Hug It Forward Inc

Fantastic Organization: My Bottle School Experience:

My family has helped fund and build 7 schools in Guatemala. I have been to Guatemala three times to help build schools. My twenty-three year old daughter has been twice, and my husband has also been twice. We have our next two Bottle School trips already scheduled.

Why do we go?

The children in Guatemala and their families deserve to get an education just like we expect to get in the United States. In reality, most get up to 5 hours of education a day, five days a week, for only about 6 or 8 years. These children want to learn, but the conditions are tough and rustic. However, they persevere.

These children and their families have hopes and dreams just like we do! Even though their school may have dirt floors or a thatched roof, they still want to be doctors, teachers, business owners, engineers, pilots, and maybe the Guatemalan President. And, why not? Certainly it should not be for the lack of an education.

What is it like there?

Hug It Forward provides an extremely enriching experience, regardless of your volunteer background. The trip is exactly the same as when I first went in January 2012. But, the experience is different each time due to the incredible people on the team, the different communities we visit, and the loving children we get to know.

We work. We play. We love on the children. We meet their parents. We cry. We sightsee. We challenge each other and ourselves. We grow! We have fun! We experience unbelievable bonding with other people on the trip. And, we accomplish life-changing work.

We encourage the children to dream and to continue their education. We show them the importance of education. We let them know they are important to us –- to the world.

What do we get out of it?

In the end, the Guatemalans bless us much more than they will ever understand. This is the “trip of a lifetime” that you can do over and over again, if you choose. This is the best way I know to change generations of children’s lives, and us at the same time.

I have been truly blessed to have gone to Guatemala to build schools through Hug It Forward. I have been blessed even more by being able to bring 35 or so people to Guatemala who had never before helped to build a bottle school. Everyone who has gone with me has had a fabulous, heart-warming experience. I look forward to those people bringing many more people, so we can change the world one country at a time.

I found out about Hug It Forward from a trusted friend who had actually led several of these volunteer trips in the past. While I had never participated in any, I felt the passion for what this group was doing and very quickly decided to take the trip and see what these “bottle schools” were all about.

As I had never been on this kind of a trip I had no expectations other than to find out more about this project. From the second I arrived in Guatemala until my departure I was amazed by how much planning, thought and effort is put into every single detail of the trip by the team running this program. One of the things that struck me the most was how the communities are fully involved in the project and take total ownership in the schools being built. From parents, to teachers and students the joy is absolutely palpable and present during the entire stay. Thought I was going to be working the entire time but the trip was well balanced between work and activities to help learn about the Guatemalan culture.

I fell so in love with this project that I have now participated in 3 of these trips and already planning my 4th one. I have shared my experience with all of my friends and family and have taken several of them back with me. I feel that Hug It Forward is really creating a huge and positive impact by tackling the lack of educational resources combined with the excess of trash problem in this country and can’t wait to go back to Hug It Forward again!

This coming August will be my third time joining Hug It Forward on a Bottle School Trip in Guatemala. I am looking forward to the trip as much as I was the first year...it is a trip I would recommend for anyone and everyone and here is why.

As a healthcare professional local and international outreach was always high on my list of things that I am passionate about. Prior to going through professional school then directly into a career with management, I had participated in two international service trips. My passion and desire to continue to contribute globally was instantaneous. The one thing I was not prepared for was that when you hit "the real world" being able to facilitate, plan and or attend an outreach trip did not seem as seamless as before. Nothing seemed to quite fit and there wasn't always the same attention to creating sustainable projects in many of the opportunities. In August of 2013 I participated in my first Bottle School Trip through HIF. With friends, my sister, brother in law and 70 year old mother we ventured to Guatemala ready for anything. Looking back I feel fortunate to have been introduced to Hug It Forward and now feel that we have found a hidden gem.

Based on the name, not surprisingly, we were greeted with giant hugs and the warmth and care that the "ground team" in Guatemala has was immediately evident. From that moment our week was filled with work in the community building, meeting the locals and learning the culture/need that is present, it allowed a glimpse of the big picture of what we were really a part of through the bottle schools. Of course we visited the Mayan ruins but the focus was on being present in the work we were doing, building a school, conversing with the community members and creating a stepping stone for change. As a volunteer we do only 10% of the project and the rest is the community coming together and taking ownership of the results they want to see.

