Volunteers Peru is a small registered Non-Governmental Organization based in the city of Arequipa in southern Peru. We currently support two projects where volunteers can make a positive contribution to the local community.
Volunteers Peru is a small grassroots NGO based in the city of Arequipa in the Andes of southern Peru. We are currently working in partnership with two projects where volunteers can make a positive contribution to the local community. The first is a home for girls at risk in Arequipa; the second is a public school in the village of Tomepampa, Cotahuasi Canyon.
We are committed to helping the children that we work with to fulfil their personal and educational needs and to promoting cultural exchange and mutual understanding. Long and short-term opportunities are available. Both projects are greatly in need of support.
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.
Volunteer responsibilities include:
- Homework help
- Helping with domestic tasks as required
- Playing with the girls
- Helping to create a safe and stable environment for the girls
- There is also the opportunity to get involved with vocational training and mini-projects
Cotahuasi Canyon: Colegio Honofre Benavides
This is a primary and secondary school in the town of Tomepampa in the rural Cotahuasi region.
Volunteer responsibilities include:
- Classroom Support in Primary School
- English Support in Secondary School
- After school English help
- There is also the opportunity to get involved with mini-projects as appropriate to the needs of the community and the school
Childcare at the Casa Hogar Torre Fuerte – Homework help, help with chores, talking and playing with the girls
Teachers at Colegio Honofre Benavides – English, computers, and primary school assistance
We do not provide accommodation or meals, but we do have low cost accommodation that volunteers can stay in. We also have a homestay option. However, volunteers are welcome to arrange their own accommodation.
Please note: We charge a minimal one-off volunteer fee of $230 which goes directly back into the organization to cover legitimate administration costs and support the projects. We are strictly nonprofit. The program fee covers the costs of our support to you. At volunteers Peru, you have 24/7 support and assistance for all of your needs while here and personalized support before your arrival. In addition, the fee goes towards your Volunteers Peru uniform shirt, administrative fees, and Volunteers Peru sustainability. You will receive a certificate upon completion of your commitment and can receive a reference upon request. The fee is due upon your arrival, or prior to the start of your volunteering, and can be paid in dollars or soles.
Volunteers Peru from Karney Hatch on Vimeo.
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 email a copy of their CV/resume and a reference letter from an employer or professor to volunteersperu@gmail.com. We will then arrange a Skype interview with you.
https://www.cognitoforms.com/VolunteersPeru1/VolunteersPeruApplicationForm
If you have any further questions, please do not hesitate to contact us: volunteersperu@gmail.com
For those wishing to improve their language skills during their time with us we can organize Spanish lessons.
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. ”