Ask any School the World volunteer what they remember most about their trip, and they’ll talk about the children, the schools, the mountains, the moments of connection in a community they’d never visited before. But behind almost every one of those memories is someone who doesn’t always make it into the photos: the van driver who got them there and back, safely, every single day.
In Guatemala, our service learning program relies on a small team of dedicated drivers who navigate the winding roads around Santa Cruz del Quiché day after day, trip after trip. We pay a premium to work with experienced drivers with strong safety records because the safety of our World Changers is always our first priority. Just as importantly, we look for drivers who connect naturally with young people. They’re the first familiar face students see each morning and the last one they wave goodbye to each evening — and over years, in some cases more than a decade, they’ve become an essential part of the School the World experience.
We sat down with three of them, Freddy, Esteban, and José Manuel, to hear what these years on the road have meant to them.
Freddy has been driving for School the World for 13 years, longer than anyone else on our Guatemala team. When asked what keeps him coming back, he doesn’t talk about the job. He talks about the people.
“I really appreciate the warmth, the kindness and sincerity that the kids bring, and the love they have for the children in this community,” Freddy said. “I really like School the World because of its deep commitment to helping here in Quiché.”
Thirteen years is long enough to watch a mission grow. Freddy has seen the organization build more than 100 schools in the Quiché region, and he speaks about that number with visible pride.
“That makes me feel very happy and blessed to be able to work with this group,” he said. “May God bless you all.”
For our second driver, Esteban, the job is as much about connection as it is about the road. He described it simply as a privilege to spend his days alongside young volunteers who travel from far away to give their time to communities he knows well.
“It’s a great opportunity because I can enjoy the company of the young people who come to volunteer in the community,” he said. “It’s a great opportunity for me to get to know them, too, and to see the affection and love they have for these people.”
That mutual exchange between volunteers and residents of Santa Cruz del Quiché, many who have never met someone from outside of the country, happens as much on the vans as it does at the work sites. Long drives between the airport, the hotel, and the communities become the informal setting where trust is built and where volunteers start to feel like part of something bigger than a single project.
José Manuel, who drives van number three, brings a warmth to his role that goes well beyond getting people from point A to point B. He described his time with each group as something he genuinely looks forward to.
“It’s a pleasure for me to spend time with them because they bring so much joy and happiness to share with the children in these communities,” he said. “They take with them the most beautiful memories that the children share with them every day. For example, painting schools, painting benches, and working with concrete.”
He doesn’t stop at driving, either. “It’s a pleasure for me, too, to be able to help out whenever possible,” he added. “First, I thank God for the privilege, the very first privilege he has given me, to be able to spend time with each group.”
José Manuel closed with a message for the entire School the World community: “I would like to thank all the leaders at School the World. Thank you to everyone, and to those who share this message and to those who will hear it.”
Transportation may look like a logistical detail, but for School the World, choosing who is behind the wheel is an important part of how we keep our World Changers safe. We choose experienced drivers we know and trust, with proven safety records and deep knowledge of the roads and communities where we work.
And students notice the difference. Talk to returning World Changers and their parents and you’ll hear about more than safe driving. They’ll tell you about the familiar face waiting each morning, the driver who remembers them from a previous trip, and the sense of comfort that comes from having the same trusted person with them throughout the week.
“At the end of the day, you see the driver. At the beginning of the day, you see the driver. It was really great to have and not have different people because it really gives you that sense of security.” -John (a parent from Painting Futures Group)
That experience matters. These drivers know which roads become difficult in the rainy season, understand the routes into the rural communities where our groups travel, and know when conditions require extra caution. But they also remember which student gets carsick, greet every new group with warmth, and quickly become trusted adults during the week. For many World Changers, they’re among the first people from Guatemala they really get to know and some of the hardest to say goodbye to.
“By the end of the week, I felt like the bus drivers were more like our family, than drivers. Coming back to Guatemala this year and being reunited with them reminded me that the friendships we build on the trip are just as meaningful as the work we do.” – Clara F. (July 2025, 2026)
Freddy, Esteban, José Manuel, and their fellow drivers don’t just move people from place to place. They are part of an intentional investment School the World makes in every service learning trip: putting safety first and surrounding World Changers with adults who care about them. They watch students arrive nervous and unsure, help them feel at home throughout the week, and watch them leave changed. Thirteen years and countless trips later, that commitment to safety, consistency, and warm welcome hasn’t wavered.
To every driver who has ever kept a School the World group safe on the road: thank you. To meet our drivers and participate in a School the World service learning trip, check out our trip schedule.
