Avivara     

Summaries of SAGE Program Participant Experiences
In this section of our website, we are including descriptive summaries of visits made by participants in our SAGE Program. We have just started this collection of summaries, so the current listing is still quite short (one), but will hopefully give prospective participants a better feel for what the SAGE program has to offer both individuals and groups.

Ballard First Lutheran Church Service Team, Seattle, WA. February 12th through February 19th, 2010.
(Note: This was a group of eighteen people, ranging in age from 10 to 56, who came to Guatemala for one week to work on several service projects and to learn more about Guatemala. The group included the pastor of the Ballard First Lutheran Church and his family, along with four other family groupings and three individuals.)

(Note: in the ratings below, the score shown is out of a possible 4.0)

Overall Evaluation of the SAGE Program:

Total Number of Reviews to Date: 18
Current Average of All Review Ratings to Date: 3.9

Most helpful positive comment:
"One of the first things one learns about Avivara is that the staff is universally excellent and distinctively gifted. They have found a way to blend their unique gifts into hospitality, education, service and justice. Also, we were well-equipped by them to be prepared for the process of discovery." (Pastor Erik Wilson-Weiberg, Ballard First Lutheran Church, Seattle WA.)

Most helpful critical comment:
"I was a little worried about my personal safety (due to the orientation about crime in Guatemala), but it wasn't an issue luckily. I was a little frustrated to not be able to communicate with the people because of my lack of Spanish."

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Pre-Trip Planning Services:

Total Number of Reviews to Date: 14
Current Average of All Review Ratings to Date: 3.8
 
Most helpful positive comment:
"Great communications. I received very prompt responses to all my questions."

Most helpful critical comment:
"It seems impossible to provide all the information about what the experience will be like. One has to be ready for discovery and surprise."

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Arrival and Pick Up Services:

Total Number of Reviews to Date: 18
Current Average of All Review Ratings to Date: 3.9

Most helpful positive comment:
"Even though our flight was delayed by 17 hours, Avivara was there to cheerfully pick us up and had communicated our delay to the hotel where we were staying."

Most helpful critical comment:
"I was parched after the long flight, so it would have been nice to have water available on the drive to Antigua."

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Orientations to Guatemala:

Total Number of Reviews to Date: 18
Current Average of All Review Ratings to Date: 3.8

Most helpful positive comment:
"The orientation was important and helpful. Once we had the lodging, money, food options and lay of the land (explained to us), then we were able to expand outward on our own."

Most helpful critical comment:
"This sounds crazy, but perhaps safety could be emphasized a little less. Our 12 year old said he was not so excited about the trip because of how careful he always had to be."

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Lodging Arrangements:

Total Number of Reviews to Date: 18
Current Average of All Review Ratings to Date: 3.8

Most helpful positive comment:
"The hotel was fabulous, well over my expectations for the price."

Most helpful critical comment:
"I stayed in both the hotel and the homestay. The homestay was not ideal for our schedule since we had to leave earlier for our work then when breakfast was normally prepared. That meant the mother had to get up earlier to deal with me."

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Volunteer Arrangements:

Total Number of Reviews to Date: 18
Current Average of All Review Ratings to Date: 3.8

Most helpful positive comment:
"I am 'unskilled labor' and yet I felt that I was able to contribute to the project we were working on. The Avivara staff and the Guatemalan laborers that we worked with were very good at making sure we were all included and engaged in the project. This was an opportunity to serve in a community where we felt a sense of contribution and, more importantly, a people-to-people connection with the village where we worked."

Most helpful critical comment:
"Part of our group worked on a relatively small project (constructing a classroom addition in Don Pancho) and had more people working on it than was technically needed. Others in our group doing a school painting project found it a challenge to adapt to Guatemalan standards and felt that final product could have been of higher quality. (However, they also loved working alongside the local people and children at the worksite, so I guess that is the trade-off.)"

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Academic Seminars/Spanish Instruction:

Total Number of Reviews to Date: 7
Current Average of All Review Ratings to Date: 3.9

Most helpful positive comment:
"Gustavo's presentation (on the history of Guatemala and the effects of the Civil War on the people) was very thorough and interesting."

Most helpful critical comment:
"I am a kid (age 10) and was tired so I fell asleep."

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Tourism Opportunities:

Total Number of Reviews to Date: 18
Current Average of All Review Ratings to Date: 3.9

Most helpful positive comment:
"The trips to San Simeon, the coffee plantation and the weaving cooperative were informative and meaningful. The climb up the volcano, Pacaya, was challenging, unique and fun!"

Most helpful critical comment:
"Make info about the dark and steep descent from the volcano very clear. Also, it would have been nice to have a little more time in the schedule between the work projects and the afternoon tourist activities."

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Budget, Costs & Fees:

Total Number of Reviews to Date: 16
Current Average of All Review Ratings to Date: 3.9

Most helpful positive comment:
"The budget information given to us was very accurate. The costs were exactly what we expected and the value received for what we paid was excellent. We actually think you should charge more for your services."

Most helpful critical comment:
"Overall the costs were OK, but we were a little surprised by the added personal expenses at the end of our trip."
(Avivara Staff Response: Great comment. In the future we will do a better job of informing our SAGE participants that in order to make life a little easier for the Guatemalan vendors we work with, to take advantage of group rates, and so that our visiting groups do not have to carry extra money with them each day and pay for items individually, Avivara prepays for a number of group related expenses, such as ground transportation to and from the airport, food and water purchased for group lunches and dinners, guide/tour fees, etc. For our most recent group, this totaled around $35.00 per person for the week.)

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Assistance in Emergency Situations:

Total Number of Reviews to Date: 3
Current Average of All Review Ratings to Date: 3.7
(Note: The vast majority of participants in the Avivara SAGE Program have not found themselves in emergency situations. We think that this is partly due to our safety orientations and the precautions we take in planning our program so that participants are not placed in dangerous situations. For those reasons the most frequent response on our evaluation forms has been "Not Applicable.")

Most helpful positive comment:
"No emergencies! But it was comforting to have cell phones provided so that we could easily contact the Avivara staff if we did have any problems."

Most helpful critical comment:
"Our group was large (18) and with children, so it would have been nice to have a few more cell phones available in case there was an emergency."

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Staff Attentiveness:

Total Number of Reviews to Date: 18
Current Average of All Review Ratings to Date: 4.0

Most helpful positive comment:
"The Avivara staff was absolutely amazing in terms of availability, information, support and being fun to be with. Having things translated was especially appreciated. Their commitment to the children of Guatemala is inspiring."

Most helpful critical comment:
No critical comments provided to date.

Additional Comments:

"This was no doubt a life changing experience that will stay with me forever. I look forward to coming back and working with Avivara again in the future."

"This was everything you could want in a trip. We got to experience touristy stuff as well as see the harsh realities of Guatemala. It changed my perspective on a lot of things." 

"There are many things I will never forget about this trip, but one of the most important was watching our children grow in understanding of the world and feel the joy of doing something for others."

"Everything was positive - a great adventure every day. I want to be here longer next time."

"It was an amazing experience and opportunity. Thank you so much!"