Guides to giving and helping in Antigua Guatemala
Practical guides for anyone who wants to help children in Guatemala from Antigua: where and what to donate, what to pack, what Christmas on the road to Tecpán is like, and how to know where your donation goes. Written by the Start with a Smile Project team with what we have learned since 2014.
Where to Donate in Antigua Guatemala: How to Support Rural Schools with Start with a SmileDonate in Antigua Guatemala with Start with a Smile Project: what to give, how to arrange a drop-off and which rural schools your help reaches.
What to Bring to Guatemala to Donate: A Packing List and the Customs RulesSchool supplies, shoes, hygiene items and toys that rural schools in Guatemala use, the US$500 duty-free rule and how to pack it all.
What Not to Bring to Guatemala as Donations (and What to Do Instead)Skip worn clothes, toy weapons, medicine, fresh food and loose lithium batteries. What not to pack as donations for Guatemala, and what to do instead.
Guatemala Christmas toy drive: where to donate toys and how they reach kids on December 24Every December 24 since 2014, Start with a Smile Project brings toys to kids waiting by the road to Tecpán. What to give and how, from Antigua or home.
Where to donate clothes in Antigua Guatemala: what helps on the hot coast and in the cold highlandsDonate clothes in Antigua Guatemala with Start with a Smile Project: light clothes and sandals for the hot coast, sweaters for Christmas in the highlands.
How to donate school supplies in Guatemala: what to bring, when, and how they reach kidsNotebooks, crayons and backpacks for 700+ kids in rural Taxisco, Guatemala. What to bring, when the school year starts and how to arrange a drop-off.
Where to donate books in Guatemala: Spanish-language children's books for rural schoolsStart with a Smile Project collects Spanish-language children's books for rural schools in Taxisco, Guatemala. Which books help and how to arrange it.
Should You Bring Donations to Guatemala or Buy Them There?What to pack from home and what to buy in Guatemala when you donate: weight, customs limits, food permits, local businesses and what no suitcase can hold.
How to Help Children in Guatemala: What Actually Works and Where to StartWhat children in rural Guatemala need and how to help: give on GoFundMe, pack school supplies in your suitcase, or share. Backed by UNICEF data.
Travel With a Purpose in Antigua, Guatemala: How to Give Back on Your TripHow to give back on your trip to Antigua, Guatemala: what to pack, how to hand it off, when to go, and what to know if you are looking to volunteer.
Christmas on the road to Tecpán: why children wait by the highway and how to helpEvery December, children wait by the highway to Tecpán hoping a car will stop with a gift. Here is how our December 24 delivery works and how to help.
Las Delicias del Jobo, Taxisco: the village, its 7 schools and what is still missingA village in Taxisco, Santa Rosa, on Guatemala's south coast: location, climate, how families live, its 7 schools, what has been done and what is missing.
How to Choose a Charity in Guatemala: Questions to Ask Before You GiveQuestions to vet a charity or community project in Guatemala before you give: who runs it, registration, tax receipts in the US and Canada, and red flags.
How to Donate to Guatemala from the US or AbroadGive to Start with a Smile Project on GoFundMe by card in your own currency, or pack supplies in your suitcase. Plus shipping costs and customs rules.
Rural education in Guatemala by the numbers: who studies, how much they learn and what is missingEnrollment by level, test results, rural poverty and schools without basic services: the latest figures from Guatemala's Education Ministry and UNICEF.
Back to school in Guatemala: when the school year starts and what kids needGuatemala's public schools started on February 2 in 2026, private schools on January 12. Official dates, what the state covers and what kids still need.
How to Run a School Supply Drive for Children in GuatemalaSteps, a supply list and how to coordinate the handoff with Start with a Smile Project when you run a drive with your family, school, church or company.
What Happens to Your Donation to Start with a Smile Project?Who runs the GoFundMe, how much of your gift arrives, what donations have paid for in Guatemala and how deliveries are reported with photos.
How to Help Children in Guatemala Without Money: Six Ways That Add UpSix ways to help children in Guatemala without money: donate what you already own, share, tell the story, run a supply drive, or pack a suitcase.
Donating in Guatemala: Frequently Asked QuestionsCustoms, tax receipts, safety, timing and what's needed now: short, sourced answers for anyone helping children in Guatemala with Start with a Smile.
Our projects
Help the Community of Las Delicias
The 7 schools are located in the village of Las Delicias Del Jobo, Taxisco, Guatemala, 90 kilometers from the capital.
Paint Smiles for Christmas
The most special time of the year is Christmas, and with it the opportunity to share and bring joy to hundreds of children.
How to help us
Whether through a donation, or because you decide to volunteer, or because you want to stop by while traveling in Guatemala and drop some gift, any help is welcome! #travelwithapurpose
- Travel With a Purpose
- How to help
- Finance our projects