries that could find in art and culture the way to come out from problems such as poverty and starvation. Moreover work on this kind of material is fairly easy. That means that can be intersting to learn for the local community to learn how to build sustainably. We are looking for recycled materials coming from dumps and second hand materials for windows and furniture, and also pallet wood. We are also figuring out projects to collect rain water during the rain season, to install solar panels to exploit the power of the Nicaraguan sun, to design a green roof and an eco-toilet that will allow us to save a lot of water, and a vegetable garden to try to be as self-sufficient as possible.
(collapse)
English class:
As the majority of the children and also some of the youth coming at our centre would love to learn some english,that is the reason why we are starting to design some english classes for them. The goal of this classes is not just teach them a world wide language
(read more)

(collapse)

Positions from Atelier Favela

Volunteer

jan

feb

mar

apr

may

jun

jul

aug

sep

oct

nov

dec

Special Skills Required to Volunteer: being really motivated, open minded and avaiable to work with kids.
Lenght of Stay: from one day up to one year
Health Requirements : none
Program Fees: Fee Free
Accomodation options: To stay at the Cultural Centre of Atelier Favela we do have to ask for a contribution, as
(show more)

Teacher

jan

feb

mar

apr

may

jun

jul

aug

sep

oct

nov

dec

Special Skills Required to Volunteer:
- knowledge of the Spanish language or the eager to learn it.
- lesson plans and preparations.
- available during the daily meeting at 12 o\'clock
- at least offer your lessons 3 days a week.
Lenght of Stay: minimum stay 1 month, up to one year
Health Requirements :
(show more)

Container Team Member

jan

feb

mar

apr

may

jun

jul

aug

sep

oct

nov

dec

Special Skills Required to Volunteer: we are looking for competent people in the construction field, such as electonic and hydraulic engineer ,architects, or people involved in the area of sustainable design.
Lenght of Stay: from one month up to one year
Health Requirements : none
Program Fees: Fee Free
Accomodation options: To stay at
(show more)

Word Press - Web Desinger

jan

feb

mar

apr

may

jun

jul

aug

sep

oct

nov

dec

Special Skills Required to Volunteer: We are looking for somebody who can make a unique word press webshop for the Atelier Favela.Here people learn how to make hand made products that can be sold, giving them have an honest opportunity to build on their future. To sell the products the
(show more)

English teacher

jan

feb

mar

apr

may

jun

jul

aug

sep

oct

nov

dec

Special Skills Required to Volunteer:
- perfect knowledge of English and basic knowledge of Spanish language or the eager to learn it.
- lesson plans and preparations.
- available during the daily meeting at 12 o\'clock
- at least offer your lessons 4 days a week.
Lenght of Stay: minimum stay 1 month, up
(show more)