Now looking forward to returning a third time, this time I have volunteered to return as a trip leader. The work that HIF is doing in Guatemala is more than "just tying bottles to a fence" to create a school. It's not about going down to a different country and "just putting up a school". HIF has done an impeccable job of creating an experience that anyone, young or old can participate in to help bring lasting change to communities. It is evident that local community members through HIF how found a sense of empowerment that they can begin to create a better future not only for themselves but for the generations to come. Not once on the trip was there a sense of being "unsafe" or "in danger". Perhaps that is evident now having lead a trip that HIF takes so much care and respect for the teams that come down its like they have thought through every scenario that "may happen" ten steps ahead of everyone else.

In the years to come I plan to continue to participate and contribute through HIF. The trips are that break from the everyday world and the rejuvenation that everyone needs at some time regardless if you know that or not. Whether it is for the love of giving back or a team building trip the experiences, you leave Guatemala forever impacting. The bonds you build with those that go with you on a trip are forever imprinted on your soul. Immense respect and recognition is due to the Hug It Forward team for their vision. It is sustainable, it is approachable for anyone and it is making a change; to only imagine what would begin to change were in every country. For the team facilitating the trips their attention to creating a lasting experience and life changing opportunity is flawless; they give so much of their time and heart to making sure your experience is more than expected.

Thank you Hug It Forward for an exceptional experience! I am an experienced traveler and I have participated in many volunteer focused trips in my life through my church. I was completely amazed at how well organized the entire itinerary was--perfectly balanced. Every detail had been planned out and thought of. Their team is experienced and competent. After going my first time, not only did I go back 4 more times, I also had my 3 siblings and my parents go to experience it themselves. I have gotten to know Zach, Josh and the rest of the team and I can confidently say that as an organization they operate with integrity, passion and purpose.

I first heard about Hug It Forward about five years ago I knew immediately that this was an organization that was on to something that was innovative and could change the lives of children and families in Guatemala. I am ready to return for my fourth trip to help build a bottle school in a deserving village.

Hug It Forward has been working in this area long enough now to run a “fine-oiled” operation. Once they are invited into a village to build a school, the staff is able to educate the community leaders and parents on what is expected from them and, as a volunteer; we come along just for a brief period to lend support to the community effort. This project is not just about the volunteers, it’s about the pride and sustainability of the village. The staff of Hug It Forward makes the experience for all unforgettable. Since over 50 schools have been completed, they have a formula that works for all!!

As a volunteer, I can never forget the joy of the Guatemalan children as we play or the pride of their parents as we watch the progress of their labor as well as the accomplishments of their educators. I will keep coming back. Thank you Hug It Forward!!

Absolutely hands down one of the best organizations I have ever volunteered for! They are informed, contentious, gracious, hands on and above all get the job done! I have been on 9 trips and I learn something new every time. Proud of everything this group has accomplished and their continuing effort to make a difference!!!Simply amazing!

I'm preparing for my 6th trip to Guatemala so I guess you could say I love this organization and the trips they offer. Each trip, although very similar in structure, has been special and extraordinary. The best part for me is bonding with the kids in the communities where we help build bottle schools. I also appreciate how the organization works education into each trip so that we have a lot of context for why we're there. I understand that people have concerns going to Guatemala but I've always felt very safe with this group. I'm very comfortable contributing money to the organization and have encouraged friends and family to do the same. Everyone on the team seems to have their heart in the right place and it's clear to me that they are very committed to doing what's best for these communities. I've learned through them that some of the things I used to do, which I thought were helping the poor village in Mexico where my mom was born, were in fact counterproductive. (My mom and I have stopped these practices). I just brought my mom on a recent trip and she was thrilled with her experience too. I can't say enough good things. I hope they're around for a very long time so I can take everyone I love.

There is something "not right" in this organization. While they are doing great work in much needed areas, the leaders of the group seem to be more concerned with how great they are instead of the product they are producing for the communities. I have found them to be very close minded, shutting down great ideas and opportunities if they aren't the ones who came up with them. Part of it is that I believe that the leaders of the organization are simply too young. They haven't had the life experiences that would allow them to expand their minds as to allow the group to grow in new and different directions. Hopefully that will come in time.