The volunteer program is for people interested
in learning about sustainable solutions to poverty. All volunteers
will work in partnership with local people in a variety of community
- based projects. This unique program offers exciting hands-on
work opportunities, meaningful cultural immersion, and enriching
language program.
Minimum two weeks preparatory classes, followed
by two to twelve weeks of volunteer work. After this requirement
is met, students may extend their program with work only. The
student will need to send us a resume of their studies in order
to arrange a half time work according to their needs. Students
will receive a certificate from the Spanish language school and
the Institution at the end of the course.
Please note
that additional info (prices, activities, etc) are found to the
right of this pages. 
SOCIAL ORGANIZATIONS
PRONOEI KINDERGARTEN (Social/Education
Placement)
History/Purpose:
PRONOEIs (Programa No Escolarisado de Educacion Inicial) are government-run
nursery schools / kindergartens for the extremely impoverished
areas of Cusco. The volunteer placement at a PRONOEI (there are
various locations) would include teaching English, helping the
teachers in the classroom, and doing special activities with the
children. There are about 5 different locations where you might
work on the outskirts of the city. Each building holds about 35
children and there are very few resources, so the children lack
pens, pencils, paper, etc. Therefore, a volunteer must possess
creative skills to compensate for the lack of materials.
Placement:
Teacher´s assistant. Volunteers for this placement must
be highly motivated “self-starters” who are able to
work independently. Also, some of these schools are in the outskirts
of Cusco, so there may be some travel involved.
Requirements
- Minimum work
commitment : 4 weeks
- Spanish:
High intermediate
- Schedule:
Monday through Friday from 9:30 - 12:00
- Capacity:
1 volunteer
- Other:
Patience and a willingness to be helpful in all areas of the
daycare.
CHILDRENS HOME MARÍA
SALOME FERRO (Social/Educational Placement)
History /Purpose:
A non - profit organization working with high - risk street children
and adolescents. All funding for the project comes from religious
organizations and voluntary donations. The children are offered
a structured educative, formative program with the aim of identifying
and relating with the needs of the individual.
General information:
This home functions under the direction of the Social Security
and Charity of Cusco. Capacity for 50 children and teenagers in
material and moral state of abandonment. The ages of these children
vary from 7 to 17 years. They receive attention oriented to form
values and to prepare them for the adult life through workshops,
lectures and specific training. The courses are: -
Woodcarving - Tailoring - Shoe Making.
Activities for the
volunteer:
8 - 10 AM:
To participate in the workshops collaborating with the personnel
to organize the children and to direct them in work. - In this
schedule the volunteer can also organize art work art (painting-
theater - music).
10 - 12 AM: To help the
children in the resolution of school tasks. In this schedule
volunteers can help the children with their school classes and
assignments (mathematics – English, or other).
Requirements
YOUTH CENTER - MARCAVALLE (Social/Educational
placement)
History:
The Marcavalle Youth Center, is an official non profit organization,
founded on January 17, 1997. The organization is part of the Reform
of the Peruvian Social System, which is trying to reintegrate
adolescent offenders into the community. This project tries to
offer special education in conjunction with spiritual beliefs,
moral, and social values.
Description of
the center: This is a social reintegration program for
children and teenage offenders of the law, ages vary from 12 -
17 years. The activities that are carried out are divided into
four areas.
-
Educational
Program: Offers an occupational
program with the aim of developing personal aptitudes and
practical skills including :- carpentry, shoemaking, sewing,
handicrafts, farming etc.
-
Educational
modules: Offers a formative
program with the objective of developing self - esteem and
cultural identity. (one of the volunteers is a qualified psychologist.)
Also orient the adolescents in personal themes of formation,
values, sexual orientation, prevention of alcoholism and other
subjects.
-
Modules of
Learning: Children and adolescents
receive classes of: culture, identity, ecology, health, communication
and English.
-
Recreational
Activities: Participation
in sports activities (soccer, basketball and ping pong), the
center has it own sport facilities. Artistic activities (dances,
painting, chorus and theater).
Activities:
The volunteer can aid in all the areas of work indicated. However
teaching English will become the main activity during the time
the volunteer is at the center.
Requisite for volunteers:
Some teaching experience with children or adolescents. Have a
great deal of energy, love and affection for children and willing
to help them in every way. Organizational capacity and creativity.
