EARN-A-BIKE GUATEMALA
Empowering Women through education and exposure to new experiences.
In the the beautiful coffee mountains of Guatemala you will find the smiling faces of hundreds of girls filled with hope for a better future. Strong girls with the potential to change the world yet limited by isolation, resources and the knowledge of the possibilities. Join us as we visit the land of eternal spring and build the first bicycle co-op in Finca Dos Marias Guatemala and discover the power of good in this world.
HIGHLIGHTS
  • Use your talents and skills to help us build a sustainable bicycle co-op
  • ​Share your life experiences with women and expose them to the possibilities​
  • Become an expert bike mechanic in the process
  • ​Cycle with children through the Guatemalan Highlands
  • Learn everything you ever wanted to know about fair trade coffee manufacturing and distribution
  • Become and agent of change
LA REFORMA, GUATEMALA

It's wonderful what a bicycle can do. No matter where you are!

In the U.S. Earn-A-Bike is well known for its programs that help prevent youth obesity.

This year we are expanding our programs to empower girls in Guatemala through bicycle related programs, in partnership with the Asturias, Maldonado Foundation.
The school at the Dos Marias Coffee farm was established almost a hundred years ago with health care provided by the physician owner, Dr. Francisco Asturias Castro y Doña Maria Maldonado Alvarado. Today, their children and grandchildren continue the legacy of Dr. Asturias continues through AMF/FAM educational and wellness programs that include family vegetable gardens, health screenings and water filtration systems, provided to the farm agricultural workers and families of nearby communities, in and around La Reforma, San Marcos
INTINERARY
Day 1 - We fly to la Aurora International Airport in Guatemala City where we meet with our amazing Guatemala friends.
Day 2 - Wake up to the smell of coffee brewing early in the morning and the optional workout of the day, led by Cristian.  After a delicious breakfast with organic fruits, eggs from free roaming hens, hand made corn tortilla and the farm coffee. We will visit the school and meet our crew.  We will use Day 2 to learn about the need, meet the ladies, and organize in teams to execute the project.  The day includes a short hike through the farm and getting to know the coffee picking process and the life at the Coffee Plantation. After a full day we will return to the Plantation to reflect and enjoy personal time with our hosts.
Day 3  - The rooster will make sure you wake up to the optional workout of the day, led by Cristian.  He is aware that Day 3 is a heavy work day and will guide you through a nice yoga session as the sun rises. After breakfast and the farm coffee. We will head to the school to build the shop and start working with the ladies.  The teams will be separated by areas of interest, shop building, teaching bike mechanics, teaching cycling basics, and exposing our girls to after high school options.  We will enjoy lunch as a team and after a full day of work we will return to the Plantation to reflect, play board games, share stories and have dinner.
Day 4 - By now you are starting to get used to Cristian's workout of the day.  After breakfast and the farm coffee. We will head to town to meet parents and learn about every day life in rural Guatemala.  We will enjoy time with the parents, learning about their trade, every day hopes and struggles, we will meet with local leaders and explore the area. We will have lunch with a local family, and visit a public school.  In the afternoon we will return to the school, reflect on what we learned and you will have the opportunity to make adjustments to the curriculum and program. Day 4 is movie night. We will have the opportunity to watch some of the available classics (in English) and have some fun.
Day 5  After the workout of the day and breakfast. We will head to the school for our last day with the school team.  Day 5 is when we see the program come to life.  The shop grand opening, the awarding of the bikes and the kids will give us a presentation of everything they learned.  We will have a goodbye lunch with the team and in the afternoon we will all ride our bikes.  Memories will be engraved in everyone's hearts.  The afternoon is a time for sharing and spending time with the ladies talking about the future.  At night we head back and have our last team dinner at the plantation and pack for Day 6 return to Antigua Guatemala.
Day 6  - Last workout of the day by Cristian.  He will make sure you are ready for the 2 hour ride to Panajachel, where we will have lunch.  Panajachel is one of the most beautiful lakes in the world.  You will be able to do some shopping and stroll through the town.  After lunch we will head to the colonial Antigua Guatemala, an UNESCO World Heritage Site.  You will be able to stroll through the cobble stone streets and visit several of the many early 1600 convents and monasteries.  The afternoon is open and an optional team dinner will be available.  
Day 7  No workout today.  We wake up early, have coffee and a small breakfast before heading back to the airport.  Once past customs, we can enjoy our last Guatemalan meal for the week at one of the airport restaurants.  The 3 hour flight should have us back in Houston or your fist point of entry airport by 1:00 pm to meet your connecting flight.
DATES
Leave: Saturday, February 2
Return: Saturday, February 9
PRICES
From $1250 per person. 
7 days / 6 nights

Payment plans
3 Payment Installments - Aug 31, Sept 30, Oct 31
4 Payment Installments - July 31, Aug 31, Sept 30, Oct 31
One payment - 10% discount

Payments after Nov 5 may include an additional charge based on airfare prices.
LODGING AND MEALS
Day 1-5 We will spend 4 nights at the Dos Marias Coffee Plantation home.  A beautiful 1940s home with 10 guest rooms, a family library, living room, dining room, medical clinic and outside kitchen.

Meals will be cooked daily for us from scratch using only organic and home grown products.

Dietary restrictions will be considered if known prior to the trip.
Day 5 We will spend 1 night in Antigua Guatemala, 

​Antigua is a small city surrounded by volcanoes in southern Guatemala. It’s renowned for its Spanish colonial buildings, many of them restored following a 1773 earthquake that ended Antigua’s 200-year reign as Guatemala’s colonial capital. Notable architectural examples include baroque La Merced church. It’s an integral part of the city’s famous Semana Santa, a holy week with parades and rituals and its amazing hotels build on ruins from colonial churches and buildings.
CAN'T GO BUT WOULD LIKE TO DONATE
Please donate. 50 donations of $100 each would help cover the costs of building the bicycle shop.

By donating you are creating a sustainable program that will empower, not only this group of ladies, but all the girls that will go through the program.  You are not donating a bicycle, you are empowering women around the world.

Thank you.