Help me, help them!

There are service-learning options where you can get academic credit as well as doing service. This might be useful since you're still in college. Your study abroad office could tell you which ones will get you credit at your specific university. The University of Michigan's Overseas Opportunities Office has a great http://www.umich.edu/~icenter/overseas/work/volunteer4.html of volunteer and service-learning programs as well as a http://www.umich.edu/~icenter/overseas/work/volunteer2.html to the different kinds of opportunities on that list.

First, you're better off attaching yourself to someone else's trip. They'll likely have an organization's backing and can assist in finding a role for you. Chances are, some of your cost might also be subsidized, and joint-fundraising possibilities abound.

http://www.healinghandsforhaiti.org/ has a group that goes to Haiti from Minnesota. Not Machu Picchu, but very much needed. I am not sure who they send down there, it may be just physiotherapists and medical people, but it doesn't hurt to ask.

P.S. You can see Machu Picchu if you go to the Cross-Cultural Exchange program in Lima. Weekends are entirely free to do your own regional travel, and MP is amazing. Or, you can see Mayan ruins if you do the Guatemala program.

Why not help out in New Orleans? Sure, it's not a third world nation, but it just happens to be right next door and in a very vulnerable state. Plus, working in this area will minimize costs for a struggling student like yourself. http://www.arcno.org/

**MASSIVELY MASSIVE BABBLE ALERT** I second lilybeane's recommendation of http://www.crossculturalsolutions.org. Everything she said is right on the money. I personally can vouch for their Guatemala program being AMAZING - plenty of opportunity to flex those spanish-speaking muscles of yours! Plus Tikal (think Survivor: Guatemala) can easily be done in a weekend trip, and there are other historical ruins a weekend trip away as well (I didn't make it myself, but I've heard Coban in Honduras is even more impressive than Tikal?). Cross-Cultural Solutions also does a great job of matching up your interests and skills with the right project. They want you working someplace that not only interests you, but where you can actually be of most service to the community, which is a pretty cool combination if you ask me. I was there with a total of twelve other volunteers, for example, and we were spread out between seven different projects - something for everybody! Most of those projects were working with kids, by the way - Special Needs orphanage for me, others in baby orphanages, others in schools, etc. As far as your interest in Central/South America goes, CCS has programs in Guatemala, Costa Rica, Brazil and Peru. Haven't been to the latter three (yet!), but I've heard good things first-hand from people who've taken the Costa Rica and Peru trips. An obvious choice if you're wanting to stay with a local organization is http://www.globalvolunteers.org. They're based in the St. Paul suburbs, and I actually visited the office myself and witnessed that "Minnesota Nice" in person! I've been to Romania with them three times, and like CCS it's a good, reputable organization. Their Central/South American programs are in Costa Rica, Ecuador and Peru. Don't know anyone first-hand who's done Costa Rica or Peru through them, but I've heard good things about the Ecuador program. One slight difference with Global Volunteers, though, is that it tends to be more of the whole team of volunteers going to the same place to volunteer, or maybe spread out between two projects. You'll know ahead of time what your options are (in Romania, for example, working with babies in a clinic or teaching English at a grade school). So if the only project in Ghana is a building project (I'm making that up, haven't looked!) and you don't really have any interest in swinging a hammer, you'd probably want to pick a different country (or organization that has more options available). One other difference: As lilybeane said, CCS volunteers stay from 1 - 12+ weeks, whereas GV is strictly 1-3 week programs. That said, GV really tries to cram a lot of cultural activities and other such goodies in to make sure you get the most out of your short time there. CCS does as well, but GV is more tailored to the short-term volunteers like you. One last blurb about fundraising. I was just talking to a guy from my first Romania trip last night who had managed to fundraise the entire amount by writing letters to everyone he knew. He said he got to the penny what he needed. And I've encountered literally dozens of people who have also fundraised the entire amount, so it's definitely doable! One plus is that with either of these organizations, since they're registered non-profits your entire fee (including any donations people to make) is 100% tax deductible. That's a big selling point when asking people to open their wallets! Here's a http://www.crossculturalsolutions.org/documents/Fundraising%20Guide%20-%202005.pdf from Cross-Cultural Solution's site that has lots of ideas and maybe will help you, whatever organization you decide to go with. Obviously there are plenty of other organizations you can travel with - just wanted to vouch for these two because my trips with them have had such an impact on my life and I want to share the joy! Wherever you decide to go and whoever you decide to go with, you're sure to have an amazing time, brighten the lives of some needy kids, and inevitably get back a million times more than you give. Holler if you have any other questions (and I'll try to be more concise next time :)

Too bad Mexico's out, because http://www.hoycommunity.org/html/about.html seems like what you're looking for.

One other quick fundraising tip. Assuming the organization you decide to go with has a tax-deductible program fee, ask any donors if their company has a Matching Gift program. Lots of the big compaies do. If so, them filling out a quick little form at the office will usually get their donation matched dollar-for-dollar!