Patience and willingness to work with a challenging group of children
and adolescents. The understanding and ability to handle conditions
of the poor (for example, kids can go for days without a bath
and lack many standard social skills).
SAN JUDAS CHICO (Social/Educational
placement)
History / purpose:
This is a religious non-profit organization directed by the Congregation
of the Holy Rosary in Cusco.
Facts about the center:
-
The center works with about 45 children
and adolescents.
-
Offers an educative program which enables
preparation and reinforcement of school work and literacy.
-
Offers a formative program with the objective
of developing self esteem and cultural identity. (one of the
volunteers is a qualified psychologist.)
-
They receive attention oriented to form
their values and to prepare them for the adult life.
-
Children prepare their own meals, with
the help of staff, which are provided at the end of each session.
Placement:
3.00 to 4.30 pm. During this time the volunteer will help the
students in the resolution of their school tasks. The topics a
volunteer will help with will relate to the background of the
individual. The volunteer will also provide English lessons.
From 4.30 to 6.30
different activities are carried out: handicrafts, sports,
recreational or artistic. For this it is necessary that the volunteer
show interest in organizing activities (ideally the volunteer
will have experience in these areas). For example during the months
of November and December the girls prepare Christmas cards. Volunteers
that have artistic abilities will direct these activities.
Requirements
- Minimum Time
Commitment: 4 weeks
- Spanish:
high level beginner/intermediate
- Schedule:
Monday to Friday, from 15:00 to 18:30 hours
- Other:
Show interest in working with girls and to be willing to help
them. Have a great deal of energy and patience. To have organizational
capacity and creativity. Initiative to organize extra activities.
HOGAR CLINICA SAN JUAN DE
DIOS (Social Placement)
History/Purpose:
A clinic run by a religious order that offers free treatment (or
treatment for a symbolic fee such as a bag of rice or a bag of
corn) to mentally and physically disabled children. Due to the
present economic situation in Peru, the government has cut funding
for institutions like this one. The institute is mostly self-efficient
in respect that they grow their own corn, potatoes and vegetables
(in greenhouses), and have numerous animals that they keep for
their own consumption as well.
FACTS ABOUT THE CLINICA
- 52 children living at the hogar
- 40 come for school or therapy daily
- 72 children attend the school daily
- 4 profesoras
- 3 enfermeras por la mañana
- 2 enfermeras por la tarde
- 3 terapistas
- Normally 5-6 volunteers
- Receive little funding from the government,
and are trying to become self-sustaining.
Placement:
In this placement there are many different options. Volunteers
can work in the clinic feeding, bathing and playing with the children.
They can also work as teaching assistants in the school, assisting
with art projects and helping the children with their work. There
is also the possibility to work in the physical therapy department,
assisting with the therapies, in the greenhouse, or in the administrative
office.
Requirements
Note: Placements
where volunteers work with special/disabled/hearing and/or speech-impaired
patients may not be intensive Spanish placements; however, Spanish
IS needed to communicate with
staff and to get the most out of the placement. Volunteers who
want to practice their Spanish must remember to always make an
effort to both avoid their native language (or English as it tends
to be the common language among world-wide travelers in South
America) and to seek opportunities to speak Spanish.
THE SPECIAL NEEDS SCHOOL is closed during “summer
break”: mid-December though beginning of April and again
at the end of July for two weeks.
ASILO DE ANCIANOS ´LA
RECOLETA´ (Social Placement)
History/Purpose:
This is a home for elderly people. It is run by a Catholic order
of nuns. There are four different wards:
-
The general women´s
ward, with 72 women, run by Madre Soranita.
-
The women´s
infirmary, with 32 women, run by Madre Mariana.
-
The general men´s
ward, with 86 men, run by Madre Soledad
-
The men´s
infirmary, with 33 men, run by Madre Soremilia.
Placement:
Various kinds of work related to the care of elderly people, including
helping to feed them lunch, bathing them, cutting their fingernails
and hair, dressing them, as well as personal attention in recreation,
for example, playing ball with them, drawing, walking around with
them, games like bingo, dancing, singing, etc. The elderly people
like having foreigners around and start smiling once you walk
in the door.
