Volunteers Peru is a small grassroots NGO currently working in partnership with three projects: a home for girls at risk in Arequipa, an environmental government agency in the Cotahuasi Canyon, and a public school in the village of Tomepampa.
Volunteering Activities
What We Need
We are committed to helping children fulfill their personal and educational needs, to promote cultural exchange and mutual understanding, and to preserve the environment for future generations. Long and short-term opportunities are available. Our three projects are greatly in need of support:
1. Cotahuasi Canyon: In colaboration with the SERNANP (Government Agency in charge of preservation of protected areas)
Volunteers work along with the local government in the development of strategies to encourage the involvement of indigenous communities in the protection of the environment.
2. City of Arequipa: Casa Hogar Torre Fuerte
This is a home for girls and young women aged 3 - 18 years who have been abandoned or mistreated. Our volunteers help these girls improve their education and regain their self-esteem.
3. Cotahuasi Canyon: Colegio Honofre Benavides
This is a primary and secondary school in the town of Tomepampa in the rural Cotahuasi region. Volunteers help teaching English as a second language.
When & Who
What we Provide
Mini-apartment (full size bed, desk and chair, fully equipped kitchenette and private bathroom) three blocks from Arequipa's main square. From $20 to $12 daily. The longer the stay the cheaper the accommodation.
Only for volunteers willing to stay 6 months and help with some administrative work. We provide free lodging.
Our Fees
One-time donation of $230.
This donation is used to support our projects. We take children to the doctor, buy eyeglasses for them, provide books, educational materials and stationary; we purchase supplies for workshops such as sewing and manicure so that when girls leave the orphanage they have some skills that can help them get jobs; we provide shoes and personal hygiene products as well.
6 Reviews
As an intern, I assisted the manager, Eva Paterson, in various administrative tasks at the office during the morning. These tasks primarily included marketing tasks; promoting and creating better awareness of the organization. In the afternoon I worked as a volunteer at the girls’ home, where I mainly helped out the girls with their domestic tasks and homework. Other tasks included organizing activities and games with the girls and to create a safe and stable environment for the girls at their home.
The Casa Hogar Torre Fuerte is a loving place in the oursides of Arequipa, where the girls’ are treated well and feel safe. As a volunteer you feel like being part of the small family.
Not every day is alike and not all days are easy at the girls´ home. The girls come from a very different environment and they all carry heavy experiences with them. In other words, there are ups and downs. It is not easy not to get attached to the girls and get a special bond with them, but it is very important to try to keep it professional and take good care of your own feelings while volunteering. If not, it can be quite heavy emotionally. Moreover it is important that you are able to take initiative on your own, since no one is really “guiding” you at the girls’ home. You go on your own and take action on your own. Show initiative and motivation – and the girls will follow.
Volunteers Peru is a small NGO and you therefore become close with everyone involved rather fast. During my first weeks, we were only two volunteers at the project, but during my last weeks we were four volunteers. You easily get new friendships with the other volunteers with whom you can hang out with during your free time.
Moreover, I really enjoyed living in the beautiful city of Arequipa and in general I felt safe in the city. Just take precautions, take care of yourself and use common sense.
As a volunteer you have plenty of time to enjoy and discover the city, due to the fact that you only work part time Monday to Friday. I decided to spent my mornings learning Quechua before going to the office in order to get the most out of my stay.
I highly appreciated the preparation material from Volunteers Peru and the good and fast communication with the manager, Eva Paterson. Any volunteer should read the material and if any questions or in doubt, contact Eva, who has years of experience in Peru and is more than happy to help out.
My experience as a volunteer and as an intern at Volunteers Peru made me grow both personally as well as professionally.
“The best way to find your self is to lose yourself in the service of others”."
Casa Hogar is a really nice place, the girls there are very well treated and as a volunteer you try to help them and give them as much love as possible as it is what they are really missing because of being away from their families.
The girls are very thankful and they give so much love to all the volunteers. As a volunteer you get to know them really well and you create kind of a big sister/brother relationship which is very nice!
About the organization, Volunteers Peru, i can say that it is very well organized and Eva, the project manager, is very nice and looking forward to help you with everything.
During my stay i coincided with other volunteers which was also great as we became very good friends while sharing this incredible experience.
I definitely recommend Volunteers Peru, for anyone looking for a volunteering experience abroad!!!! :)"
More Services we Offer
For those wishing to improve their language skills during their time with us, we can organize Spanish lessons.
We provide:
- Certificate upon completion
- References upon request
- 24/7 support and assistance for all of your needs while here and personalized support before your arrival
Contact Person
Other Ways to Help
pencils, erasers, pencil sharpeners, rulers.
Additional Info about Us
Volunteers are required to have an intermediate level of Spanish or be willing to learn.
If you would like to be a part of the Volunteers Peru team, please follow this link to fill out our online application form.
We also ask that applicants send us a copy of their CV/resume and a reference letter from an employer or professor. We will then arrange a video interview with you.
In Tomepampa I stayed in Casa Primavera which felt like being at home. I had my own cozy room with bathroom and access to the shared kitchen. Besides from Carmela who makes you wonderful lunches, her sons Hector and Miguel also live in the house. They were always up for things like guiding me in the area, going fishing or watching movies and I really enjoyed having them around. The village of Tomepampa is kind of small but there are plenty of small shops where you can buy the most necessary things.
The school is located just a minute's walk away from the house and is divided into two parts: the primary and the secondary. I spent more or less all the time in secondary as that's where they learn English. The two English teachers are really different, Maribel has a pretty good level of English and does a lot of teaching in front of the class, while Julissa struggles quite often with the language and has more discussions with the class (often in Spanish though).
When I was with Maribel she usually did the teaching but asked me for help with pronunciation practices with the class. Also, when the class were working in smaller groups or by themselves I helped the students out when they asked for it and occasionally I checked homework or tasks they'd done during class. Most of the time I was just sitting around and some of the one block classes I didn't do anything at all, which was kind of boring.
Luckily the classes with Julissa was the opposite. I was constantly asked to help either her or the students with pretty much anything. Sometimes Julissa held the class while I was writing things she said on the board and at other times I more or less held the class. As I mentioned earlier she does struggle with the language, which means she has to look up things in her dictionary so often that she just carries it around all the time. Also when she writes things on the board she spells it wrong quite often so of course it's not the optimal situation for the students. On the other hand she is really sweet and really cares about the students and most importantly she makes every effort to get better.
Four days a week I had an extra hour of English in the afternoon with the kids who are doing an exchange with England. The four hours added to the already five hours of English in school and rather long days was a bit excessive, there wasn't really any time for the students to study in between.
When you're not in school you should go explore the surroundings. The Cotahuasi canyon is something else and there's no way you'll be able to see it all unless you stay for a couple of months. I did at least one trip every weekend and I think my top two was visiting the small lake outside Cotahuasi (which is really easy to visit) and hiking the mountain above Cahuana (which is not easy at all). The hike up to Cauhana is definitely more spectacular if you take the steps from Alca but it's probably easier to walk the switchbacks from Luicho.
If you're still thinking of going, stop and just go! You won't regret it. I'm definitely going back one day."