Hello....this is the first time I have ever attempted a forum, and couldn't even figure out how to post to respond to Gabe's topic. ???
These last few years I have gone to Chiapas as a human rights observer, working though Centro de Derechos Humanos Fray Bartolome de las Casas....basically just being at the side of the road when military/paramilitary come to harrass the Zapatista and other indigenous villages. It takes a good degree of spanish proficiency, but is extremely satisfying to have a function in these communities which would otherwise not welcome visitors. They give you a place to hang your hammock, over the dirt floor, and bring you tortillas twice a day. Anyone interested, please let me know.
I have favorite hostels in San Cristobal, if anyone wants that info.

This spring I spent 5 weeks in Guatemala, working 2 of them in a project for the kids of the folks that scavange from the Guat. City Dump. Another 2 weeks, I worked in a hospital in Antigua, with handicapped adults. If your Spanish isn't super, you can still work in this hospital, but be put with very handicapped children. My 20 year old daughter did this, and the experience changed her life.

i have also done such work in chiapas, and thousands of others from across the globe, mainly europe, north america
and latin america have as well. the advantage of chiapas and its base in san cristobal is, like many other cool
travelling spots in latin america, there are so many intelligent well travelled, well read people to meet and learn from.
the experience as a human rights observer usually involves some training from the organization (i also recommend
the fray bar). san cristobal can be lived on for less than 10 dollars a day if necessary, though most of the travellers i
knew spent at least 30-60 pesos a night on accomodations, it would be easy to spend 80-100 if comfort was the
most important issue. food costs anywhere from 10-30 pesos for a good meal, again depending on where, though
if one is cooking in house one can live on that per day ver easily. but san cristobal is one of the most unique places
for people to see and feel a different world, and plug into one of the most important movements in latin america.
would love to hear from people with experience in places like bolivia and ecuador, peru, venezuela? also would love
to learn more about buenos aires and what are reasonable costs of living for travellers there....

Hey Kevin and Nance, I find the work you've done extremely interesting. What is involved in being a human rights observer? What are some those hostels in San Cristobal? Among the places I would like to work or volunteer in the future is Chiapas. What other things can you all tell me about Chiapas?

Miriam....you can read about how to be involved in observation work at the Frayba website www.laneta.apc.org/cdhbcasas ...click BriCo.... Like Kevin said, you do have to have an orientation in order to know how to respond to situations...you also need to go with a recommendation from some solidarity group that they will recognize. They do this so hotheads who could really exacerbate the situation aren't included. Seems there are always many more Europeans observing than americans.
One good way to work into this might be to spend a week or more in Oventic...one of the Zapatista Juntas (kind of a self-governing body). Oventic is the most accessible junta, and they have a 'language school' where you can study spanish in the context of the indigenous revolution. Even if your spanish is not super, you can learn a lot by sitting for hours with the indigenous and hearing from them their history and struggle. It is inexpensive and all the $ goes to support the only indigenous high school in Chiapas. You live in a bunk house, and eat well. In fact, the good 3 meals a day was the only thing I had problems with, as it is misleading. In the actual communities, people don't eat nearly so abundantly.... (In my last assignment, a community of 15 families, threatened when trying to work their fields, we really had no more than tortillas and sometimes pasta or rice for the 15 days I was there) . To get info about the school in Oventic, go the Mexico Solidarity Network website. www.mexicosolidarity.org If you are really interested in Mexico, you might ask to get onto their weekly news update list. It is only a few paragraphs long, and gives a good current update of situations.
Like Kevin, I love Chiapas and San Cristobal. I feel very free and safe there. The hostel I settled on is Casa Jardin (address Dr. Jose Felipe Flores #26)....something like $5 per night including good breakfast and coffee or camomile tea all day. Comfy, and they have a kid and a dog...how good is that?
Chiapas is stunningly beautiful. Buses are cheap, but even cheaper are vans and riding in the back of pickups.
Have to get on with my day.
Paz

Thank you so much...very helpful info. I will sure be looking into those websites you recommended.

Hi All,
I'm planning a trip to Costa Rica and would love to do some volunteer work. I've looked through the opportunities on the site and there are many that sound wonderful. However, I will be going in mid September. Is there anyone out there with first hand experience in Costa Rica and can you recommend some organizations to me? Thanks.
Dianna