For those volunteers with a medical background,
a general medical placement is available. You will be shadowing
the nurses and doctors until you are comfortable to take on individual
patient duties. Patients´ medical needs include: administering
of medicine, checking blood pressure, taking blood tests, performing
general physicals, counseling on better health maintenance techniques,
writing patient histories and updates, etc. It is also possible
to work in the physical therapy clinic. Suggestions for contributions
to bring to the clinic include: hats, towels, sheets, toilet paper,
scarves, knitting equipment, games, cold medications, antibiotics,
soap, candy.
Requirements
- Minimum Time
Commitment: 4 weeks
- Spanish Level:
High-Intermediate by the time the placement begins
- Schedule:
Flexible but preferred is 9am to 1pm
- Capacity:
Maximum 2 volunteers at one time
HIJOS DEL SOL (Social/Educational
placement)
History / Purpose:
A non profit organization working with high risk street children
and adolescents, who for a variety of reasons (they´ve been
abandoned/orphaned, have alcoholic parents, etc.) are sleeping/
living rough on the streets of Cusco. All funding for the project
comes from voluntary donations and the staff team consists of
11 professionals who volunteer at the center in their spare time.
The children are offered a structured educative, formative and
occupational program with the aim of identifying and relating
with the needs of the individual.
Facts about the center:
-
The center works with between 40 and 60
children at a time and offers morning and afternoon sessions.
-
Offers an educative program which enables
preparation and reinforcement of school work and literacy
(first 2 hours of each session is dedicated to the educative
part of the program)
-
Offers a formative program with the objective
of developing self - esteem and cultural identity. (one of
the volunteers is a qualified psychologist.)
-
Offers an occupational program with the
aim of developing personal aptitudes and practical skills
including :- carpentry, shoemaking, sewing, handicrafts etc.
-
The project is also developing a school
for parents of children at risk, working on a variety of relevant
topics.
-
Children prepare their own meals, with
the help of staff, which are provided at the end of each session.
Placement:
There are a number of options open to volunteers depending on
individual skills, including: helping in the classroom, helping
with a variety of occupational activities, etc. Extra help will
also be needed to find funding and the marketing of the project
(current funding runs out in June). Teaching the children to prepare
meals and the cleaning up process afterwards is also a priority
of the school.
Requirements
- Minimum Time
Commitment: 4 weeks
- Spanish:
high level beginner/intermediate
- Schedule:
Monday to Friday 10am to 1pm **3pm
to 7pm Saturday 3pm to 7pm (**emphasis is on the afternoon shifts
as more children attend in the afternoon when they have finished
at regular school.)
MARKETING PLACEMENT “2B”
(Marketing Placement)
History/Purpose:
Located in Cusco, Peru, 2B is a social project with the aim of
providing disabled and hearing-impaired and deaf adolescents with
specific work and opportunity to learn useful skills. Young women
between the ages of 15 and 22 are taught the art of clothes design,
production, and sales. In addition, the project incorporates interdisciplinary
facets such as speech therapy, psychotherapy, and artistic development.
The two Bs are Barbara and Baduc, co-founders (an Austrian-Peruvian
couple).
Placement:
Work closely with core team marketing the organization in general
and its clothing specifically. Working hours are flexible, therefore
the activities to carry out should be coordinated previously with
the person responsible of the center. Basically the work of the
volunteer consists of lending aid in the area of marketing, promoting
and diffusing the work of the organization. The second main role
will be organizing "fashion shows” once a month to
raise proceeds and publicize their products. Marketing and organizational
help are needed for these presentations. Administrative help is
also needed. In this position, the social aid that can lend the
volunteer is indirect, since upon promoting and to sell the clothing
is helping the disabled youths so that they have more work. Any
contribution of the volunteer concerning production and sales
will be greatly appreciated by the organization.
Be prepared for non professional working culture
(typical example: you may have an “appointment” to
collect 2B´s fabric shipment from Lima, after confirming
twice, the vender never appears…) Good opportunity to experience
business every day problems first-hand while assisting a very
worthy, very needy organization!!
Requirements
- Minimum Time
Commitment: 4 weeks
- Spanish Level:
Mid to High-Intermediate by the time the placement begins to
communicate with clients.
- Schedule:
to be arranged upon arrival
- Capacity:
Maximum 1 volunteer at one time
- Other:
A genuine interest in the overall project, its purpose and its
possibilities!!! A creative person with marketing vision who
is able to working independently.
