Minga House
Travel with a Purpose!
Minga House Foundation is a non-profit organization founded to host & facilitate community service and/or internship roles by international volunteers in the beautiful Colombian Coffee Region.   We represent a collective of small organizations that would otherwise not be able to have this experience.  Our staff helps these organizations in operations, fundraising, and staff capacity building. Our training facility and professional bilingual staff will ensure you have a SAFE & FUN learning experience!

Our staff will be involved with you during the planning, the site introduction, with daily support, and periodic review & reflections.  We will be your guide and we will introduce you to many people in the community beyond your internships or volunteer role. Our goal is that you be fully engaged immersed into the language & culture!  You will return home with lots of new friends, and a certain love for beautiful Colombia!

Often times, individuals find themselves exploring Colombia independently wishing they would be having a more 'real' experience engaging with communities in their daily lives and playing a more defined & significant role; perhaps either related to their professional background or something entirely new.  Yet, it is difficult to have such a rich experience in a safe and efficient manner in a limited amount of travel time & budget as a stranger in a foreign community.  Minga House Foundation has professional educational staff and active relationships with many NGO's, government entities, and private companies that welcome Minga House Foundation volunteers.  So, if you wish to join us in service, simply make your reservations and reach out to us to tell us about yourself, your skills, what you'd like to learn, and how you feel both an organization and yourself will benefit from the shared experience. We want to hear what you what believe would be the perfect experience for you.  Challenge us! We dare you not to FALL in LOVE with the Colombian coffee region and our wonderful Chinchina community. Come MINGA with us!  Stay a week, stay up to 180 days! 

No one learned culture by staying at fancy resort hotels filled with foreign tourists where the locals are often not even allowed to stay.  Minga House is a traditional Colombian home built with high ceilings, open spaces, and wooden floors. Yet, we have all modern appliances, warm showers, and WiFi throughout the facility.  We are in the middle of downtown next to the plaza and Cathedral; you'll be the middle of all!  We guarantee that you engage with locals in a safe & richly educational manner.  Form relationships, perform community service and practice your Spanish. Minga House Foundation is strategically located in beautiful picturesque settings symbolic of the central Colombian coffee culture between two state capital cities, Manizales & Pereira, providing amble educational & cultural resources.  

Who we are:  Minga House Foundation was founded in 2014 by Glen Galindo who has 20+ years experience in U.S. higher education, is former U.S. Marine Corps Officer, and the former national director for a U.S.-based logistics company responsible for operations in Latin America.  And our staff team is composed of local bilingual young professionals. 

What is Minga? - "palabra quechua que significa construcción colectiva."

Minga entails a collaborative work system that dates back to the Incas. It refers to the commitment, contract or work agreement between two or more people. The word minga also stands for meeting or reunion.   

The word minga has continued to evolve in that direction. Nowadays, in South America, it refers to community work or work among friends when they need help from each other. In addition to this, mingas usually include a fest to celebrate the collaboration and hard work.

Carry the traditions of the Quechua people to build your community!

Come Minga with us!  Reserve your once-in-a-lifetime volunteering experience today!   ​
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