Rocsana’s Hope is located in Canton Reforma, San Lucas, Sacatepequez, Guatemala.  We are 27 km from the Guatemala City airport and 15 km from Antigua, Guatemala.

We love to have visitors, but for the protection of our girls, all visitors must go through a strict screening process. More information about this process can be found in this FAQ but essentially all visitors need to apply via our online Volunteer Application Form below.

All volunteers under the age of 18 must be accompanied by an adult. Both are required to fill in Volunteer Application Forms.

We do have quite a few expectations in place for volunteers, this is both for the protection of our girls and also to make your trip a more enjoyable one for everyone. We have a Child Protection Policy that must be followed by all visitors during their time on our property. In addition to this, we have a Volunteer Agreement that all volunteers are required to sign upon arrival at the orphanage. You can find a copy of both of these documents above.

Our policy is that first time volunteers are only able to stay a maximum of 14 days. There is no minimum.

Yes, we have many visitors who come with children of all ages. That said, it is important that it be discussed with us during your application process.

No,  but you will be close.  Our mission home only houses girls and staff. We have several guest homes that can accommodate up to about 30 people located close to our mission home.  Our guest houses are all clean and safe. Groups have often commented that they are the best they have ever stayed in on a mission trip. Our philosophy is that if you have a place to get a good night’s rest, you will be ready to work in the morning. Most have bathrooms and those that don’t are in close proximity to one. We provide all the linens, blankets, pillows and mattresses that you will need.  Please be sure to let us know if you have any special needs and we will do our best to accommodate.

Guatemala operates on 110v; plugs A & B. If you are from the United States, then you might only need a plug adapter for type A outlets. If you are from Australia, UK, Asia or other countries that operate on 240v you will probably need a voltage converter and plug adapter. We recommend getting a universal adapter and converter kit. Electricity can go out often here, however, extended blackouts are rare.

Where we are located in Guatemala is often referred to as the “Land of Eternal Spring.” In other words, it is usually very pleasant.  The wet season (May to October) is overcast, the dry season (November to April) is mostly clear, and it is comfortable year round. Over the course of the year, the temperature typically varies from 47°F to 75°F and is rarely below 43°F or above 78°F.  During the wet season, it can rain everyday, but often, is only for short periods of time.

Please Note: Because of the pleasant weather, our locations are not equipped with heaters or air conditioners.

We are a community and live, work and play together as you will see when you get here. There is opportunity for teachers, practical/maintenance persons, nurses, videographers, office people; you name it! Some of our best visitors have just done simple things like teaching our girls to use a computer, draw, paint, dance, sing, play guitar/keyboard etc.

For visitors who wish to stay with us, we ask for a donation of US$85 per day. This covers your lodging, three meals each day, local transportation, interpreter, and the opportunity to immerse yourself in life at a Guatemalan girl’s home. Considering the life-changing experience that many of our volunteers report, we hope this small sum feels like a bargain by the end of your stay. For volunteers staying for longer periods of time (i.e. 3 months to a year,) costs of living will be discussed during our planning phases.

All money raised from our volunteering program is used to cover operating expenses which are often difficult to fundraise for. As you will see, a ministry such as ours has many moving parts, and day-to-day resources play a critical role in the work that we do.

That said, we recognize that volunteers can provide critical skills, ideas and energy, so please don’t let cost be your deciding factor. For those with abundant resources, larger donations are always welcome. For those with less, please let us know what you are capable of. Our goal is a mutually beneficial partnership that leaves everyone feeling blessed at the end.

Modest western clothing is acceptable, i.e. Jeans and t-shirt or blouse. For females, low cut tops ARE ABSOLUTELY NOT acceptable, the same with tank tops, sleeveless tops and short skirts. Shorts on males are reasonably acceptable, long pants are better. Sandals, tennis shoes, flip flops are the best for foot wear. High heel shoes are NOT recommended because of the condition of our streets and walkways. You could end up with a sprained ankle or worse.
It can get cool in the mornings and evenings, so a light jacket is nice to have.

Well, we can guarantee you will get sick if you drink the water…

If you do get sick we well help to look after you, and we have a friend and fellow missionary that is a nurse who is happy to help us when we need her.  Also, we have good local doctors and hospitals close by, however, all medical expenses must be paid by you. For minor cuts, scrapes or headaches, we have a fully equipped medical station in our office.

For personal use, there are ATM’s in our local market. Travelers’ Checks or foreign currency cannot be exchanged easily so we do not recommend bringing cash. If you do, you will need to exchange it into local currency at the airport. Donations to our organization must be made through appropriate banking channels, we will provide receipts for these donations.

Meals for volunteers are provided. Our staple diet is rice, beans, eggs, and some sort of vegetable. You cannot drink the tap water, but we supply filtered water, that is safe, and bottled water. Breakfast is normally 7:30am followed by a 12:00pm lunch and 7:00pm dinner.

You will fly into the Guatemala City airport, La Aurora International Airport, airport identifier “GUA.”  We will pick you up from there and provide your local transportation.

If you cannot find your answers here in this FAQ or on the rest of our website, then please contact us.

The very first step is always to fill our a Volunteer Application Form, its quite simple and only takes a few minutes to complete. We do have to be careful as to whom we have working with or coming in contact with the girls. We are more than happy to have visitors but the safety of our girls is most important to us. As a result, no visitors are allowed on the mission without permission/approval from our leadership. Once your Volunteer Application Form has been submitted a member of our staff should be in contact with you in a few days (though occasionally it can take up to a week).