2. Reasons Why I Should Go
• It is for a good cause
– Building school, cookstoves, and teaching English
• I am going with my school
– A group of 20+ people, more than half of them are
older than me
– At least 5 adults (if not more, and I personally
know ALL of them)
– I know and am friends with everybody
3. Regarding Safety
• We are going in a group of 20+ with more
than 5 adults
• We are going with the foundation called
FUNSEPA.
– Their employees work there and live there and
therefore know the locals personally and know
their way around.
– The FUNSEPA employees will be travelling with us
at all times and act as our security guards.
4. Regarding Safety
• The large group of kids that I am travelling
with will be separated into smaller groups of
4-5 kids. Each group of kids will be
chaperoned by at least 2 if not 3 adults at a
time.
5. Regarding Safety
• Guatemala is currently not on the US government
travel advisory list, although it has been in the past.
– http://travel.state.gov/travel/cis_pa_tw/tw/tw_1764.html
• Antigua, Guatemala is one of the most safe places
within Guatemala to travel to
– It has “Tourist Police” making it safer than any other city in
Guatemala
• Problems occur in large cities and rural areas where
police are spread thin
– Antigua is plentiful with safety authorities
– Many tourists go to Antigua, seeing that it is safe
– Guatemalan govt. implemented new safety precautions
including more police
6. Regarding Safety
• Antigua is filled with the elite, and is therefore
not an impoverished area with much crime
• Most of Guatemalan crime happens in large cities
or rural areas, where police force is spread thin.
• Antigua is heavily filled with police for protection.
• The violence you hear about is rivaling drug gangs
– Bystanders rarely get caught in crossfire
– http://www.ixchelschool.com/guatemala-
travel/safety.php
7. Regarding Safety
• Antigua, Guatemala is safer than large towns and
cities and most crimes are petty and small
– Mostly pickpocketing and stealing of bags
– Violent crime (i.e. rape, murder, kidnapping, and
whatever else you were thinking of) is rare in Antigua
– However, I will not be carrying any belongings with me
when I go out in public (i.e. my iPhone)
• I am not bringing my laptop
• If I do carry a bag, it will be on my back at all times. The most
it will have in it is a pen, notebook, and water bottle
• When I am spending my time volunteering, I will not have
any money on me either.
8. Regarding Safety
• We are having meetings to discuss safety
precautions before Guatemala with the whole
group
– We are devising plans to do if one of us gets lost
– I will never be alone, always in large groups
