The purpose of volunteering with Middle Ground is to serve the children and staff, as well as the community around the mission.  Mission trips vary in focus from small construction projects, organizing supplies, painting, adult education, and ongoing training with our full time on the ground staff members. At times during the trip, you may be asked to do something that doesn’t feel very glamorous or self serving, but could very well be the thing you do that makes the biggest difference to the healthy functioning of Middle Ground. There is typically a high level of independence for your team when volunteering with Middle Ground. 

Teams (2-8 people) follow a standard 7 day itinerary - arriving in-country on Sunday, and leaving on the following Saturday. The first 4 days will be working in the center, with a community outreach day. Friday will be a day to finish projects, have lunch out, and head to the airport guesthouse.

If you don’t have a team to travel with, we are still happy to have you come and serve at Middle Ground! You will be in contact with our volunteer coordinator directly to plan your trip, and your trip cost will be slightly different than for a team. 

Throughout your trip, you will be able to spend time with the children in our care and their families. It is of great help to our staff that the children keep to their daily schedule. When it is mealtime, consider helping to feed the children under the direction and supervision of our permanent staff. At nap time, encouraging sleep not only displays a good example, but also helps the nannies keep the children focused on the scheduled activity. There are posted schedules inside each of the rooms for reference. Please make every effort to help our staff keep this schedule and respect the routines set for the children.  In an effort to keep things calm and controlled for our recovering patients at all times we ask that individuals do not go to the recovery center to visit the kids before breakfast or after dinner.  

Work projects will be assigned upon based on your skills and our needs. The project fee may change, depending on the projects chosen, and depending on whether your team is able to bring in any supplies needed for the project, or if we have to source it in country. 

We reserve the right to reject or terminate volunteer contracts if we deem the person to be unsuitable or if during their stay a volunteers behavior is unacceptable (for example, if they are engaging in illegal, unsafe or disrespectful behavior).

The per person price of your trip depends on various factors, outlined in your invoice. We will send a final invoice to the team leader after your trip details are finalized. 

For example:

Expense - based on 6 nights (Sunday to Saturday trip) for a 5 person team	Cost per person
Guesthouse (includes breakfast), $65/night shared room	$375.00
Transportation (airport and throughout week)	$45.00
Lunches	$25.00
Suppers	$75.00
Team Guide	$50.00
Community Outreach Day	$80.00
Work Project Fee	$200.00
Financial Gift	$350.00
TOTAL	$1200.00

*this is a typical project cost, but this may be adjusted depending on the number of people in your team, and the project Middle Ground and your group decides upon.

Please note that a non refundable $350 per person deposit will be due 30 days before the trip. The remaining balance will be due in cash upon arrival. 

Prices above do not include airfare, any hotel rooms teams may need in the states, meals at any restaurants in Haiti, or any extra excursions, including for the Haitian team lead who will accompany the group on any extra outings. Their salary is included but any extra outings are not covered and we ask that teams cover their costs as well. These are additional fees that the traveler will be responsible for. We recommend bringing $100 of spending money for costs not included in this breakdown.

We believe that volunteer teams can have an incredibly positive or negative impact on the country they are visiting. In an effort to avoid creating yet another “voluntourism” opportunity, we have built a financial gift into trip costs. Here is an example of what this gift goes towards:

Rent for the center one month - $1100

Food for all of our programs for one month - $850

Drinking water for one month - $100

Medications and medical supplies for one month - $400

Salary for one of our medial support staff members for one month - $450-500

Social worker salary for one month - $500

Transportation assistance for all of the families of children in our programs for one month - $400

Salary for family advocate staff for one month - $300

Electricity for one month - $135

If you want to have a greater impact on the families we serve, you can sponsor a family project. Many of the families seen at Middle Ground live in difficult circumstances, and being able to bless them with a safe home, or a bed to sleep on can make life more bearable. 

Here are some examples of projects your team could fund:

• Household necessities - charcoal stoves, beds etc.  
• Replacing a roof
• Structural support