Important things
to consider: Volunteers must have patience. New organization
with small disorganized staff. This organization is severely under
funded and resources are few.
Other comments:
The maximum number of volunteers that this organization accepts
is 1 at a time.
ASOCIACIÓN KUYCHIWASI
(Marketing placement)
History / Purpose:
Asociacion Kuychiwasi is a non-profit organization working for
the promotion of the coca leaf and coca leaf products. It was
founded by Spanish friars in 1999 to sell coca based products
in the hope of persuading the coca farmers to sell their crop
on a legitimate basis rather than resort to selling to cocaine
producers. Virtually all funding comes from the sale of their
products in the store as well as from the sale of ceramics/ pottery
produced by local youths in the coca producing areas that also
comes within the aim of the organization: developing
artistic ability and generating employment and a self sustaining
way of life. These items are sold, along with coca based
products, in their shop situated in the Qorikancha.
Placement:
This position is for a volunteer who is interested in promoting
and marketing the beneficial uses of coca products and also helping
out in their shop. Coca leaves are used in a variety of products
including:- tea bags, biscuits, energy bars, chocolate, bread,
spaghetti, shampoo, soap, etc. and emphasis is on the nutritional
and beneficial value of the coca leaf, something often neglected
due to the links with cocaine production.
Requirements
-
Minimum time
commitment: one month
-
Spanish level:
medio- intermedio
-
Schedule:
Mon to Sat (hours changeable)
-
Capacity:
1 volunteer at a time
-
Other:
A genuine interest in the overall promotion of alternative
coca leaf products, bringing new ideas of marketing a product
which although has negative connotations, is also of great
nutritional and cultural value.
SOUTH AMERICAN EXPLORER´S
CLUB INTERNSHIP (Cultural Internship)
History/Purpose:
The SAEC is a non-profit, international club for travelers with
clubhouses in New York, Quito, Lima and Cusco. The Cusco clubhouse
helps members plan trips, has a common area for travelers to commune,
posts messages, holds luggage, etc.
Placement:
Basic office tasks plus assisting travelers would be the main
duties for the volunteer. Good atmosphere, great way to meet people,
great book exchange and lots more.!! Good for Business Administration
folks looking for international/intercultural experience.
Requirements
-
Minimum work
commitment: 4 weeks
-
Schedule:
Flexible. Open Monday through Saturday: 8am-5:30pm - It is
possible to work at the clubhouse in the afternoon while taking
classes (or in the morning if you have afternoon classes).
-
Spanish:
beginner
-
Capacity:
1 volunteer
-
Other:
Enthusiasm and a love for travel. Mostly an English-speaking
placement as the clients are travelers who usually speak English
as a common language. Not an intensive.
CONDITIONS FOR VOLUNTEER/INTERNS
-
Financing:
Volunteers must pay their own expenses, including airfare
to Cusco, Peru.
-
Lodging:
With host family or at student residence that are shared with
other volunteers. Volunteer fees must be paid in advance and
are non-refundable. With the participation of 5 non-Peruvian
volunteers, a Peruvian person will be able to become a volunteer
supported by organization.
-
Health Insurance:
Volunteers must have their own health insurance and need to
sign a waiver to release from responsibility from any illness
or injury incurred in Peru.
-
Duration
of internships: The minimum time limit for internships
is two weeks. The maximum time limit at any of the options
is three months (exceptions can be made in special cases).
A special visa is required to remain in Peru more than 90
days.
-
Work Schedules:
Volunteers are expected to work 4 hours a day, 20 days per
month, from Monday - Friday.
-
Educational
Requirements: A good working use of Spanish is required
to participate in most of the programs. University study is
not a prerequisite to be accepted into the program. Prospective
volunteers should have interest in conservation and related
human issues.
-
Volunteers are not tourists and are expected
to work as any other employee of the program. Interns should
be able to undertake strenuous, and sometimes tedious labor
under primitive conditions.
Requirements:
-
Payment of the specific program.
-
Application letter indicating: experience,
future interests, reasons for applying, preferred organization
and participation dates (participation dates are needed to
guarantee space availability).
-
Curriculum Vitae
-
Recent health certificate
-
If you have an original project include
the work plan (2-5 pages)
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